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Online slots are by far the most popular casino game – they make up for around 70% of every site’s game library!

That’s because there’s such a huge range of slot games to play at most casinos. From exciting jackpot options, where you could win life changing amounts of money, to classic slots, to TV and movie tie-ins, if you love spinning those online reels, then here’s everything you need to know.

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How To Find the Best Slot Sites For You

While every casino worth its weight will offer you a range of online games to play, not every online casino will have the same offering, or even the same range (in number and in titles) of games for you to choose from. Our favourite slots casinos are MetaWin Casino (for crypto players) and Wow Vegas (for US players).

If you’re a really serious slot machine player (or if you just like having a bit of game variety), here’s what you should be on the lookout for when choosing a site to play at:

Range of Online Slot Games on Offer

Every one of our recommended online casinos has a solid variety of games for you to play. There’ll be themes aplenty, and enough games for you to try out so that you won’t get bored.

That’s not to say that every casino we recommend will have a huge variety of game types – you might find that most casinos you look at have a standard video slot section, as well as a jackpot section, but might be missing a classic section. If that’s the case and you want some more types of slot machines to play, then keep looking for a casino that has what you want and need.

Online Slots Sites’ Software

The best casino sites will be powered by industry-leading software providers, usually from the likes of Microgaming, NetEnt and Playtech (as well as other, smaller providers) to bring you some of the most popular and cutting-edge slots on the market.

This means that you can expect amazing games with fantastic graphics, themes and bonuses galore, no matter which game you choose. Games from well-recognised providers demonstrate a real mark of quality, meaning you can play from any device and still get the same exciting slots experience.

After all, when you’re using real money to play with, you want to know that your money is in safe hands, and that the casino’s software you’re playing with uses a Random Number Generator to ensure its games are all fair. One way to be certain is to look for reliable third-party auditor logos, such as eCOGRA and GLi in a site’s footer.

Online Slots Offering Generous Welcome Bonuses

Any online casino should treat its players with respect, and start the relationship off on the right foot. That means it should offer you a generous welcome bonus, and one that’s useful to you as a slot player.

Every one of our reviewed online casinos has been checked for the bonus they offer, as well as the conditions surrounding that bonus to make sure the terms are fair and the bonus itself is easy to receive.

Otherwise, the slot games at these casinos should have high payout percentages (which you can check in each game’s information section), giving you the best return on your wager.

Real Money Slots vs Free Slots – Which is Better?

Every type you’ll see at an online casino are either real-money slots – those you need to play with by using your own money, deposited into your casino player account, and free slots – those you can play for free, but you won’t be able to keep any of your winnings.

When it comes down to deciding which type is better for you to play, it’s really more of an individual choice. Both types of slots have their positives and their drawbacks:

	Real Money Slots	Free Slots
Winnings	You can win real money, and keep the winnings too	You‘ll be able to win while playing, but won’t be able to keep the winnings
Losses	Any losses you make are real, and deducted from your casino account balance	Any losses you make aren’t real and won't be deducted from your casino account balance
Progessive Jackpots	You can play and (maybe) win progressive jackpot funds, and keep the winnings	You might be able to try out some progressive jackpots, but you won't be eligible to win without real money wagers, let alone win anything
Play	You'll be able to freely access and play each slot game from your casino dashboard	You might not be able to try out each of the games you want to, as not all online casinos offer free play slots

Why You Should Play Free Online Slots Games

If that sounds like free slots aren’t worth your time, then you should think differently: free games are fantastic for trying out something new, without even committing!

Other reasons you might want to play free games include:

Trying out a new game, risk-free
You won’t lose any money (although you also won’t win any), meaning you get to play just for the thrill of playing!
You can usually play a slot machine at most casinos without even needing to sign up to the casino
Getting to experiencing the bonus rounds and extra goodies, thanks to an unlimited bankroll

Types of slot machines to look out for

Each slot game – real money or free – can be divided into four different types. Ultimately, every slot machine does the same thing – you spin the reels and win prizes, or not.

But, slots have really evolved ever since the first 3-line game was introduced in land-based casinos. Thanks to whizzy technology, exciting bonus rounds and loads of other cool features, there’s now a wider variety of slot types to choose from.

Three-reel Classic Slots

These are the ‘classic’ games, with three reels, usually one to three paylines, and mostly – but not always – no added bonus features. What you see is what you get. They’re great for steady, but low-paying regular wins, as the lack of paylines and reels means you’re more than likely to hit a win.

Multi-Payline/Multi-Reel

These are slots that take the Classic version and take things up a notch: these games will have anywhere from 4+ reels, and more paylines than you could probably count! With most standard multi-payline slot machines starting from a round 15-20 paylines and some working their way up to 50 paylines (or more!) These are exciting, fast-paced and designed to give you bigger wins, although less regularly. The general rule is, the higher the numbers of paylines and reels, the bigger the payout, but the less regular it will be.

Video Slots

Both classic and multi-payline games can be versions of video slots: these are just computerized versions, usually with a cool theme, bonus game and extra features. Sometimes, film and TV franchises like to license a related video slot machine, so you can play alongside all of your favorite characters and experience fun bonuses from the world of the TV shows and film.

Progressive jackpots

Easily the most exciting type out there, progressive jackpots are where you should focus if you want to try for those big wins! These slot machines take a portion of every player’s bet, holding these in a combined pool. As players spin, the jackpot will randomly decide who to award that (rapidly growing ) pool of prize money to. Because these jackpot slots are networked across thousands of casino sites and players, and don’t payout that often, these prize pools regularly grow into the millions.

General Terms You need to Know About Slot Games

Although slots are pretty straightforward to play, you might find that some of the terms around the games themselves can be pretty confusing.

