Online Slots Guide For Beginners (Updated 2024)

Everything You Need to Know About Playing Slot Machines Online

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Online slot machines are modeled after the traditional slot machines found in brick-and-mortar casinos, but with the added convenience of being able to play from the comfort of your own home. The main difference between online slot machines and traditional slot machines is that online slot machines use computer software to generate random outcomes, while traditional slot machines use mechanical mechanisms.

Online slots offer many benefits over traditional slot machines. For one, they typically have a wider variety of games to choose from, with new titles being released on a regular basis. Additionally, the best slots online to win real money offer better odds and higher payouts than traditional slot machines. And because they can be played from anywhere with an internet connection, they are more accessible than traditional slot machines.

This guide is designed to provide a beginner-friendly introduction to online slot games. It will explain the basic rules of online slot machines, as well as how to place a bet and spin the reels. Our online slots guide will also cover the different types of online slot machines available, and provide tips and strategies for increasing your chances of winning when gambling online in the US.

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A Brief History of Slot Machines

The first gambling device which can be considered a precursor to the modern slot machine was built by Sittman and Pitt in New York in 1891. This device contained five drums holding 50 card faces and was modeled after popular poker hands. The machine proved very successful and it quickly spread across bars in Brooklyn. It’s interesting to note that while players had to insert a nickel in order to start the draw, payouts weren’t automated yet and had to be manually processed by staff. Around 1895, this shortcoming was overcome by Charles Fey from California, who constructed a simpler machine with three spinning reels that featured five different symbols.

Fey’s device was copied by many manufacturers in the early 20th century. They were collectively known as “Bell machines”, named so after the Liberty Bell which was the highest-paying symbol in the game. Later designs also featured various fruit symbols, as well as the classic BAR symbol, which was based on the early logo of the Bell-Fruit Company.

The first electromechanical slot, Money Honey, was introduced in 1963 by Bally. This machine supported automated payments even for the largest payouts, which encouraged other developers to drop the older designs in favor of Bally’s invention.

The first video slots were developed in 1976 by Fortune Coin Co. They were equipped with a 48 cm Sony display and were sent to the Las Vegas Hilton for trials. Video slots quickly became popular on the Las Vegas strip, and in 1978 Fortune Coin Co. was purchased by IGT, a company familiar to most present-day casino enthusiasts.

The first slot to feature a modern bonus round, the “Three Bags Full,” was developed in Australia in 1994. This innovation caught on in America in 1996, when WMS Industries released their classic “Reel’Em In” game. The updated, digital version of this slot machine is still available on numerous online casino sites.

How Online Slot Machines Work

Online slot machines work by using computer software to generate random outcomes. This software is based on a random number generator (RNG), which ensures that the outcome of each spin is completely random and fair. The player places a bet by choosing the number of paylines and the coin value, then spins the reels. The symbols on the reels will then randomly align, and if they form a winning combination on one or more paylines, the player will receive a payout.

Online slot machines come in many different themes, from classic fruit machine style to modern video slots with 3D graphics, animations, and bonus rounds.

Online slots are very accessible games – the basics gameplay are:

  1. Adjust the size of your bet based on your bankroll
  2. Select the number of predetermined pay lines you’d like to play
  3. Press the spin button, wait for the reels to stop, and get paid if you manage to score one of the multiple winning combinations of symbols.

You get paid more or less depending on which symbols appear and how many winning combinations are created. The various titles differ in terms of the number of pay lines and even the number of reels, but the vast majority of modern slots are five-reel games with 20-30 pay lines.

Over the years, this basic formula has evolved thanks to the introduction of several now-standard features, such as Wild symbols, which can replace any other symbol to form a winning combination or Scatter symbols, which award free spins and trigger bonus mini-games.

Plenty of modern slots push this basic formula even further by introducing Expanding Wilds (Wilds Symbols that appear all over the reels when specific conditions are met) or Tumbling Reels (when symbols form a winning combination, they disappear, making room for other symbols to tumble down, potentially forming even more winning combinations).

