Hold: how much of turnover the casino keeps

Formula and example

Hold, RTP and house edge

RTP and house edge are theory: a slot with 96% RTP keeps 4% of bets for the casino over an infinitely long run. Hold is the fact for your period.

On large turnover, hold is close to the theory. On small turnover, big wins move it: a single €200,000 win on €1,000,000 of turnover pushes the month negative, even though the games and players are the same. That is why hold is reviewed over a long period and separately by game.

Hold in betting

In sports betting, hold is calculated the same way: GGR divided by the total amount staked. It differs between singles and accumulators, pre-match and in-play: accumulators give a higher hold.

Do not confuse hold with the margin in the odds. The margin is built into the prices in advance, while hold shows how much was actually kept after bets were settled.

Other meanings of hold

Hold also means a delayed withdrawal while the payment is under review, and an affiliate payout being held back. In reports and chats, make clear which hold you mean.

How to use it

• Review hold by game, provider and segment every week.
• A drop in hold with the same set of games is a sign of big wins, bonus abuse or a misconfigured RTP.
• For bonuses, hold is calculated on real-money bets, otherwise wagering distorts the picture.