About online slots

Online video slots are the digital versions of a very old casino game. In the beginning there were one armed bandits, and these were gradually replaced by more creative 3-reeled classic slots, and eventually by video slots, so named because of their second screen bonuses and additional features.

The advent of the internet and in specific online gaming brought about the first digital versions of these same games. The casino industry has never really looked back since, and today the online slot has evolved and become vastly more popular than their land based counterparts could ever have been.

How can you win?

The way the slot games works is rather simple in principle. Players pay a stake which is based on the number of lines selected, and the value of the coins they put into the game. The lines represent special combinations of specials. The objective is to match as many identical symbols on a line as possible. For example, having three bars spread in certain places on the reel (on one line) would reward a winning pay-out, whilst if the three symbols were located elsewhere (not on a line), they might not pay anything at all. Generally speaking, matching five symbols on a payline will reward you with the slot’s jackpot.

Progressive or non-progressive?

The Jackpots in slots come in a variety of forms. The most common are the non-progressive and progressive jackpots. A non-progressive jackpot is a jackpot that is always fixed at the same amount. It can never fall below or rise above any given value. Even when it is won, the same amount can be won again in a matter of seconds. A progressive jackpot however, is very different. A progressive jackpot is made up of small chunks of every bet ever wagered on the game.

Progressive jackpots are not capped, meaning that they can in essence, reach any limit. When a progressive jackpot is won, the value resets to a default amount, and then continues to rise once more, with every wager placed. Whilst non-progressive jackpots are almost always won by matching 5 icons on a payline, the story doesn’t have to be the same way for progressive jackpots. Progressive jackpots can sometimes be won at random, with any wager, and on any spin, even if you haven’t won on a spin!

Themes and formats

Internet slots come in a lot of different formats and with many different themes. The theme of a slot can vary from safari to football, super hero to a good night out. The choice of theme can be about anything, anywhere or anyone. The format however is very different. Real money slots generally come in two formats, 3-reeled and 5-reeled.

3-reeled slots offer just 3 reels of icons, and there are generally no special features involved. 3-reeled slots also seldom contain any more than 5 paylines. 5-reeled slots however often contain multiple paylines (sometimes as many as 720). They will also contain special features such as wild icons, scatter symbols, free spins or bonus rounds. In most cases, the bonus round will take place on a second screen. Other names for these two formats are classic slots, and video slots.