Slot players and casinos are the two groups most affected by the UK government’s decision to introduce stake limits on slot games.
But spare a thought for developers too, who must now come up with new and innovative ways to keep their games fresh and relevant for a small stakes audience.
It should be said that the size of the maximum stake does not determine if a game is beloved by players, but there is a change of emphasis that will require slots to remain enjoyable to play whilst taking into account the restrictions that must be applied.
The good news is that small stakes doesn’t necessarily mean dull gaming… far from it. But adaptations will need to be made that allow for fair RTPs and payout structures to be catered for.
What Won’t Change
You can read more about the new UK slot caps in our article ‘The Real Impact of 2025 Stake Limits by Age on Winnings and Session Duration’, which reveals some of the changes that players can expect.
But, specifically from a player’s standpoint, some things will remain the same. Consider RTP; if a game has an RTP of 96%, then it doesn’t matter how much you stake per spin, your theoretical success rate will remain the same.
Stake £1,000 at an RTP of 96%? Expect £960 back (speaking theoretically, of course). Stake £100 at an RTP of 96% and players will, in theory, return £96 from their session… as £10 becomes £9.60 and so on.
The point is that a game’s RTP is not impacted in any way by stake sizing.
But slot game design under bet caps could change with reference to volatility. It’s possible that developers may be asked to produce more high volatility slots… why? Because players forced to stake less might be more willing to play games that occupy the ‘higher risk, higher reward’ end of the spectrum.
Developers can still integrate features that players favour, such as a free spins rounds, multipliers, cascading reels and Megaways, to name just a few, that are not linked to stake sizing in any way.
What Could Change
Now let’s consider jackpot slots, specifically.
As you may know, some jackpot slots allow you to win one of the big prizes irrespective of how much you have wagered. But others do require a certain stake level in order for a jackpot to be won, so it will be interesting to see if mandated stake limits impact this unwritten rule.
Consider progressive jackpot slots, too. These take a small percentage of all stakes and feed them into the jackpot prize, which grows exponentially until it is won.
But if players are staking less, through no choice of their own, then it will mean that the jackpot grows at a slower rate – making these games less attractive to play, in the eyes of some.
So what will the solution be? It may be that game developers adapt to regulation by changing the specifications of their progressive jackpot slots, making it harder to trigger the big prize.
That way, it will take longer for the jackpot to be won… which will allow for the pot to build, albeit slowly, to the levels that players have come to expect.
The alternative would be that developers seed a higher amount into the progressive jackpot in the first place. But will they be willing to do that? Only time will tell.
Pros & Cons for Players
Given that the new stake limits weren’t implemented until May 2025, it means that – at the time of writing this article – we’re still waiting to see how new releases are adapted for the lower wager sizes.
One game that was released as this article was being written is Sweet Rush Bonanza, with the early signs suggesting that slot features in low stake games will remain in plentiful supply.
Pragmatic Play have packed Sweet Rush Bonanza with a scatter pays mechanic, free spins, multipliers and a possible top prize of 5,000x.
So the early signs are that developers won’t be cutting back on features in their games any time yet, although Sweet Rush Bonanza is a high volatility slot… maybe that’s a sign of things to come?
These could be famous last words, but it’s unlikely that game design will change all too much – although your player experience, if you’re used to staking above the new limits, will of course be different.
Players that favour jackpot slots may also notice some differences, but for the most part we expect feature-packed games, with a wide variety of RTP levels, to remain the objective of developers for years to come.
