Yes. The jackpot is funded from the same prize budget as every other win, so the base game returns less than the headline RTP suggests.
Yes, and on a British licensed site the operator is supposed to tell you by how much.
The jackpot is funded out of the same prize budget as everything else in the game. Money that goes into the pool does not go into the ordinary wins. So the base game you are playing between jackpot triggers returns less than the headline figure suggests.
A game advertises 96 percent return to player. One percentage point of every bet goes to the jackpot pool. The base game is therefore returning 95 percent, and the remaining one percent is sitting in a prize you will almost certainly never trigger.
Over a session of any normal length, 95 percent is the number you experience. The jackpot percentage is real money and it is genuinely paid out, just not to you, and not on any timescale that resembles a session.
This is why jackpot games feel tighter than flat games at the same advertised return. They are tighter, by exactly the contribution rate.
Contribution rates are not published by regulators and vary by game, so treat the one percent above as an illustration rather than a standard. The relationship holds whatever the rate is.
RTS 9's implementation guidance is direct on this point. It says the return to player should be shown as set out in RTS 3C, either as a single combined figure or split between the base game and the jackpot.
It then adds the sentence that matters most: players who are not eligible for the jackpot should be told that they are not eligible, along with their own theoretical return to player.
Many jackpot games require a minimum stake to qualify, or award jackpot entries in proportion to stake size.
Play below that stake and you are still paying the contribution through the game's mathematics while being unable to win the thing it funds. Your actual return is the base game figure, with no jackpot component at all, and it is lower than the number on the tin.
RTS 9's guidance addresses this from the other direction too. It says players who contribute to a pool should be able to win it while playing that game, with their chances rising in line with what they contribute.
So on a British licensed site, a game that takes a contribution from your stake and then locks you out of the prize is not operating as the guidance describes. On a site licensed elsewhere, check the stake threshold before you play, because nothing obliges them to volunteer it.
For the mechanism, see how a progressive jackpot actually works. The glossary entries for RTP and hit frequency explain the two figures most often confused on jackpot games.
UK Gambling Commission RTS 9, including the implementation guidance on RTS 3C and on contribution. https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/standards/remote-gambling-and-software-technical-standards/rts-9-progressive-jackpot-systems
| Game type | Advertised RTP | Goes to jackpot | What the base game returns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat slot | 96% | 0 | 96% |
| Jackpot slot, eligible stake | 96% | 1% (example) | 95% plus a share of the pool |
| Jackpot slot, below minimum stake | 96% | 1% (example) | 95%, and no claim on the pool |
No. It is a true figure for the whole product including the jackpot. It is just not the figure that describes what happens in a normal session, which is why RTS 9's guidance allows it to be split into base and jackpot components.
The game info screen. On a British licensed site it should be there under RTS 9. If only one combined figure is shown, that figure includes the jackpot.
The base game figure on its own. RTS 9's guidance says you should be told this and told that you are not eligible. If a site does not tell you, assume the headline number does not apply to you.
Regulatory statements are sourced to UKGC RTS 9. The one percent contribution rate is an illustration, not a published figure. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.