New player’s guide to online slots

New to online slots? Venturing into an online casino can be daunting at first, but we are here to make the switch to online play as easy and uncomplicated as possible. Learn everything beginners need to know about playing Internet slot games, including the best casino websites for newbies.

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Online slots explained

Jackpot 5X Wins online slotsIf you have ever stepped foot into the slots room of a bricks and mortar casino, you will be familiar with the flashing lights and lively sounds of an electronic slot machine. With these land based machines, a coin is dropped into the money slot (hence the term “slot machine”) to allow the player to spin the reels and see if the symbols will line up a winning combination. Online slots work in exactly the same way, but instead of sitting in a noisy room with a bunch of strangers and often playing outdated machines, you get to play the most advanced games available from the comfort of home.

Playing slots at an online casino gives you access to thousands of vibrant games that have been designed with player entertainment in mind, using advanced animation and 3D graphics to provide the most visually engaging games possible. Online games come packed with all kinds of bonuses and special features you won’t find from a land based machine, with more affordable betting limits to suit recreational players, as well as high-limit games suited to the high rollers.

Bets are placed with the click of a mouse or the tap of a mobile touch screen, but other than that the format is just like playing in real life. Games are powered by RNG (random number generator) technology using sophisticated mathematical algorithms, and no special skill is required to play.

How to play online slot games

Sterling Silver 3D online slots by MicrogamingTo play slots online, you first need to choose a reputable, certified casino that offers a large variety of games from the leading online slot developers – refer to our casino table above for a list of the best slot sites. Our recommended casinos are all available for instant-play, which means games can be played directly over your Web browser (via Chrome, Safari, or any other popular browser) with no downloads needed. You can sample slot games for free in practice mode, or sign up for an account at the casino and make a deposit through the secure payment portal to start playing games for real money.

Once you have picked the slot game you want to play, use the buttons at the bottom of the reels to set the size of your wager. Online games come with the option of customising the coin size, number of paylines and number of coins per spin, so you have full control of how much or how little you wish to bet. Once your desired bet is in place, click the spin button and watch as the reels come to life, hopefully spinning to a stop in a winning combination to award a cash win. If you are playing for real money and are lucky enough to place a win, your winnings will automatically be credited to your online casino account, ready to be withdrawn via your chosen payment method or used to bet again.

Different types of online slots

When it comes to online slots, you will find much more variety and have access to many more game types than you would ever come across in a land based casino. There are many different software developers out there competing to be the best in the gaming industry, with players benefiting from the rivalry as more and more impressive games continue to hit the market. Slot games have come a long way since the original liberty bell machines and the older electronic games, with online slots now providing cinema-grade graphics and game features with more in common with video console games.

While all online slot games follow the same general format of placing a bet and spinning the reels in the hopes of landing a winning symbol combination, online slots offer a wide range of variety. Here are some of the types of slot games you will come across when playing at an online casino and what they mean:

Three reel classic slots

Three-reel slots are the most basic slot games available, following a classic, old-school format that’s still favoured by many older players. They don’t have the same bells and whistles of the modern video slots, and typically only pay across a single payline. Classic slots are the easiest to understand, as they usually just require you to line up three symbols across a line, with a pay table displayed to the side of the screen so you know what outcomes to look for. These games have more frequent wins, but at lower payouts, so players win less money but more often. Three-reel slots very rarely offer any bonus features, other than the occasional classic gamble feature.

Five reel video slots

Five-reel video slots are the most popular, most common type of online slot game available today, with titles available in the thousands. These games use the highest quality graphics and take advantage of modern technologies to employ all kinds of engaging animation, bonus features, mini-games and inventive themes. Five-reel slots have more ways to win, typically offering between 20 and 50 paylines, which are either fixed or can be customised by the player. Games come with high paying symbols like wilds and scatters, which are responsible for triggering all kinds of bonus features, and can offer up some pretty hefty cash jackpots.

All-Ways slots

All-Ways slots (also known as Ways-to-Win slots) are five-reel (or more) slot games that have been amped up to offer a ridiculously high number of ways to win. Unlike the standard five-reel video slots that have an average of 25 paylines, All-Ways slots can offer 243, 1024 or even 3125 ways to win – that means potentially thousands of winning combinations with every spin.

Progressive jackpot slots

Divine Fortune progressive jackpot video slotsProgressive jackpot games account for some of the most popular online slots on the Web. These are games with an ever-expanding jackpot, which grows every time a real money bet is placed on the same game anywhere within the linked network. As many progressive jackpots are linked across multiple online casinos, games have the potential to grow much higher than land based progressives, with some games offering a base jackpot starting at one million dollars. Games like Microgaming’s Mega Moolah series and NetEnt’s Mega Fortune have produced instant multi-millionaires, with the largest ever win from an online progressive hitting the record books at $20,062,600.