Listing all the innovations and quirks that have been introduced to the casino industry over the years would mandate a separate article (like this one!), but keep in mind that even well-established developers tend to stick to the basics rather than push for more innovative (and risky) solutions.

Check out our guide to multiplier symbols in slots.

Slots Glossary & Terminology

  • Payline – The line on which matching symbols must land in order to trigger a payout.
  • Reels – The spinning columns on a slot machine that display the symbols.
  • Wild – symbols that can substitute for any other symbol on a pay line.
  • Scatter – symbols that trigger a payout or an in-game event even when they aren’t part of a paying combination; Scatter symbols are often used to initiate bonus rounds.
  • Bonus Round – A special feature that is activated by landing a certain combination of bonus symbols, often with the help of a scatter symbol. Bonus games usually offer the chance to win extra prizes or free spins.
  • Free spins – a popular kind of bonus round, which is often triggered by landing three or more Scatter symbols on the screen. The player is awarded a random or predetermined number of free games.
  • RNG (Random Number Generator) – the algorithm that ensures that the outcome of each spin is completely random and fair.
  • Bankroll – The total amount of money that a player has set aside to play with.
  • House Edge – the ratio of the expected player loss to the initial wager.
  • Payout – The amount of money awarded to the player for a winning combination.
  • Progressive jackpot – a jackpot that grows in size each time anyone places a wager; the jackpot resets to a fixed minimum size as soon it’s won. It’s not uncommon for a progressive jackpot to be associated with multiple slot games, sometimes even across several casinos.
  • RTP (return-to-player) – the percentage of wagered money expected to be paid back to a player over the (very) long term. Check out our rankings of the highest RTP slots.
  • Video slots – modern real money slot machines equipped with a video screen instead of traditional reels; when it comes to online casinos, this term is used when referring to standard five-reel games with multiple pay-lines, special features, and high-quality visuals and sound effects. Strictly speaking, all online slots are video slots.
  • Vegas slots – these are slots that are commonly found in Las Vegas, Nevada, and which you can also play online. See our guide to the best Vegas slots for more.
  • Auto-spin – a feature that, as soon as your current spin is concluded, automatically initiates a new spin using your last wager amount. Available in all modern slots.
  • Penny slots – Penny slots are any slot machines that allow you to bet one cent per line. See our guide to the best penny slots for more.

Online Slots vs Traditional Slot Machines

Online slots games differ from traditional slot machines in a few key ways:

Convenience

Online slot machines can be played from anywhere with an internet connection, while traditional slot machines are only found in brick-and-mortar casinos.

Game Selection

Online casinos typically have a wider variety of titles to choose from, with new online slots being released on a regular basis. Traditional slot machines, on the other hand, may have a more limited selection.

Odds and Payouts

Online slots often offer better odds and higher payouts than traditional slot machines. This is because all online casino sites have lower overhead costs and can afford to offer more generous payouts.

Graphics and Animation

Typically, online slot machines have more advanced graphics, animations, and features than traditional casino slots.

Mobile compatibility

Online slots are also optimized for mobile devices, which allows players to play on the go, while traditional slot machines are usually only available in physical casinos.

Playing for Free

Unlike brick-and-mortar casinos, online casinos give new players the chance to play slots for free with no download. Alternatively, a range of sweepstakes slots are available at social casinos, which simply don’t exist in land-based casinos.

Types of Online Slots

Video Slots

The vast majority of online slots offered by online slot casinos can be classified as video slots, examples including Arrogant Pirates from Bovada Gaming and Temple of Luxor from Genesis Gaming.

Video slot games feature immersive graphics and sound effects and are quite often based on popular movie franchises (Planet of the Apes, The Matrix), music bands (Guns and Roses, Motorhead), or celebrities (Bruce Lee, Jimi Hendrix). These slot machines tend to come with five reels and 15+ pay lines. Most video slot machines offer multiple extra features, such as Wilds, Scatter symbols, free spins, and bonus rounds. See our guide to the best online video slots for more information.

