The house edge is the name given to the advantage that all casino games offer the casino over the player. It is expressed as a percentage, with a lower house edge meaning that the player is giving up less to the house and thus has a better chance of winning. The house edge gives you the percentage of the total stake that the casino expects to win in the long term and whilst luck can and does allow the player to win, overall the advantage lies with the house.
Here we take a look at the house edge of the most popular games played at mobile casinos, from the best online and mobile slots to classics such as blackjack and roulette. The house edge is far from the only factor to consider when deciding which games to play but it is certainly one you should consider, especially if you care as much or more about profits, than you do about fun.
Slots
Slots are by far the most popular game at US legal mobile casinos and whilst many mobile casinos may have a relatively limited selection of games overall, pretty much all the best will have a good range of slots. The house edge in slots can be high compared to other games, with a figure of around 5% a reasonable benchmark. Whilst mobile slots can have a house edge as low as 2%, maybe even lower, equally they can go as high as 15%, which, as we shall see, compares very badly to other mobile casino options.
Blackjack
Blackjack is one of the best games to play at a casino, be that mobile, online or land, if you are looking for a low house edge. The figure varies depending on the precise rules of the blackjack variant you are playing but it would be rare to find a game with a house edge higher than 1.4%, with 0.5% not uncommon.
Roulette
Roulette is a hugely popular game on mobile because it is so easy to play and whether you like staking big at short odds or small at long odds, it has something to offer. Stick to single zero mobile roulette and the house edge is just 2.70%, whilst this jumps to 5.26%if you play double zero.
Video Poker
Like blackjack, the house edge is affected by the ruleset you are playing and, again like blackjack, to achieve the stated house edges you must play to optimal strategy. The house edge may go as low as 0.46% but a figure around 0.8% is probably a decent benchmark for mobile video poker.
