Online Casino Games for Real Money: What Each Game Pays Back, and What It’s Worth to Your Bonus
Every casino game has a built-in edge, and every bonus counts the games differently. We put the two side by side. The returns come from the game math and from what providers and casinos publish; the bonus weightings come from each casino’s own terms. The short version: the games with the best odds are the ones that count least toward a bonus.
The Short Answer
For the best odds, play blackjack at a table that pays 3:2, full-pay video poker, baccarat on banker or European roulette. To clear a bonus, play slots. At Slots.lv, Cafe Casino, Bovada and Ignition, slots count 100% toward a bonus, blackjack and video poker 10%, roulette and baccarat 5%, and live dealer games nothing at all.
So decide what you are playing before you take a bonus. A table-game player is usually better off with no bonus, or with an offer like Wild Casino’s 250 welcome spins, which carry no rollover on the spins.
Every Main Game: What It Pays Back and How It Counts
Pay-back is the long-run share of every bet a game returns. Bonus weighting is how much of each bet counts toward clearing a bonus at Slots.lv, Cafe Casino, Bovada and Ignition, which use near-identical bonus charts (Bovada also counts Classic Blackjack 0%).
| Game | What it pays back | Counts toward a bonus | Our guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slots | Set by each game; Betsoft lists 96.06% to 96.20% for the three of its slots we checked | 100%, but Hot Drop jackpot slots 0% | Real money slots |
| Blackjack | Betsoft lists 99.71% for Super 7 Blackjack and 99.38% for European Blackjack | 10%; Double Deck 2%; Single Deck 0% | Online blackjack |
| Video poker | 99.54% for 9/6 Jacks or Better, with perfect play | 10% | Video poker |
| Baccarat | 98.94% on banker, 98.76% on player | 5% | Baccarat |
| Craps | 98.59% on the pass line | 0% | |
| European roulette | 97.30%, as Bovada publishes it | 5% | Online roulette |
| American roulette | 94.74%, as Bovada publishes it | 5% | Online roulette |
| Live dealer games | The same as the game and rules at the table | 0%, and bonus money can’t be used | Live dealer casinos |
What It Costs to Clear $1,000 of Wagering on Each Game
Take a bonus with $1,000 of wagering to clear at Slots.lv, Cafe Casino, Bovada or Ignition. Here is how much you would have to bet on each game, and what that betting is expected to cost at the game’s edge:
| Game | Counts | Bets needed | Expected cost of those bets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slots (96% return) | 100% | $1,000 | about $40 |
| Video poker (9/6 Jacks or Better) | 10% | $10,000 | about $46 |
| Blackjack (99.38% return) | 10% | $10,000 | about $62 |
| Baccarat (banker) | 5% | $20,000 | about $212 |
| European roulette | 5% | $20,000 | about $540 |
| Double Deck blackjack | 2% | $50,000 | Depends on the rules |
| Single Deck blackjack or any live game | 0% | It never clears | n/a |
The pattern holds everywhere we looked. Low-edge games either count a fraction or can’t be played with a bonus at all, so the cheapest way through a rollover is nearly always slots. That is why our game guides tell table players to skip the bonus.
How Each Casino Counts the Games
| Casino | How games count toward a bonus | Also check |
|---|---|---|
| Slots.lv, Cafe Casino, Bovada, Ignition | Slots 100%; table games 20%; blackjack and video poker 10%; roulette and baccarat 5%; Double Deck 2%; Single Deck, craps, live dealer and Hot Drop jackpots 0% | Bet with a bonus capped at 20% of your deposit |
| BUSR | Slots 100%; roulette 20%; blackjack, video poker and baccarat 10%; Super 7, Pirate 21, 21 Burn and Pontoon 5%; craps and progressive jackpots 0% | Wins from a bonus bet capped at $5,000 |
| Sloto’Cash | Only slots, video slots, keno and scratch cards count toward the welcome bonus | $10 a spin with a bonus |
| BetOnline | Roulette, baccarat, sic bo and craps can’t be played with a bonus; blackjack raises the rollover 2.5× | From undated casino rules |
| SportsBetting.ag | Roulette, baccarat, sic bo and craps can’t be played with a bonus; its rebate counts blackjack and roulette 5% | Rebate winnings capped at 5× the bonus |
| Wild Casino | Welcome spins and current reloads carry no rollover, so there is nothing to weight | Spin winnings capped at $100 |
The Real Rules Are on the Game Screen
A game’s name doesn’t tell you its rules. Open the help menu or paytable before you change the stake. Two examples from our own screenshots:
Supreme 777 Jackpots is a Betsoft multi-hand blackjack game. Betsoft lists a 97.86% RTP with six decks and up to three hands, plus a Supreme 777 Jackpot side bet and a Perfect Pairs side bet. The table in our screenshot shows a 3:2 blackjack payout and a dealer who hits soft 17. Every extra hand and side bet adds to what you have at risk.
Joker Poker adds a joker to the deck and starts paying at a pair of kings, not jacks, so its paytable can’t be compared with Jacks or Better row for row. Several studios make a game with this name, so read the paytable in the version you open. Our video poker guide explains how to read one.
Where to Play: Four Casinos With the Rules in Writing
Picked because they publish their game rules or bonus terms clearly, and ordered by our scorecard.
Ignition
- Lowest cashout
- $10Litecoin or Lightning
- Ways to get paid
- Crypto
- Other
- Published payout time
- Bitcoin approval: about 24 hours
- Limits
- $9,500 per Bitcoin or Litecoin payout
For blackjack and live tables. Ignition says in writing that blackjack pays 3:2, and its live lobby showed 48 live blackjack games, 10 high-stakes blackjack games and 19 roulette games, with live roulette from $1 to $3,000.