Classic Slots

From a technical standpoint, classic real money slots aren’t different from video slots – the outcome of each game is still determined by an RNG. The main difference is cosmetic: these games are designed to resemble the classic fruit machine playing experience. They typically feature three reels and a limited number of pay lines. Many of them come with familiar slot symbols such as Bar, Seven, cherries, and lemons.

Some of the most popular classic slots available online from the US are Sizzling 7s, 10 Times Vegas, 5 Times Vegas, and Triple Diamond.

Progressive Jackpots

Progressive jackpot slots are essentially real money slots with a massive main prize that grows each time someone bets on the game. These jackpots are often shared between several casinos, which is why they are often valued in millions of dollars.

Examples include 777 Deluxe, A Night with Cleo, and American Jet Set from Woohoo Games, which are available at Cafe Casino, Ignition Casino, and all other Bodog Group casinos. Keep in mind that real money slots with progressive jackpots tend to have fewer extra features than their classic counterparts – the main prize is supposed to be the biggest draw.

Nevertheless, a newer entry to the market are hot-drop jackpots. These are progressive slots that are guaranteed to drop within a specific timeframe, increasing your chances of winning. The 777 Deluxe Hot Drop Jackpot is a fantastic example, putting a time restriction on its standard progressive slot game.

Unorthodox Slots

These can best be described as real money online slots that don’t adhere to the basic formula of five reels, multiple pay lines, and bonus features. A good example is Wealthy Monkey, which comes with only four reels and no paying combination – payouts are determined by the total number of times a particular symbol appears anywhere on the reels.

However, sometimes developers go so far it becomes difficult to classify their creation as a slot. This is certainly the case with the latest Slingo games, such as Slingo Extreme, which combines classic slots gameplay with bingo.

How to Play Online Slots – The Basics

The basic rules of playing online slots are relatively simple and easy to understand. Here are the steps to follow:

  1. Choose a game: Browse through the selection of online slots available and choose one that interests you. Some of our favorites are Zeus, Amigos Fiesta, Wolf Run, Bounty Hunter, and 21 Wilds.
  2. Check the paytable: Each slot machine has a paytable that shows the different winning combinations and their corresponding payouts. It’s important to check the paytable to understand the rules and potential payouts of the game.
  3. Place a bet: Select the number of paylines you wish to play and the coin value you wish to bet per payline.
  4. Spin the reels: Once you have placed your bet, you can spin the reels. The symbols on the reels will randomly align and if they form a winning combination on one or more paylines, you will receive a payout.

How Much Should You Bet Per Spin?

The amount you should bet per spin depends on your personal preferences, budget, and gambling goals. Here are a few things to consider when determining your bet size:

  1. Bankroll: It’s important to set a budget for yourself and stick to it. You should only bet an amount that you can afford to lose. Read our detailed guide to slots bankroll management.
  2. Risk tolerance: How much risk are you comfortable with? If you’re a more conservative player, you may want to bet less per spin. If you’re more of a risk-taker, you may be comfortable with larger bets.
  3. Paylines: Some slot machines allow you to bet on multiple paylines, while others only allow you to bet on one. Betting on more paylines increases your chances of winning, but it also increases your bet size.
  4. Coin value: The coin value is the value of a single coin that you can choose to place a bet on a spin. It’s usually adjustable, and you can increase or decrease the coin value to adjust the size of your bet.
  5. RTP: The RTP (return to player) is the percentage of total money bet on a slot machine that is returned to players as winnings over time. It’s important to choose a slot machine with a high RTP, as it will give you the best chance of winning over the long term.

A general rule of thumb is to bet the minimum amount required to activate all the paylines, this way you have the best chances to win. It’s also important to have a good understanding of the game rules, paytable, and bonus features before placing your bet.

Can Online Slots be Beaten?

The size of a modern land-based casino’s gaming floor is frequently measured by the number of slot machines it has. The immense popularity of slot games can be attributed to their accessibility, high volatility, smooth gameplay, and technical excellence.

