Slot machines at online casinos today

The most popular type of gambling in the world for many years has been the slot machines. We are not talking about a single model, but about video slots in general. They are hugely popular in the largest offline casinos in the world and firmly hold the palm in institutions working on the Internet.

You can see for yourself. Open the websites of several online casinos and go to the games section. There, look for the “Popular Games” section (it may be called something else but it doesn’t change its meaning). See what models are featured in it. You can bet that eight or nine out of ten games will be video slots.

Reasons for the popularity of video slots

Explaining the popularity of video slots won’t be difficult. Most people who visit casinos treat this kind of pastime as a form of recreation. Consequently, they want to be less stressed and more entertained.

Many card and table games of chance require the customer to make difficult decisions and other activities.

In poker and video poker, you have to think about which cards to change.

In blackjack, you have to constantly think about your next move.

At roulette, you have to spread your chips across the field each round.

It’s tiring for the casino crowd, who come to the casino to relax.

No, we’re not saying that these games are unsuitable for recreational use, but the vast majority of casino goers prefer the more relaxed experience offered by video slots. All you have to do is pick a bet and click the button, watching the reels spin and the combinations form.

In addition, slot machines have another trump card:

No one but you, and probably the administration, does not see how much you lose or win.
You are alone with fortune in the form of a video slot and can concentrate on your favorite pastime.

The benefits of online casino slots

Online slots have lots of extra benefits:

A huge variety of themes,
An incredible range of features,
High payout percentages (much higher than in the real machines),
Huge jackpots,
Convenient interfaces in different languages, and so on.

Moreover, the game at the online casino itself has many nice and rewarding features:

You don’t need to spend extra money for travel, accommodation and meals.
You are guaranteed total privacy and security.
You can play almost anywhere.
You participate in a variety of incentive programmes.
Almost all online casinos allow you to play slot machines for free, in the so-called training or entertainment mode. This is very convenient for getting acquainted with the new models.

Sources of inspiration for developers

New slot machines for online casinos produce dozens of software producers. Among them are their grandees with household names and fledgling studios that make their first steps in this field.

Today’s users are already very spoiled by the incredible variety of models, so surprise them some novelty is difficult. The first thing that can attract the attention of sophisticated user – it’s interesting themes. And here the developers use a variety of sources of inspiration.

Classic models with cherries or seven now no one is surprised. These slot machines, of course, are still being produced, but they are designed for conservative customers.

However, there is now a growing demand for traditional slot machines with three reels, a small number of lines and regular pictures.

Slots about vampires (especially Count Dracula), Queen Cleopatra, pirates, and the history of Egypt have been extremely popular for many years.

Not to ignore the growing demand for slot machines about Chinese culture. Almost all of the major producers of online games from time to time release such news, which is hardly surprising given the number of citizens of the Celestial Empire and how they are gambling.

Lovers of the original developers entice slots vivid games on famous movies, comics (eg graphic novels studios Marvel or DC Comics), computer games, cartoons, characters from ancient myths and fairy tales of different countries, all kinds of sports, cars, weapons, and so on.

Some models sometimes look so colorful and spectacular that they are interesting to play, even for conditional bets. This is a masterpiece of design ideas that have stunning graphics (often three-dimensional), amazing animation, the abundance of settings and a mass of other advantages.

Variety of slot machine features

But everything listed in the previous section is meaningless if the video slot doesn’t have exciting gameplay features. In fact, for many users this is more important than the payout percentage or payout ratio.

In order to play a slot machine as interesting as possible, the developers provide it with numerous features. The most common are:

Wild symbol,
Scatter icon,
free spins,
bonus games,
extra multipliers,
jackpots and so on.

Variations are possible in each of these options.

Also, many modern video slots boast original patented features. It’s impossible to describe them all in an article like this, so stay tuned to the game reviews section for updates.

Extra features

A number of useful features found in today’s online slots are also worth mentioning.

Autoplay – This option is available in the vast majority of online slots. You specify the bet amount, and then the system automatically starts the reels and performs related operations. You can usually specify the number of spins, although sometimes they are activated before they are deactivated. In many models, you can specify additional parameters: limits, reasons for stopping and so on.

Strategies – A very interesting feature implemented in their machines developers from Elk Studios. They have introduced in slots automated betting system. The player can select one of the strategies, and the program itself will select the amount to be put on the line in the next round. We have considered this feature in a separate article.

Levels – Some developers offer multi-level slots. After completing certain actions or accumulating the right amount of points, the client moves on to the next stage. More lucrative terms await him there. Of course, this is fascinating and addictive.

Prospects for online video slots

How do we see the future of online casino slots? Will they be popular in the coming years? Or will they be displaced by other gambling games?

Gambling experts believe that slot machines will continue to conquer the industry. Currently, the biggest casinos are adding new machines to their portfolios almost every day.

Software developers are constantly looking for new approaches, trying to reach as wide an audience as possible:

For fans of the classics, they release traditional slots;
They are trying to appeal to the more sophisticated models;
For lovers of other genres, they try to attract slot machines with elements of these games;
The most progressive people they lure with 3D slots, virtual reality machines and other novelties.

All this suggests that this area of gambling will only continue to evolve in the years to come.