Same graphics, different payout maths
When a studio releases a slot, it rarely ships it to casinos in just one form. There is usually a default configuration plus one or more alternatives that differ in theoretical return. Visually they are indistinguishable: the same symbols, the same features, the same music.
The difference lies hidden in how often individual combinations land and how often the bonus feature triggers. Choosing a specific version is up to the casino operator, not the player.
Why do studios do this? Casinos work in different markets and with different business models, so a single game can be used everywhere without having to be redrawn. For you, one simple point follows: the figure you read on a studio’s website may not be the figure that applies at the casino where you are playing right now.
What shifts between versions and what stays put
Not every property of a game changes with the version. The overview below is general – a given studio may have its own rules, so the documentation of the game in question always decides.
| Game property | Changes with RTP version? | Where to verify it |
|---|---|---|
| theoretical return (RTP) | yes, that is the whole point of a version | rules or paytable of the launched game |
| look, symbols, features | as a rule, no | the game itself |
| bonus feature frequency | may change | the studio publishes it only sometimes |
| max win | usually not, exceptions exist | game rules, the studio’s game page |
| volatility label | studios mostly give one for all versions | the studio’s game page |
| RTP of a bought bonus | may have its own percentage | game rules, if the game has a bonus buy |
The most common misunderstanding comes from the last row. Buying a bonus round sometimes runs at a different return than regular spins, and the studio then lists it as a separate figure.
Look for the valid percentage in the launched game, not the lobby
The only place where you see the version the casino has actually deployed is the game itself. The steps differ between studios only in the details:
- Launch the game (opening it is enough; you do not need to spin).
- Find the “i” icon, the question mark or the rules menu – on mobile it is often hidden in a side menu.
- Scroll the rules to the very end. The theoretical return is usually stated in the last paragraph, often alongside a note about game malfunctions.
- If the game offers a bonus buy, check whether a separate percentage is listed for it.
The public Dukat.bet lobby API contains no RTP at all. And on the snapshot date of 12 October 2026, the lobby’s “High RTP” tab gathered titles containing the word “Hot”, not titles with a high return – so it cannot serve as a guide.
When the game rules give no percentage at all, we do not invent one for the table.
Default version or the full range: how we record it
Since the lobby does not tell us which version Dukat.bet uses for a given game, our tables show what the studio publishes. If the studio gives only the default RTP, we record it as a single figure. If it publishes the whole set of versions, we show the range from lowest to highest.
In the list sorted by RTP – the 2026 releases by return – the order follows the studio’s default value. The range only adds the information that a lower configuration may also be running at the casino.
For every figure, the “Source type” column states where it comes from: studio (official), 2 independent sources, or not published. The full hierarchy of sources and the tie-break rules are described in the snapshot methodology.
Return, volatility, cap: three numbers for three questions
RTP answers the question of how much of the money staked a game pays back on average over a vast number of rounds. It says nothing about how your evening will go.
Volatility describes how the game gets to that average – through small, frequent wins or through rare, larger ones. Two games sharing one RTP can behave in entirely different ways. And studios label it on different scales, so “high” at one may not mean the same thing at another.
The max win is a ceiling, normally given as a multiple of your bet. It marks a limit, not an expectation.
Each of the three numbers is a separate data point. Even a higher RTP will not make you come out ahead, and a higher cap is no sign you will ever get near it.
Two versions of the same game on paper
Sample calculation with fictitious numbers – not Dukat.bet data:
Picture a game in two configurations, 96% and 94%. You play 1,000 rounds at 0.20 EUR, which means you stake 200 EUR in total.
| 96% version | 94% version | |
|---|---|---|
| total staked | 200 EUR | 200 EUR |
| theoretical return | 192 EUR | 188 EUR |
| theoretical loss | 8 EUR | 12 EUR |
On paper the gap is 4 EUR – the lower version loses half as much again. Yet a thousand rounds is a small sample in mathematical terms, and the actual result can stray from the theoretical one by tens of euros in either direction.
So the version shapes the long-run average, not what happens today.
When two websites show a different figure for the same game
The most common explanation is a plain one: one website lists the default version, the other the one it saw at a particular casino. Other possibilities are a game update on the studio’s side or a mix-up with the bonus buy percentage.
If the figure in our snapshot differs from what you see in the game rules at Dukat.bet, the in-game figure always applies to your play. You help us by sending the discrepancy through the contact page – with the game name and the date you saw it.