It’s easy to get carried away while playing an online slot machine that’s both fast-paced and exciting, especially when you feel like a life-changing payout might be just a few spins away.

While modern online slots are certainly an exhilarating attraction that doesn’t require as much skill as poker or blackjack, they do have one major drawback – they are notorious for making short work of the bankrolls of careless players. If you’d like to learn how to avoid this trap while still enjoying your favorite real money slot games, read on.

Online slot machines are notoriously difficult to beat, which has a lot to do with how casinos earn their money. Every game has a built-in casino advantage, called the house edge. This advantage can be very small – in the case of skill-based games, such as video poker or blackjack, it can be smaller than 1%. For example, if you play a game with a 5% house edge, it means that you can expect to lose an average of 5% of your total bets in the long term. In the short term, however, anything can happen (more on this below).

In the case of online slots, the house edge falls in the 1% – 10% range, with most games closer to between 3% – 6%. Keep in mind that online slots are fast-paced games – in many cases, a real money slots player can complete a dozen spins before a Blackjack player is done with a single hand. This pace tends to reduce what could otherwise be unbearable variance, particularly for online slots with a larger house edge.

The Grind

The grind has a significant impact on the way online slots impact your bankroll. Anything can happen within the span of one spin, 10 spins, or even a hundred spins, but as the number of rounds gets larger and larger, the house edge starts to show and negatively impacts your profitability. As a result, the only way to “beat” slot machines is to focus on the short term.

A 96% RTP game like Spring Break might not seem very attractive. However, the odds of triggering free spins in this game are 1:143, which means that playing it might turn you a profit in the short term, as it offers you a decent chance of nailing a major payout early on.

This remains in stark contrast to progressive jackpot slots – thousands of casino customers play these games for years without anyone scoring the elusive main prize. Thus, a bankroll-conscious player will want to choose Spring Break over a game with a very large jackpot and an equally small chance to win big in the short term.

This is true even when the jackpot is so big that it negates the house edge in mathematical terms. A progressive jackpot slot with 94% RTP and a starting jackpot of $500,000, such as Monty Python’s Spamalot, is still going to play like a 94% RTP machine even when the jackpot grows to $3,000,000, bumping the RTP to 103%.

The reason for this is simple: most players, including high-rollers, are infinitely more likely to run out of money than to hit the jackpot within the number of spins that they can afford. The players who don’t score the big win end up paying for the jackpot.

Useful Strategy: Minimizing the Grind

This means that instead of allowing the grind to chew through your bankroll, you should limit the number of spins and hope that the inherent volatility of real money online slots will allow you to make short-term gains. If you’re having trouble visualizing how this works, try comparing it to a coin toss – hitting tails three times in a row is perfectly possible, but hitting tails one thousand times in a row isn’t likely to happen in a fair environment.

In order to minimize the grind, you should look for games where a single spin with all pay-lines activated will cost 1% or less of your bankroll – if you go beyond that, you’re more likely to lose your entire bankroll early on. For example, if you have $1,000 in your account, you should be looking for a slot game that will take $10 or less per spin.

Additionally, you should concentrate on games that either give you decent odds of getting ahead on standard line wins or on games that provide a decent chance of triggering a potentially lucrative bonus game, such as free spins or perhaps a pick’em bonus round. A good example of the former would be games with expanding wilds, such as the Golden Wolves from Konami, while an example of the latter would be a number of Microgaming online slots, including the aforementioned Spring Break, as well as Cashville, Cashapillar, and Secret Admirer.

The bottom line is that you’ll need to play slots online around the house edge and count on variance helping you out in the short term. As a result, focusing exclusively on RTP isn’t always the best strategy – a 1% difference in house edge isn’t all that important when there’s a significant difference in your chances of quickly scoring a large payout that will allow you to get ahead and quit with a profit.

How to Select an Online Slots Casino

Real money online slots generate the lion’s share of modern online casinos’ revenues, which means that there is constant pressure on those online casinos to offer the largest selection of online slot machines possible. As a result, choosing the right real money casino for online slots usually, require less research than choosing one for blackjack or video poker.

