Why Are Online Casinos So Popular?
Since their inception in the mid-90s, online casinos have seen tremendous growth over the year. Currently, this is a multi-billion industry with a reach that expands virtually all over. In any country with internet access, you will not fail to find some degree of online gaming going on, despite whatever regulations the governments impose.
Among the many games on offer at online casinos, slots are no doubt the most popular. Online slots are known to attract more visitors and new gamers on a daily basis than any other online casino game. It would be easy to attribute this popularity to the fact that online casino slots have some of the most lucrative payouts, with jackpots that grow up to millions of dollars. However, it takes some time, often months, for such jackpots to be won. One would then tend to wonder what keeps the players coming? Is it all about the payouts? What keeps the players glued to their computer screens with these virtual reels?
Well as it turns out, online casino slots’ popularity is not pegged on one particular factor alone. A number of factors come into play in the ever-increasing demand for this type of casino game. Here, we will review some of these reasons and explain why online casino slots will remain quite popular even in the future.
Zero Skills Required
Traditionally, playing and winning in a casino required skills and strategy. You would almost never hear of anyone who simply walked up to a casino’s poker room and, out of sheer luck, landed that life-changing hand. Table and card games require a certain level of skill, and this applies to both online and land casinos. With online slots machines, on the other hand, you do not need to master any particular skill or strategy to win.
All a player needs to enjoy online slots is to understand the types of symbols at a particular machine and how the payline patterns are formed. Even for these, you do not need to memorize and master the patterns. Every online slots machine will have a ‘Help’ or FAQ page that gives details on what symbols to look out for and how paylines are formed.
Additionally, most online casino slots have an AutoPlay feature. This is a button that sets the reels spinning over and over in an automated format, without pausing. The AutoPlay feature is great for when you want to test your luck without breaking a sweat or overthinking.
The simplified nature of online casino slots has a psychological effect on many players. Without having to make calculations, memorize numbers or struggle to keep a poker face, gamers can relax and drift away in the casino thrill, only to be jolted back with flashy congratulatory messages and sounds on the screen. This makes online slots a convenient game even for the beginner who is simply looking to have some casino thrill and make some good money.
Fairness in Gameplay and Payouts
Having said that online slots require zero skills to play, you might be wondering what the chances of a beginner winning, in comparison to a seasoned online gamer are. Well, with online slots, every player has an equal chance of winning. Nothing can be done outside the slots machine to determine the outcome of each spin, or which symbols will be displayed.
To enable this fairness in gameplay, online slots designers make use of a computer algorithm known as a Random Number Generator. Commonly referred to in gaming circles as the RNG, this is a computer program that is integrated into the online slots’ software. The role of this program is to ensure that results are completely randomized and unpredictable. With every spin, a unique and random combination of numbers is generated, with each digit assigned to the reels in motion. This code will determine at what point the virtual reels will stop spinning and what symbols will be displayed and in what pattern. What this means is that your previous few spins and the online slots machine’s history have no influence in any future spins.
The Random Number Generator also plays an integral part in the paying out of jackpots at online slots machines. You will find that online slots jackpots are not paid out at certain intervals but in a randomized manner. Whenever you hit the ‘Spin’ button, the RNG is put to task to randomly pick if you are the lucky winner of the prize money. This is despite the amount of money you have staked for that particular spin.
Online Casino Slots have Free Spins
Even in a game of pure chance, no one would want to commit their money only to find the game to be boring a few minutes into gameplay. One advantage that online casino slots have over other casino games categories is the option to have a free run. Unlike table and card games, most if not all online casino slots will give you the chance to have some free spins without committing any money.
The advantage here is that gamers get the chance to familiarize themselves with the game’s interface, any unique or new features and also have a general feel of the slots machine. This is very important especially now in the new age of video and 3D slots which tend to have quite a lot going on in the screen.
Some online casino slots free spins are even offered in-play. As such, even when you run out of money to wager, you can continue enjoying the game. In some instances, you will even find that the money won in the free spins is redeemable, albeit with some conditions. For instance, you might be required to first deposit a certain amount of real cash before withdrawing such wins from free spins.
Convenience
Online slots are designed for convenience. Provided you have access to the internet; you can easily join in the reels spinning action. Many online casino sites nowadays have been optimized for mobile devices as well. This means you can play your favorite slots game on the go through your phone, using the same log in the portal as the PC website.
Additionally, online casino slots are available in a variety of play modes. Players can choose to download a full suite casino software into their PCs and mobile devices. Software developers are even releasing online casino slots games for Android and iOS apps. Alternatively, you can access the game through the flash-based web version that requires no downloads.
Whichever mode you opt for, playing online casino slots from your PC or mobile device at the comfort of your home beats the hustle of driving to and fro a brick and mortar casino. Since most online casino slots are offered by networked software providers, you will find the same online slots game being offered by a number of online casinos. The advantage to this is if you have had a bad experience with a certain online casino operator, you do not have abandon and forget your favorite slots game. You can still find this game being offered by a number of other online casino operators.
Real Life Designs
For some gamers, the casino thrill is hearing the hearing the loud jingling sound of coins as they are spat out of the slots machine. Online casino slots are known to have intuitive designs that easily bring to life the aura of a real-life casino. The beauty of online casino slot is that they easily replicate what you would find in a casino. While online casinos have introduced other casino games in an online format as well, for some it is quite hard to have the same feeling. For instance, an online format of a game like roulette would leave out the tension of looking at another player’s reactions as the wheel spins.
