Guides
Game weighting vs. RTP: which games count toward wagering?
RTP is the share a slot pays back over a very long run, while game weighting is the share of each bet that counts toward the bonus wagering. A slot with 98% RTP at 10% weighting clears wagering far more slowly than a 96% slot that counts fully. The contribution table sits in the bonus terms.
6 min · Updated 4 Sep 2026
Keep these
- RTP is what a game pays back over time, while weighting is the share of each bet that the bonus terms count toward wagering.
- A slot with 98% RTP at 10% weighting clears wagering more slowly than a 96% slot that counts at 100%.
- A volatile slot near the end of wagering only helps if its spins count fully.
- Check the contribution table in the bonus terms first, and the game’s info panel for its RTP version second.
- Root Score is not an average of slot RTPs; it is calculated from the bonus terms.
What RTP and weighting measure
RTP is what a game pays back over a very long run. Weighting is the share of each bet that the bonus terms count toward wagering. A spin on a game that counts 100% reduces the remaining wagering by the full stake, and a spin on a game at 10% reduces it by a tenth. Live games, table games and some slots count at 0% or 10%. The studio’s RTP does not show any of this, because weighting is set by each casino.
Example: Blood Suckers and Starburst
NetEnt lists Blood Suckers at 98.00% RTP. If a casino weights it at 10%, it clears wagering more slowly than Starburst at 100% and 96.08%. What counts is the contribution table in the bonus terms, not the RTP on the studio’s page or the marketing line in the lobby.
Volatile slots also need full weighting
Finishing the last part of the wagering on Gates of Olympus or Book of Dead only works if those spins count. If the terms cut high-volatility games to 50% or exclude the feature, a volatile slot will not help you finish. Our games guide separates calmer and more volatile slots.
What you can do
Open the bonus terms and find the game contribution table. Check that the game you picked counts at 100%, or accept that the wagering will take longer. Then open the game’s info panel to see its RTP version. The RTP guide explains the info panel, and the games guide lists calmer slots.
What Root Score does
Root Score is calculated from the bonus terms, not from an average of slot RTPs. Weighting is the reason 40x on “all games” is not the same as 40x on one particular slot.
FAQ
What does 10% game weighting mean?
Only a tenth of each bet counts toward the wagering. A bet on a game weighted at 10% reduces the remaining wagering by a tenth of the stake, so you need ten times as many bets on that game to clear the same requirement as on a game that counts fully.
Do live and table games count toward wagering?
Often they count at 0% or 10%, and some casinos exclude them completely while a bonus is active. The exact rate is in the game contribution table in the bonus terms. Check it before you play a live or table game with bonus money, because a low rate makes the wagering take much longer.
Is Root Score an average of slot RTPs?
No. Root Score is calculated from the bonus terms, such as the wagering, the base, the deadline and any limits. It does not average the RTP of the games. Weighting still matters, because a requirement that counts only some games fully is harder to clear than the headline multiplier suggests.
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