High-profile developers

If a casino you’re considering appears to be cooperating with multiple high-profile studios, this should inform you of several things:

  1. The slots site is very likely legitimate, but be cautious: certain scam sites have been known to use ripped casino games designed by reputable studios to lull their victims into a false sense of security. If in doubt, always check for proper certification by contacting the game developer directly.
  2. The casino games are going to be well-polished and at least some of them are going to give you a decent opportunity at landing a big score.
  3. The casino is very likely to add new games from those developers in the future.

The following companies are trustworthy and known for publishing high-quality online slots and casino games for real money:

This is by no means a complete list, but it should give you an idea of what to look for.

Most online gambling sites are powered by software packages designed by Microgaming, RTG, Playtech, and Net Entertainment. All of these popular platforms provide online casinos with plenty of flexibility when it comes to hosting games from a particular developer. For example, Mr. Green is an award-winning casino powered by Playtech, which doesn’t stop it from offering games designed by IGT, NetEnt, Microgaming, and in fact the majority of developers listed above.

Trustworthiness

Finding a trustworthy online slot site should be your number one priority. The good news is that most licensed and leading online casinos available to players in the United States are 100% trustworthy. If you have doubts about whether a particular online casino is legitimate or not, check whether it’s licensed in its region of operation and whether the random number generator (RNG) it employs to determine the outcome of each spin is certified by an independent regulatory body.

The specifics will depend on your area of residence. The online casino sites are going to be operating under Isle of Man, Malta, and Gibraltar-issued licenses. In New Jersey, you should always look for a New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) license.

Keep in mind that playing on offshore casino sites that have a proper certification but which aren’t regulated in your own jurisdiction is slightly riskier unless the casino has a stellar reputation – their online casino games might be fair, but that won’t do you any good if their staff places your request for a large withdrawal on permanent hold.

An impressive game selection

When comparing the slots selection between two casinos, focus on the number of online slots that are listed in their game libraries, the size of available jackpots, and the number of high-profile developers the casino is cooperating with.

While some casinos produce proprietary slots like Bulletproof Babes, most do not develop their own games. Rather, they rely on independent software developers to design and publish these casino games, which are then hosted by the various online casinos for a fee.

Because the number of online casinos is significantly larger than the number of quality casino game developers, there’s a lot of overlap between casinos in terms of online slot game selection. Don’t be surprised if you see the same real money slot games on every site, as high-profile studios avoid exclusivity deals. Online casinos that offer exclusive online slots usually develop them in-house – not a very popular practice these days, considering the costs involved.

Slots bonuses

All online casinos run promotions that let you play slots for free. The best casinos with free slots bonuses offer a range of different free slots offers, including:

It’s worth noting that when deciding on a casino, you should never focus on the size of their welcome bonus alone. Instead, you should also check their bonus playthrough requirement, as this is what determines how much of a grind you’ll have to go through before you’ll be allowed to withdraw your money.

For example, a welcome bonus with a 20x playthrough requirement means you are required to wager through your deposit and the bonus 20 times. If you deposit $100 in this scenario, you’ll have to make $2,000 worth of bets before you’ll be allowed to cash out. If you withdraw your money before meeting this requirement, both your bonus and any winnings generated from playing it will be forfeit.

It’s also worth noting that not all casino games contribute equally towards meeting the wagering requirement. Typically, only online slots and other games with a large house edge will contribute 100%, while games with a higher return-to-player, such as Blackjack and roulette, usually contribute between 10% and 25%. For example, if you wager $10 on a game that contributes 10%, only one dollar will count towards meeting your playthrough requirement. Luckily, online slots are games with the highest house edge and, as such, you should always expect them to contribute 100%.

Additionally, make sure you understand whether the playthrough requirement is calculated with respect to the welcome bonus size alone, or the combined value of your deposit and bonus. In the former case, depositing $100 and receiving a $200 bonus with a 10x wager requirement means you’ll have to place a total of 10 x $200 = $2,000 worth of bets before you’ll be allowed to withdraw. In the latter case, you’ll need to bet 10 x ($100 + $200) = $3,000 to clear the welcome bonus. Big difference.