Getting paid: Ignition paid our $2,400 Ethereum withdrawal in 41 minutes 20 seconds.
Watch for: Blackjack counts 10% toward Ignition’s bonus rollover and single-deck and live games 0%, so table players should think twice about the bonus.
We may earn a commission if you sign up through this link. Offers change, so check the terms on the casino site before you deposit.
Wild Casino
- Lowest cashout
- $20Bitcoin and Litecoin
- Ways to get paid
- Crypto
- Wire
- Check
- Other
- Published payout time
- Crypto: within 24 hours
- Limits
- Litecoin up to $50,000; no Bitcoin max listed
For any game, with no rollover. Wild Casino’s welcome offer is 250 free spins with no rollover on the spins, and its current reloads and Cash Boost are paid as cash, so no weighting chart decides what you play. Its help center lists blackjack from $1 a hand, European and American roulette, and live blackjack, roulette and baccarat.
Getting paid: Wild Casino paid our $14,500 Bitcoin withdrawal in 28 minutes 45 seconds.
Watch for: Spin winnings are capped at $100, your deposit must be wagered once before a withdrawal, and baccarat bets don’t count toward Cash Boost or Reloads.
We may earn a commission if you sign up through this link. Offers change, so check the terms on the casino site before you deposit.
Slots.lv
- Lowest cashout
- $10Bitcoin, Litecoin, BCH, BSV or Lightning
- Ways to get paid
- Crypto
- Other
- Published payout time
- Crypto approval: about 24 hours
- Limits
- Weekly: Bitcoin $100,000, Litecoin $200,000
For slots. Slots.lv runs the Hot Drop Jackpots, with an Epic pot advertised up to $1.5 million, and lists blackjack, roulette and live dealer tables alongside. Its table-games page publishes the roulette house edge: 2.70% European, 5.26% American.
Getting paid: Slots.lv paid our $1,100 Solana withdrawal in 9 minutes 30 seconds, the fastest payout we have timed.
Watch for: Hot Drop games and live dealer tables can’t be played with bonus money, and each bet is capped at 20% of your deposit while a bonus is active.
We may earn a commission if you sign up through this link. Offers change, so check the terms on the casino site before you deposit.
Bovada
- Lowest cashout
- $10Litecoin, BCH, BSV or Lightning
- Ways to get paid
- Crypto
- Wire
- Check
- Other
- Published payout time
- Bitcoin approval: about 24 hours
- Limits
- Bitcoin $90,000 a week; Litecoin $180,000
For the most live categories. Bovada’s live lobby showed seven categories, from 50 blackjack games to game shows and lottery draws, and it publishes its roulette payout percentages: 97.30% European, 94.74% American.
Also: Bovada has a sportsbook and a poker room alongside the casino.
Watch for: Live casino counts 0% toward Bovada’s bonus and can’t be played with bonus money. We haven’t timed a Bovada withdrawal.
We may earn a commission if you sign up through this link. Offers change, so check the terms on the casino site before you deposit.
Are the Games Fair?
Digital casino games use a random number generator (RNG). What the casinos we checked say about it:
- Slots.lv, Cafe Casino and Bovada say they use an RNG that “cannot be mathematically determined,” and Ignition’s fairness page uses the same RNG wording; none names a testing lab.
- BetOnline’s guide says third-party auditors test its RNG games, without naming them.
- BUSR says its games use certified random number generators, and Wild Casino says its games are “tested rigorously,” again without naming a lab.
None of that is independent proof, so the practical checks are the ones on this page: published returns, readable rules, and a casino that pays. Our fastest payout casinos page lists every withdrawal we have timed.
More Game Guides
- Live tables: live blackjack, live roulette and live baccarat.
- Poker: online poker, casino Texas Hold’em and pai gow poker.
- Jackpots and number games: progressive jackpots, scratch cards, bingo and lottery games.
Real Money Casino Game Questions
Which casino game has the best odds?
Among the main games, blackjack with a 3:2 payout and basic strategy, and full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker (99.54% with perfect play). Baccarat on banker returns 98.94% and European roulette 97.30%.
Which casino games count toward a bonus?
Slots count fully almost everywhere. At Slots.lv, Cafe Casino, Bovada and Ignition, blackjack and video poker count 10%, roulette and baccarat 5%, and live dealer games 0%. BetOnline’s and SportsBetting.ag’s casino rules bar roulette and baccarat from bonus play, though SportsBetting.ag’s casino rebate counts them 5%.
What is the cheapest game to clear a casino bonus on?
Slots. Clearing $1,000 of wagering takes $1,000 of slot bets, against $20,000 of roulette at a 5% weighting. At a 96% slot that betting is expected to cost about $40; on European roulette, about $540.
Are online casino games rigged?
The casinos we checked say their digital games use random number generators, but most name no testing lab. Look for published returns, readable rules on the game screen, and a casino with a record of paying.
Can I play casino games for free first?
Often. Cafe Casino says every roulette version has a demo mode, and Ignition’s practice mode works when you are logged out. Hot Drop jackpot games are real money only.
Are live dealer games better than digital ones?
The odds come from the rules, not the format, so the same rules give the same edge. Live games are slower and usually can’t be played with a bonus.
Play Within a Limit
A low house edge still means you lose more than you win over time. Set a budget before you play any game, and stop when you reach it. Support: call or text 1-800-MY-RESET for free, confidential help through the National Problem Gambling Helpline, or visit NCPGambling.org.