Best casino sites for online slot games

Best online slots casino SlotsMillion.comWhen playing at an online casino, you will find more slot games available than any other casino game. Some online casinos offer games exclusively from a single software provider, while multi-provider casinos house slot collections from a variety of the leading game studios. When choosing a slot site that’s right for you, look for one that offers hundreds of games available for instant-play from the biggest names like Microgaming, Net Entertainment, BetSoft, QuickSpin, Play’n Go, iSoftBet, NextGen Gaming, Yggdrasil, Playtech and ELK Studios.

Slots Million gets our number one vote for online slots. This highly reputable, licensed casino is dedicated purely to the slots, offering over 1500 no-download titles from over 30 of the best game studios. You can browse all games, or search by name, software developer, game theme or even game feature or number of paylines.

Be aware that Slots Million, like all online casinos, does not accept players from all countries. If you are unable to sign up at Slots Million, or would like to try another casino, refer to our casino table at the top of this page for a full list of the top-rated online slot sites. This table has been geo-targeted to recognise your location and only recommend the most high quality, certified slot sites accepting players from your area.

Best online slot games

Guns N Roses online slotsPersonal taste will dictate which online slot games you choose to play, as there really is no one game to suit all preferences. The great thing about online play is there are so many games to choose from, with software developers using all kinds of weird and wonderful themes and soundtracks. There are plenty of licensed games available, where slot developers have teamed up with movie and TV studios to create games with familiar characters and storylines, and NetEnt even has a series of rock ‘n’ roll inspired games featuring famous musicians. From the cute and cuddly, to the mythical and exotic, online software providers have left no stone unturned when it comes to online slots.

If you are overwhelmed with the choices and not sure where to start, these are some of the most popular online slot titles available at the top-rated casino sites:

  • Mega Moolah
  • Starburst
  • Game of Thrones
  • Gonzo’s Quest
  • Mega Fortune
  • Twin Spin
  • Jack & the Beanstalk
  • Immortal Romance
  • South Park Reel Chaos
  • Batman
  • Age of the Gods
  • Big Bad Wolf
  • Spinions
  • Electric Sam
  • Divine Fortune
  • Mr Vegas
  • Gladiator
  • Bridesmaids
  • Guns ‘N Roses

Take advantage of the practice-play option available at our recommended casinos, where you can sample as many slot games as you like for free so you can find a game that ticks all the right boxes for your personal preferences.

Can I play slot games on my mobile?

iPhone and Android mobile slots gamesYou sure can. Mobile casinos have really expanded in recent years, with all the leading operators rolling out their services as smartphone and tablet usage grows. While you won’t find quite as many slot games at a mobile casino as you will at the full desktop site, all of the most popular slots have been optimised for mobile play, with more being added all the time. Mobile slots maintain the same high quality graphics and speeds of their computer counterparts, with games optimised to fit smaller screens with touch-screen functionality.

Mobile slots are compatible with most data-enabled smartphones and tablets, including Apple iOS, Samsung Galaxy, Windows Phone and other Android powered devices. To play, your mobile will need to be equipped with relevant Flash and HTML5 software, and be able to connect to the Internet using Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G. While some casinos do offer downloadable apps, mobile slots at our recommended casino sites are all available for instant-play directly over your mobile Web browser.

Safe deposit options for real money slots

If you have decided to play online slots for real money, you might be wondering how on earth you can get cash into your online casino account. It is actually very easy, with online casino vendors making online cash transactions as quick and hassle-free as possible. There are plenty of safe deposit options available, from traditional payment methods like credit cards and bank accounts, to modern online payment services like e-Wallets and virtual cards.

The payment options available vary between each casino, with different options available to players from different countries, but the most commonly accepted deposit methods include:

  • Credit/debit cards – Visa, MasterCard, Maestro
  • Web Wallets – Neteller, Skrill, ecoPayz
  • Pre-paid Cards – Paysafecard, Flexepin, EntroPay Virtual Visa
  • Bank Transfers – via Citadel Direct, Trustly, bank wire and direct bank transfer

To make a deposit, sign up for an account with one of our recommended casinos, then go to the banking section and click to select a payment method. Follow the prompts to enter your payment details and the amount of funds you want to transfer, then click through to complete your transaction. Most deposits are processed on the spot, so you can start playing real money slot games straight away, but note that some bank transfers can take a few business days to process.

You can always check the casino’s FAQ section for more information about its banking options and processing times, or speak to a customer service rep using the live chat function.

Looking for the best online slot site accepting players from your country? Refer to the casino table at the top of this page for a full list of the best certified casino sites catering to your area.

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