Finally, if you’re looking to cash out your bonus once you’re done clearing it, you should note that the house edge can whittle your bonus down quite significantly. While uncommon, it’s possible to lose more money to the casino in the process of clearing a bonus than the bonus itself is worth. This is typically only a problem when:

  1. The playthrough requirement is larger than 15x the bonus size, and;
  2. You’re playing online slots with a return-to-player of 95% or less.

As long as you focus on games with an RTP of at least 95% or a bonus with a wagering requirement of 15x or less, you should theoretically be able to turn a profit on your bonus.

Online Slot Tournaments

One of the main drawbacks of online slots vs. traditional slot machines is the lack of socialisation you get from being in a land-based casino. Slot tournaments are an exciting way to add a healthy dose of competition to your gameplay. You and other players compete and try to race to the top of the leader board, and those at the top win a cash prize.

The best casinos for online slots run slot competitions most days of the week. These are usually free to enter, with guaranteed prize pools of up to $20,000. This money is divided among the top ranked players at the end of the tournament, which means you can play slots for free and take home a real cash prize.

How to Play Real Money Slots Online (Depositing & Withdrawing)

1. Make a deposit

If you’re lucky, you can find a real money casino that accepts e-wallet payments such as PayPal, which provides extra layers of security like encryption and Fraud Protection. Unfortunately, most US online casino sites don’t offer Paypal.

Most real-money online casinos accept credit and debit cards such as Visa or Mastercard. If you’re worried about using your personal debit or credit card you can play the best real money slots with a prepaid debit card from one of the major retailers like Walgreens or Target.

Another option if you want to play online slots discreetly is to deposit and cash out using cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, which doesn’t use any of your personal information. The best Bitcoin online slot sites even offer a selection of provably fair slot games that work on the blockchain and exclusive crypto bonuses.

To help you decide how you’d like to fund your online casino account, simply visit the Cashier or Banking section of the casino to see what payment methods they accept. Next, you choose the amount of cash you’d like to deposit and follow the casino’s instructions.

2. Start playing slots

After your deposit clears you’ll receive virtual credits and you can start playing online casino slots for real money. If you need help doing this, our guide on how to play slots online is the perfect place to start. You can also check out our online slot reviews for help choosing a top-rated game, or choose from one of the top picks below:

Hopefully, you play online slots and become one of the lucky slots winners. Maybe you get really lucky and win one of the progressive jackpots. Either way, you’ll want to cash out your winnings at some point.

Before attempting to cash out, make sure you’ve met the wagering requirements for any casino deposit bonuses you’ve accepted. If you haven’t met the casino bonus requirements, your withdrawal won’t be approved. The quickest way to do this is by playing more slots, which typically contribute 100% to the rollover.

3. Withdraw your winnings

Once you’ve won and verified that you’ve met all the casino’s requirements, visit the cashier and click the Withdraw button. Then choose your withdrawal method and follow the casino’s instructions to complete your cash out.

TIP: Look for online gambling sites that allow you to cash out using the same payment method you used to deposit. It’s always easier that way. And if you withdraw in cryptocurrency, your winnings should be paid in 24-48 hours. You’ll also want to check to see what the casino’s withdrawal limits are. Some real money casinos have weekly maximum withdrawals. Also, pay attention to any fees associated with cashouts.

Free play and practice

One of the big differences between casino slot machines and online slots is that you can practice online slots for free. While the idea of practicing before playing an RNG-based game might sound bizarre, the best free online slots are as fun as their real-money counterparts. Besides, there are good reasons for playing free online slots before placing real money wagers. These include:

  1. Free slots allow you to test the game’s interface. This allows you to get familiar and comfortable with all function buttons and game behaviors, potentially saving you from a costly miss-click on real money games later on.
  2. You can get a feel for how entertaining the slot game is. While a high return-to-player can be reason enough to play real money slots, some people find it important to feel in tune with the game’s soundtrack, win animations, sound effects, and bonus round before committing their cash.
  3. Testing out the slot game’s features and stability. While this isn’t something you should worry about when playing online slots for real money at a reputable online casino, some online slots have a tendency to crash mid-play. Spending a few minutes in free play mode is a great way to spot potential problems.

