RTS: meaning in UK casino apps

RTS meaning in online gambling

The RTS are the Commission’s technical rules for remote gambling, meaning anything played over the internet, including in an app. Where the LCCP tells an operator how to run its business, the RTS tell it how the software must work: what the screen must show, how results are generated and how fast a game can go.

Operators must meet the standards, and so must the studios that build the games. You may also see ‘RTS’ used in other industries for other things, but in UK gambling it means these standards. The Commission publishes them as its Remote gambling and software technical standards (opens in a new tab). Our casino app glossary has the related game terms.

The RTS sections that matter on your phone

There are 17 sections, running from RTS 1 (customer account information) to RTS 17 (live dealer studios). These are the ones you notice most in a casino app.

If your app freezes mid-spin, our guide on what happens to a bet if your app crashes picks up where RTS 10 leaves off.

RTS 3 and RTS 7: fair, explained games

RTS 3 exists, in the Commission’s words, to let customers decide whether to gamble based on their chances of winning. Rules must be easy to reach before you commit to a bet, and so must information on prizes and payouts. For games of chance, the figure to show is the average theoretical return to player, which is why every slot’s help screen lists an RTP.

RTS 7 deals with the RNG. Outcomes must be ‘acceptably random’, and online games may not adjust results to hit a target return; the ban on these ‘compensated’ games is in RTS 7A. RTS 7C bars swapping a losing result for a near-miss to mislead you. And under RTS 7D, rules, payouts and probabilities can’t change while a game is available to play.

Read the Commission’s RTS 3 page on rules and the likelihood of winning (opens in a new tab) and its RTS 7 page on random outcomes (opens in a new tab) for the full wording.

No RTS section sets a minimum RTP for online games. That’s why our guide on how to find a game’s RTP in an app says to check each game’s help screen for the version you’re playing.

RTS 14: speed and design limits in UK apps

RTS 14 is where the rules on pace live. They started with slots on 31 October 2021 and spread to other online casino games on 17 January 2025.

• RTS 14D: at least 2.5 seconds from the start of one slot game until the next can begin, and you must press start again.
• RTS 14G: at least 5 seconds per game cycle for other casino games, such as roulette and three card poker; peer-to-peer poker and bingo are excluded.
• RTS 14E: no turbo, quick spin or slam stop that shortens the time to a result. This doesn’t apply to bonus games where no extra stake is wagered.
• RTS 14F: no celebrating a return that is equal to or less than the stake.
• RTS 14C: no playing several games at once.
• RTS 14B: you can’t cancel a withdrawal once requested, which ended ‘reverse withdrawals’.

These are enforced. In June 2026 Stakelogic BV agreed to pay £122,835 after some of its slots ran faster than the 2.5-second minimum. The full RTS 14 responsible product design (opens in a new tab) text was last updated on 12 January 2026. Our game speed rules and autoplay ban pages explain each change.

RTS 13: clocks and reality checks

Under RTS 13A, a full-screen app that hides your phone’s clock must show the time of day or the time elapsed. RTS 13B says you must be able to choose how often a reality check appears, and you must acknowledge it to clear it. RTS 13C requires elapsed session time on screen.

In pounds, those displays matter. At 2.5 seconds a spin, the most a slot allows is 1,440 spins an hour (3,600 ÷ 2.5). At 20p a spin on a 96% RTP slot, that’s up to £288 staked and an expected loss of about £11.52 an hour (£288 × 4%). The on-screen clock and net position are there so you see that cost building up.

How games are tested against the RTS

Games and RNGs have to be checked by an independent test house that the Commission has approved. Testing covers game design, how the software was built and the actual RTP, using simulation and manual checks, and new games can only be released once the report has gone to the Commission. Our game provider entry explains who builds the software being tested.

1. A studio builds a game to the RTS.
2. An approved test house checks the design, the RNG and the RTP.
3. The test report goes to the Commission and onto the licensee’s games register.
4. Only then can the game go live in UK apps.
5. Later updates are checked through a process audited each year by an approved test house.

Glossary terms connected to RTS

• Autoplay: banned by RTS 8C.
• Turbo spin and slam stop: banned by RTS 14E.
• Game cycle: the unit the speed rules and stake limits use.
• House edge: what an RTP figure tells you the game keeps on average.

RTS-compliant games in our partner apps

All three partners below are licensed in Great Britain, so their slots follow the same RTS speed and display rules. Their welcome offers are slot-only, need you to be 18+, and terms apply.

• Coral: new players can deposit (certain types excluded) and bet £10 or more on slots between 1 October 2026 and 1 February 2027 for 100 free spins at 10p on selected games, accepted within 48 hours, valid for 7 days, no wagering on spin winnings. Paying in by Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, a prepaid card or certain debit cards rules you out.
• Ladbrokes: spend £10+ on slots after depositing to get 50 free spins a day for 10 days, 500 at most, valued at 10p. Each day’s spins must be claimed by 23:59 and used within 7 days; no wagering. Excluded deposits: prepaid cards, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill and Moneybookers.
• PlayOJO: new UK customers outside Northern Ireland who deposit £10 or more for the first time get 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p each; no wagering, cash winnings, designated link only, no combining.

Under the RTS each of those spins still takes at least 2.5 seconds and must be started by you. Coral and Ladbrokes are run by the same operator, so check before opening both. Expect losses over time because of the house edge.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.