People who aren’t familiar with online gambling think of games like poker and roulette when talking about online casinos. However, those who play regularly know that neither of those games presents a true image of iGaming. Instead, it is online slot games that attract the most people and generate the most revenue. They are easy to play and don’t require memorizing complicated strategies, like poker or blackjack. You don’t have to count cards or read other players. Just click a button and enjoy the game.
Online Slots Are the Most Popular Games in Online Casinos
If you don’t count sports betting, the biggest chunk of online gambling revenue comes from online slots. The situation is similar to traditional casinos, which derive 70% of their income from slot machines. There is something mesmerizing and relaxing about slots that attract people and makes them a lot of time in front of them. One of the reasons for their popularity is that, unlike some other gambling games, they can be fun even if you are losing. They are also cheap to play and even small deposits can provide you with hours of fun.
It’s Not Always About Luck
The common belief is that you have to be lucky to win in online slots. However, that isn’t necessarily true. While the belief may be applied to traditional slots, these days we have skilled-based slot machines such as the ones listed in this blog post: https://www.askgamblers.com/gambling-news/blog/skill-based-slot-machines/ whose awards don’t depend on luck alone.
In an attempt to bring online slots closer to younger generations, the game designers have created machines that test the players’ skills and offer awards that can be won by playing mini-games. It is certainly a refreshing idea and it will appeal to many players. At least it will prevent poker players from snubbing slot players, claiming that poker has nothing to do with luck and that it is 100% skill.
You Don’t Need Money to Play Online Slots
Almost all casinos offer various forms of free play to their members, as well as potential members. Of course, their motives are far from altruistic. The idea is to attract new players by giving them a glimpse of what they can expect to find once they join. These free spins, as they are called, can be used on most online games a casino has to offer. They aren’t hard to come by and you can have fun with them. The downside is that you can’t actually take your winnings. Everything you win with free spins can only be used for playing.
Online Slots Guarantee Winning
In the interest of fairness and transparency, all online slots have something called Return to Player (RTR). This is a percentage of all bets that the game will give back to players in a form of winnings. The percentage usually varies from 94% to 96%. The rest of the best casinos keep covering their overhead. However, it is important to remember that this percentage is calculated over the lifetime of the game. So, while it will pay out 96% in the long run, you can be the unlucky player that catches it in a bad moment. Also, you can be a very lucky one and catch it in an upward swing, meaning you can get even more than RTR prescribes.
Progressive Slots
Progressive slots are among the most popular games in any casino. The way they work is that they set aside a percentage of each bet for the jackpot. Over time, that amount can reach some truly staggering numbers, as long as there was no jackpot for a while. The latest fade is multiplayer progressive slots. Several slots are linked, allowing 4 or 5 people to play simultaneously. This reduces the time between jackpots, as well as quick replenishment of the jackpot fund. There is also an online version, where people from all over the world can play for a single jackpot.
There Are Professional Slot Players
Just like professional poker players, there are people who make a living playing slot machines. In the old days, they would spend hours playing one or more machines in traditional casinos. They would make it their business to know everything about the machine they were playing, who made it and when, what are the odds of winning, the exact amount it holds for a jackpot, etc. These days, they have it much easier, as they can do it all from their homes. While some claim that you can’t rely on a game of chance to provide you with a regular income, these guys don’t complain.
There Are No Shortcuts
Just like any other online resource, online slots can be hacked. However, that requires a lot more knowledge and skill than you probably have, not to mention it comes with a hefty prison sentence. Don’t fall for scammers selling apps or devices that guarantee a jackpot. Such things do not exist, except in the heads of people who actually buy them. They are usually in for a rude awakening once they try to use them. As they say, a fool and his money are soon parted. Even if that would be possible, why would anyone sell it, instead of using it themselves?
You Can Prevent Yourself from Playing Online Slots
Due to mounting public pressure, online casinos have been forced to take measures to prevent gambling addicts from losing all their money. One of these measures is a self-imposed ban. All you have to do is send your info to the casino, and they will ban you from accessing their site.
The Biggest Jackpots
For years, the record for the biggest online slot jackpot was held by Jon Heywood from Cheshire, UK. Mr. Heywood managed to snag a $20 million jackpot on a 25p bet in 2015. Jon was serving in the British Army at the moment and has just returned from a tour in Afghanistan. However, in 2018, Jon’s record was broken when an undisclosed person won almost $21 million. Interestingly enough, both jackpots were won on the same online slot, Mega Moolah developed by Microgaming.