Tips for Playing Online Slots

To sum up, everything that we’ve discussed above can be distilled down to the following practical tips:

1. Have the correct mindset

Taking the aforementioned factors into account, we conclude that a healthy approach to playing real money slots should involve the following:

  • Focus on the entertainment value, because the odds are never in your favor. If you’re playing a high-volatility game with a significant house edge, you should be prepared to lose all your money. Playing real money slots is akin to giving the casino money in exchange for entertainment. As long as you accept this and are OK with the potential losses, you’re good to go.
  • If you’re in it for the money, don’t push your luck – quit playing as soon as you score a big hit. You’ve already won against the odds, the goddess Fortune has smiled upon you, and the high variance of the game negated the house edge in your case. If you keep on playing, you’re increasing the odds of the house edge catching up with you.

2. Don’t bet more than you can afford to lose

Unless you’re playing a progressive game with a massive jackpot, your bets will be long-term EV negative. This means that you are statistically more likely to lose than you are to win at any given point. When you play online slots for real money, always assume that you’re paying for entertainment and don’t spend more than you can afford.

3. Bet the max it takes to qualify for the jackpot

Back in the day, the common advice was to always max bet. But these days, you shouldn’t automatically use max bet because real money slots have more lines and allow you to bet more credits per line. So if you’re not careful when using Max Bet, you could end up betting upwards of $100 per spin or more.

Nowadays, our advice is to bet whatever it takes to qualify for the jackpot or bonus rounds. For example, let’s say you’re playing a single-line 3-reel dollar slot machine that has a max bet of 3 credits. The jackpot for a max bet is 10,000 credits. But if you bet 1 credit you would only win 1000 credits and just 3000 for 2 credits. In that case, you should bet the max.

4. Stay calm and have fun

Since you’re paying for entertainment, there’s no reason to get angry if you don’t win. After all, you’re making EV negative bets and you know it. If you manage to beat the odds and win, even better.

Also, make sure the slot you’re playing is actually entertaining. Things like the game’s soundtrack, motif, backdrop, and animations all have a significant impact on your enjoyment of the game. Even a serious losing streak becomes somewhat tolerable when you’re enjoying the action.

5. Don’t trust any “surefire” betting systems

There are no betting systems that work when you play real money slots. There is no best time to play slots and no fool-proof betting strategy. Each spin at a reputable casino is completely random. The systems that are advertised as “surefire” are either based on the gambler’s fallacy, or they fail to take certain facts into account. Take the Martingale system for example – yes, you can’t lose with an unlimited bankroll, but since every bankroll is limited, it’ll end up propelling you to defeat, much like any other system that’s based on betting progression.

The only smart way to play is to pick a slot that’s suited to your bankroll and to limit the number of spins in order to minimize the grind.

6. Leave the game once you’ve won big

This is probably the most important piece of online casino slots advice we can give. If you’ve managed to beat the odds and you’ve scored a massive payout, leave the game and cash out, unless you haven’t finished playing through your bonus or you’re playing for entertainment only. Don’t let the adrenaline rush resulting from winning get to your head. You’ve already beaten the game, and this can’t go on forever.

7. If possible, try the game in free-play mode first

This way you’ll get a good feel for the design and behavior of the game while making sure it’s not bug-ridden or too boring to be worth your money.

Related: Online Slots Tips – The Smart Way to Play Slot Machines

Online Slots FAQ

Can you actually win real money playing slots online?

Yes, players win large amounts of money playing online slot games every day. But, just like in Vegas, the odds aren’t in your favor. Online slot games tend to have a low return-to-player rate, especially compared to the most player-friendly variations of video poker, blackjack, and roulette, some of which have a return of over 99.5%.