Online casino slots machines bring on board all the controls and buttons you would find in a land-based machine, albeit in a virtual format. Online slots are loaded with a variety of sound effects that replicate the sound of coins and cheers you would hear in an actual casino.
Variety
To bring the actual casino feeling online, online casinos operators have endeavored in offering a variety of gaming options at the slots section. Online casino slots have way more to offer when it comes to choosing the games. This is enabled by the fact that many software companies have come on board and are developing new game titles on a regular basis. It is common practice to find one online casino hosting more than a hundred slots machines.
The online casino slots industry has provided booming business for big companies such as Playtech, Net Entertainment, Realtime Gaming, IGT and Microgaming. These companies churn out new ideas and launch new games regularly. Ranging from classic themed 3 reel slots to the futuristic 3D machines, every gamer will find an online slot game that draws their interest.
Online casino slots can also be categorized based on the number of reels. For instance, we have the classic 3 reels slots, 5 reels slots, and even 6 reels slots. The more the number of reels the more the characters and symbols you will find. These also pave ways for more paylines to be introduced. As such, online slots will feature multiple payline that can zigzag across the screen, unlike the traditional slots that had a single payline.
In the recent past, online slots developers have embraced movie-themed games. These online slots come complete with symbols that resemble famous movie characters and super heroes. 3D online slots will even have enhanced animations and graphics that bring to life such characters.
Online Casino Slots have Bonuses
Not only are there bonuses at online casinos, but these bonuses are highly rewarding. Online casino slots bonuses will come packaged in different shapes and manner. First off, you will find most online casino slots have no deposit bonuses. No deposit bonuses are almost similar to having free spins, only that here you are offered a certain amount of virtual money once you sign up and you can use it to wager on any online slots machine of your choice. Wins made out of some no deposit bonuses can be cashed out under certain terms, such as making the first deposit of a certain amount.
Another common type of bonus you will find in the online slots section is the first deposit bonus. This type of bonus is pegged on the first deposit you make into a casino, which is normally set at a certain cap. Most first deposit slots bonuses come bundled with free spins.
Online casino slots also feature in-play bonuses which can take a different format from what most gamers are used to. These in-play bonuses could be anything from expanding reels, sticky wild symbols, or even bonus games that can be triggered by a certain combination of symbols, including scatter symbols. In these bonus games, you will be redirected to a second screen with a mini-game based on the slot’s overall theme. These mini-games offer chances at winning more money that can be cashed out together with the main slot’s wins.
High Payouts and Return to Player Rates
Any ardent will tell you the importance of checking out a game’s Return to Player (RTP) rate. The RTP is the average payback percentage that a slots machine has. This means if you are playing with $1 at an online slots machine with an RTP of say 95%, you would expect to make $95; all else held constant.
Online casino slots tend to have a higher return to player rates compared to other games, averaging between 90% and 96%. Additionally, the fact that online casino slots publicly provide this data goes a long way in building players’ trust and confidence in the game. The game’s results are randomized. The player can calculate their chances of winning at a particular online slots machine in comparison to another. Knowing such rates, why would you stake your money in a game where the house has a 10% while there is an alternative with a house edge of 4%?
Online Casino Slots Jackpots
The term casino, whether alluding to the brick and mortar or the online version, is synonymous with jackpots. Any casino gaming or activity would somehow be incomplete if some jackpot were not involved. Online casino slots are quite big when it comes to offering jackpots. It is quite common to find the same online casino hosting multiple slots jackpots.
The most common and popular type of jackpot is the online slots progressive jackpot. In this type of jackpot, the prize money starts at a certain amount then will keep on increasing with each bet that is placed on that particular game. Most slots progressive jackpots are networked across a number of casinos either running on the same software or operated under the same brand. In such networked jackpots, since the number of players visiting the slots machines are quite many, the jackpot money rapidly rises from a few thousands to millions or even tens of millions. This kind of integration in jackpots is not compatible with the table and card games format.
Slot progressive jackpots are controlled by a Random Number Generator. This gives an equal playing field for all online slots gamers, as regular players have the same chance of winning with the beginner.
Flexible Wagering Amount
The design of most online casinos slots is one that can accommodate a large scope of the betting option. Firstly, most online slots will allow betting in virtual coins provided at the slots machines. These virtual coins are normally not pegged on any specific currency, and their value will depend on the main currency you chose to use with your casino account. The reason for this design is online slots are accessed and played in multiple countries with different currencies. This kind of coins setting enables to eliminate the complexities brought about by the fluidity of exchange rates.
Secondly, with many modern online video slots, you have the chance to adjust the number of paylines to remain active, the number of coins for each payline and even the value of each coin. The value of these coins is offered in ranges starting from 0.5 units to even a hundred coins. Online slots, therefore, can accommodate everyone, ranging from small bets to the high rollers.
Conclusion
Slots have turned out to be a natural fit for the online world of casinos. Ranging from the convenience of integrating new themes to the flexibility in betting options, one gets to understand why slots remain to be the most sought-after game in an online casino. Online casino slots have been able to tap into the physical, emotional and psychological elements of many gamers, by providing an alternative way accessing the casino excitement with the least stress and at the comfort of their homes.
