Since they made the jump to digital platforms, online Slots have quickly become one of the most popular options for online casino gaming.
At their core, online Slots are simply traditional slot machine games with a twist. They offer a wide variety of themes, mechanics, and payline structures to accommodate a variety of player preferences.
When playing a game of online Slots, it’s important to understand what they are and how the games work, to help you play responsibly and make informed decisions.
What are online Slots?
Online Slots are the digital versions of the physical slot machines you find in land-based casinos. Instead of pulling a physical lever on a machine, you press the “spin” button on your online casino platform game to start the reels spinning.
Instead of cogs and springs turning the reels, the outcomes of online slot games are determined using a random number generator (RNG). This ensures the outcome of each spin is independent and unbiased, keeping every spin fair and unpredictable.
Game layout and symbols
A typical online slot displays a grid of reels and rows. Most online Slots consist of three to five reels and various rows, but some games may have more reels involved in gameplay. The symbols appear on these reels after a spin, and payouts are made based on matching combinations along predefined paylines.
Slot symbols vary depending on the game’s theme, such as having the classic fruit machine symbols or ones relating to adventure themes, space themes, or even popular movie and TV characters.
Special symbols that impact gameplay include:
- Wilds: These substitute for regular symbols to help create matching combinations.
- Scatters: Often linked to bonus features, landing a certain number of scatter symbols usually triggers free spins or other rewards.
- Bonus symbols: These symbols trigger mini-games or special features such as pick-and-click bonuses or wheel spins.
Bonus features and mechanics
Many online Slots feature bonus rounds designed to add variation to the standard gameplay. Common examples can include:
- Free spins: Spin the reels a number of additional times without adding another wager.
- Multipliers: Increase the value of payouts by a certain amount (2x, 3x, or more).
- Cascading reels: Matching symbols disappear and are replaced by new ones, offering additional chances to form matching combinations on a single spin.
- Expanding symbols: A feature often found in free spins rounds, where certain symbols expand to cover entire reels.
These bonus elements will differ by game, so make sure you understand the specific rules of your chosen slot title before spinning the reels.
RTP and volatility
When considering a slot, two key factors to consider are the return to player (RTP) rate and game volatility.
RTP is expressed as a percentage, and it indicates the average amount of wagered coins expected to return to players over many spins. For example, an RTP of 96% means that, on average, 96 coins are expected to be returned for every 100 wagered.
Volatility refers to the risk level of a slot game. High-volatility games may pay out less frequently but can offer larger amounts, while low-volatility games offer smaller, more regular payouts.
However, these figures are theoretical and should not be used to predict individual game outcomes.
Online Slots are straightforward in design but vary significantly in style and complexity. As such, it’s important to know the specific rules of each slot game before you play. And remember, each game operates using an RNG to ensure fair play, so the slot games remain entirely chance-based.