The best way to increase your odds of winning at online slots is to decrease the number of spins and hope that the high variance will act in your favor. In this sense, real money slots are the opposite of skill-based multiplayer poker. Instead of making profitable EV-positive decisions and hoping you’ll win money in the long run despite the volatility, you’re consciously betting your money on an EV-negative game and hoping that the high volatility will allow you to beat the game.

Are online slots rigged?

No, online slots are not rigged. However, just like brick-and-mortar casinos, an online gambling site has control over a slot’s payout percentage. The best online slots sites publish RTP (return-to-player) percentages for their games so you can do your research before playing.

Are land-based slot machines different from online slots?

Purely mechanical slots are a thing of the past, so the answer is no. Aside from the ambiance, online slots that are available at real money gambling sites are no different from their land-based counterparts. Whether your game is 100% digital or encased in a casino cabinet, its heart and soul is still a piece of computer software.

The random numbers generated by the RNG are mapped to particular reel combinations the moment you initiate a spin, which is just a fancy way of saying that the outcome of each spin is determined digitally and isn’t influenced by a system that’s prone to frequent mechanical failure.

Which slot games will give me the best odds of winning?

Finding the best online slots apps is a challenge because the payout percentage of a particular slot game can vary based on the casino. One of the best things you can do is play slot games that allow you to adjust the size of your bets to the size of your bankroll, which is more important than finding the highest-RTP game at a certain online slot casino. You should also focus your attention on slot games that provide the best odds of winning on any given spin.

What’s the most money anyone has ever won playing online slots?

On January 20, 2013, a player from Finland won €17,861,800, or about $24 million, while playing Mega Fortune on PAF, a Scandinavia-facing online casino. Mega Fortune is a progressive jackpot slot designed by Net Entertainment. The jackpot pool was generated by a number of online casinos operating on the same network as PAF. The Wheel of Fortune slot is also famous for its big wins.

As a side note, the lowest of the top 10 largest jackpots scored by a real money slots player was worth $8.6 million. All in all, that one-in-a-million spin certainly doesn’t happen frequently, but when it finally does, expect some major fireworks.

How do I deposit money at online slot sites?

All credible online casinos provide their customers with several deposit methods to choose from. Typically, you’ll get to pick between an e-wallet solution, a credit card payment, a bank transfer, or cryptocurrency.

Can I play slots using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies?

Yes, most US gambling sites and online casinos allow you to deposit in Bitcoin and other cryptos to play slots online for real money. There are also a growing number of small crypto-only real money casinos out there, but most of them don’t even have the proper certification. When cryptocurrency payments are allowed, you can usually pay using Bitcoin, and sometimes Monero and Litecoin as well.

If I win at slots, how will the online casino pay me?

The availability of specific cash-out methods will depend on your region, the casino in question, and a few other factors, including the size of your bankroll and your banking history. For example, some online casinos allow e-wallet withdrawals only if you’ve already used that particular e-wallet to make a deposit.

What’s more, the availability of certain methods may depend on the amount you’d like to withdraw, and many real money casino sites have monthly and weekly cash-out limits, which can be a problem if you manage to hit a large jackpot – payment by check might be necessary in this case. What remains a constant among reputable sites is that you’re guaranteed to get paid.

What happens if I get disconnected in the middle of an active spin?

Generally, nothing bad. Since the outcome of a spin is determined by the RNG software as soon as you hit the “spin” button, the end result is already known to the casino and reflected in your bankroll even if you disconnect. However, not all real money casinos honor this rule – we, therefore, encourage you to contact your casino’s support team for confirmation.

Are there any casino welcome bonuses available exclusively to slot players?

Yes, many online casinos offer a large deposit bonus to online slot players. These slot bonuses are typically very generous and go a long way to helping you play slots longer and win real money.

Are there any real money slots apps available?

Yes, real money casino apps offering hundreds of exciting slot games exist and can be downloaded on your iPhone or Android device. Also, most real money casinos offer mobile slot games that you can play directly on the casino website via your smartphone browser.

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