Reading a casino game help screen

What a casino game help screen is

Every game at a UK-licensed casino carries its own rules page, written by the studio that built it. In slots it is usually reached through an "i" or "?" icon, or a menu with tabs labelled Paytable, Rules and Features. In RNG table games it often sits behind a book or menu icon, and in live dealer games under a "Help" or "Game rules" button near the chat. The lobby tile may have its own information button too, but that summary is the casino's; the in-game screen is the studio's full version.

The casino game help screen matters because it is specific. Review sites and lobby badges quote one RTP figure, yet the studio may supply several, and the casino picks which to run. Only the in-game rules tell you which one you have. It also explains how features trigger, what happens if your connection drops, and the most the game can ever pay. Finding it takes seconds once you know where to look; our casino lobby guide shows how to find the game in the first place.

Reading the RTP on a casino game help screen

Return to player is the share of all money staked that a game is designed to pay back over a very large number of rounds. A 96% game returns £96 for every £100 staked on average across millions of spins; the other £4 is the house edge. The figure is theoretical and long-term. In a single session, results can be far above or below it.

Why the same slot can show different RTPs

Studios often release a slot in several maths versions, and the casino decides which to offer. Bigger Bass Bonanza, for example, is listed with a 96.71% RTP, with 95.67% and 94.62% versions also existing. On £100 of stakes, the expected return is £96.71 on the first version and £94.62 on the lowest, a difference of £2.09 in average cost. Over £1,000 of play that gap grows to £20.90. Only the help screen tells you which version you are on; our RTP range entry and the guide on how to check RTP explain more.

Jackpot games add a twist: their help screens often split the RTP into a base-game figure and a jackpot contribution. If the jackpot part is significant, most players will experience the lower base figure, because the jackpot itself is rarely won. Our progressive jackpots guide explains how that split works.

Reading paytables and pricing wins in pounds

The paytable lists what each symbol combination pays. Modern slots usually show values in pounds at your current stake, which updates as you change the bet. Older games and some table games show multiples instead, either of the total stake or of the line bet, and the difference is large.

Worked example: total stake versus line bet

On a 10-line slot at 20p per spin, the line bet is 2p. If five premium symbols pay 50 times the line bet, the win is £1; if the paytable means 50 times the total stake, it is £10. Small print under the table usually says which basis is used. Our guide to reading a slot paytable goes through symbol values, wilds and scatters in more depth.

Table game paytables

In roulette the help screen lists each bet and its payout, such as 35 to 1 for a straight-up number and 1 to 1 for red or black. On a single-zero wheel that gives a house edge of 2.70% on standard bets, a figure the Wizard of Odds roulette guide (opens in a new tab) also shows. Some versions add la partage, which halves the loss on even-money bets when zero lands and lowers the edge on those bets. In blackjack, look for whether a blackjack pays 3 to 2 or 6 to 5 and whether the dealer stands on soft 17; the Wizard of Odds blackjack guide (opens in a new tab) explains how each rule moves the edge. Our blackjack rules and roulette odds pages put the payouts side by side.

Maximum win, caps and what they mean in practice

Most slots publish a maximum win, expressed as a multiple of the stake. When a round reaches it, the feature usually ends and the capped amount is paid. Big Bass Bonanza, for instance, is listed with a maximum win of 2,100 times the stake: at 10p that is £210, and at the UK's £5 maximum slot stake it is £10,500. Some help screens also mention a casino-level cap, which is a separate rule in the casino's terms.

A high maximum win usually comes with high volatility: long runs of small or no wins between rare large ones. A game that can pay 10,000 times the stake is not more generous on average than one capped at 500 times; it spreads the same kind of return into fewer, larger results. Our max win guide explains how caps and odds relate.

Malfunction, disconnection and void rules on the help screen

Near the bottom of most help screens sits a line along the lines of "malfunction voids all pays and plays". It means that if the game software fails, the affected round doesn't count and stakes are normally returned. It is not a licence to cancel wins the casino dislikes: a genuine malfunction has to be shown, and disputed cases can go through the casino's complaints process and then to independent ADR. Our page on whether a casino can void a bet explains what is fair.

Disconnection rules explain what happens if your internet drops mid-round. Slots usually complete the round on the server and show the result when you reconnect; table games may auto-stand in blackjack or settle bets already placed. Live games often have their own timeouts for decisions. Read this section before playing on a weak mobile signal, and see what happens if you lose connection mid-game.

UK rules you can spot in a casino game help screen

Games supplied to Great Britain follow the Gambling Commission's remote technical standards, and several of those rules show up in the way help screens describe controls. The Commission's summary of changes to the technical standards (opens in a new tab) lists the slot rules introduced in 2021.

The speed rules have teeth. In June 2026, the studio Stakelogic paid £122,835 after some of its slots ran faster than the 2.5-second minimum, as the Commission's announcement on slots running too fast (opens in a new tab) records. Our pages on the spin speed limit, the autoplay ban and the losses disguised as wins ban explain each rule.

A 60-second casino game help screen check

Before you stake money on an unfamiliar game, a quick routine through the help screen covers everything that affects your money.

1. Open the help screen from the "i", "?" or menu icon inside the game.
2. Find the RTP and note whether it is a single figure or split into base game and jackpot parts.
3. Check whether the paytable shows pounds, multiples of the total stake or multiples of the line bet.
4. Read the maximum win and convert it to pounds at the stake you plan to use.
5. Skim the feature rules for what triggers free spins or bonus rounds and whether they can retrigger.
6. Read the malfunction and disconnection lines, especially if you play on mobile data.
7. Close the screen and set a session budget before your first spin.

Help screens in live dealer games and game shows

Live casino games have help screens too, usually reached from a menu next to the chat. They explain the betting time allowed, how side bets settle, what happens if a card is misdealt or a wheel is spun incorrectly, and the RTP for each bet. Game shows often list several RTP figures, one per bet spot, and they can differ by a few percentage points. Our live casino guide and the comparison of live and RNG games cover how the streamed formats work.

No help screen, however detailed, tells you what will happen in your next round. Results come from tested random number generators or physical equipment, and the house edge applies to every bet. Set limits before you start; the National Gambling Helpline is free on 0808 8020 133 if you want to talk.

Licensed casinos where every game has a help screen

All three casinos below hold UK Gambling Commission licences, so their games come from licensed studios and include full help screens. Welcome offers are for new players aged 18+, terms apply, and they were checked on 5 October 2026. Coral, until 1 February 2027: deposit with a qualifying method and bet £10 or more on slots for 100 free spins at 10p each on selected games, accepted within 48 hours, used within 7 days, no wagering on winnings. PlayOJO: a first deposit of £10 or more brings 80 free spins at 10p on Big Bass Bonanza, no wagering, for new UK customers excluding Northern Ireland. Casumo: opt in and deposit at least £20 for a 50% bonus up to £100, with 10x wagering within 7 days and a £5 maximum bet. Read more how-to pages in our guides hub.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Set a deposit limit before you play: how to set deposit limits. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.