Here’s a quick guide into everything you need to know, so you can spin as soon as possible!

Payout rates/return to player (RTP): this is pretty important, and tells you exactly how much of the money wagered on a slot will be returned to players. Important note here – firstly, this number is theoretical – you’ll see it as a percentage, and the closer it is to 100%, the more that game plays out to its players. Secondly, it’s very important to know that the ‘return’ to the player, doesn’t mean that you’ll receive your money back. It’s a figure describing the return to all players over time – not just you.
Max bet: the highest amount you can set as your bet each time – this can be up to $/€ 5 a spin – or more. You’ll also need to check if that max bet is applied to each payline (which can quickly get expensive), or the entire spin as a whole.
Min bet: the minimum amount you can play on any spin. This is usually 1p, but can be higher.
Autoplay: setting your slot game to play itself for a defined number of turns – this can also be set as ’until hitting a bonus round’.
Payline: the lines that go across the reels, that when the symbols line up along one of these paylines, you receive a payout. Take note that some paylines can be straight, up, down, two-ways and some are pretty crooked – you should always check the payline guide in the game itself, which will tell you where the paylines are.

Popular Online Slots to Look Out For

While every player is different, there are some online slots that are just so popular, new players wonder what all the fuss is about.

Maybe you’ve played these games before, or maybe you’ve heard about them – here’s a quick guide to some of the most popular online slot machines you can play right now.

Mega Moolah – Take Your Chances on the Millionaire Maker

You read that right – Mega Moolah has a reputation of being a millionaire maker, several times over.

Brought to you by industry-leader Microgaming, Mega Moolah is a Guinness World Records holder thanks to its 2015 payout: one lucky player won a whopping €17,879,645.12. Mega Moolah then went on to break its own world record just three years later, paying out another €18,915,872.81 .

Featuring an African safari theme, animals and bright colours, Mega Moolah is actually made up of 4 separate progressive jackpots, which are awarded to players randomly. The smallest of these four jackpots is the quickest one to be won, with the second smallest taking a little more time to be awarded, and so on.

The biggest prize, the Mega Progressive, is set at a guaranteed minimum of €1 million. But, that’s not all that Mega Moolah has to offer – there are some awesome features besides from the four profgresive jackpots, including double payouts and free spins.

Gonzo’s Quest – Try Out the Avalanche Feature

NetEnt, another industry-leader, shook the gaming world when it debuted Gonzo’s Quest back in 2011. Instead of the traditional spinning reels of most slot games, NetEnt added in an avalanche feature where the symbols look like they’re dropping from the sky and arranging themselves. When you hit a winning payline, the symbols explode, paving the way for others to fall into their place and continue the game.

This means there’s even more of an opportunity to win multiple paylines in just one spin, as well as multiple payouts the longer your winning streak continues.

Add in some amazingly cutting-edge 3D graphics, a cool backstory and gameplay, and you’ll understand why Gonzo’s Quest is so popular. You’ll be able to play it at any casino offering NetEnt games.

Game of Thrones – the TV Show Tie-In

At the height of its fame, you couldn’t escape the chatter around Game of Thrones, and neither could online gamers – not only is it a faithful extension of the TV show, but it’s an amazing slot game in its own right.

It’s actually two slot games – there’s both a 15-payline version, and a 243-ways to win version – both are on offer at any casino offering Microgaming games.

The game’s symbols are important parts of the show’s story, such as the Iron Throne, or dragons, and the bonus rounds and features revolve around the game’s story, characters and settings. It’s a fantastic game for both fans of the show, and people who’ve never even heard of Game of Thrones.

How to Tell if You’re Playing a Fairly Programmed Slot

As we mentioned earlier, every slot has a RTP – return to player – percentage which tells you how many of its wagers it will return to players over time. But what does that mean for players who just want to know how fair and trustworthy a game is?

It’s a good question – and the first thing you should know is that every game has to have its RTP tested and approved by independent auditors such as eCOGRA and GLI. The software provider and casino then have to display this logo somewhere on their site (usually in the footer) to show that it had been independently audited and approved.

You’ll notice that most slots appear to have percentages somewhere between 90-95% RTP, and that makes sense. And interestingly this is actually a higher RTP than those at brick and mortar casinos, which usually have higher running costs and so lower RTP than their online versions do.

Pros and Cons of Playing Online

There are actually several interesting advantages you might not have considered, all of which lead you to having a higher RTP when playing an online slot compared to a land-based one.

Bigger jackpots, and more of them: because the sky’s the limit with technology, new jackpots and features can be developed all the time – with pretty big prize pools. That’s especially true for progressive jackpots, which have a huge network of players paying into the prize pool, resulting in huge, fast-growing jackpot prices.
More game selection: there’s no limitation on space online, while there is in a land-based casino. That means any online casino can easily host hundreds of slot games, hassle and space-free.
Higher bonuses: because online casinos have far fewer running costs than land-based ones, they can afford to give you better slot bonuses (and bonuses in general).

Of course, if this all sounds too good to be true, then you should know there are some disadvantages too:

Lack of casino atmosphere: playing slots online means you’re playing outside of a casino environment, and miss out on the general ambiance of being in a casino.
Potential to get addicted: because there’s now way to physically walk away from your device, because it stays with you in your head, players can sometimes find it tough to stop playing. That’s why a lot of online casinos dedicate themselves to providing resources to tackle problem gambling, such as self-exclusion and deposit limits.

The Bottom Line: Play Slots Online

Playing online slots is fun, easy and you might even win something! There’s a reason that they’re one of the most popular of all online casino games, and with so many to choose from, you’ll definitely find one (or a few) that even the toughest of people to impress will enjoy playing.

Check out or in-depth reviews for details about the types and numbers of slot games at each of our recommended casinos.

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