Online gambling has become one of the most popular ways for bettors to place their stakes, and online slots are a crucial part of this ever-growing industry. The mechanics included in online slots have developed hugely from the early days of lever-based mechanics to digital slot titles at the press of a button.
The online slots industry is ever-evolving, with these games becoming one of the most popular gambling methods out there, and this is how they work.
The Mechanics of Online Slots
All slots begin with the simple play format of matching symbols across a reel-based playgrid to trigger prize values from play. The way slot games are able to stand out amongst other releases is through the themes and visual features included in play. More traditional slots feature basic fruit symbols or card designs, but now, many slots use more appealing imagery with visuals in and around the reels based on the theme of play. Many slots make use of themes that players will enjoy, for example, the use of vibrant colours or imagery from their favourite TV shows.
Players can trigger prizes on modern slots in a variety of ways. This could be by landing a specific number of matching base game symbols across any of the paylines featured in a slot game. The more matching symbols that land in combination, the greater the prize value that is usually triggered in online slot games. Modern online slot games also feature bonus mechanics that players can hope to trigger during play. This could occur via bonus symbols that also land on the reels, such as scatters, which are featured in many traditional and new online slot games. These bonus features are usually some form of free spins game, providing players with a set number of spins to play through using the bet stake of the triggering spin. There are also wild symbols featured in many slot games, which have the ability to substitute for any base game symbols to create or increase a successful combination across a payline.
The History of Slots
In 1894, the gambling world made a drastic change. The invention of the first slot machine. Originated in San Francisco, USA. Since then, the online slot industry has witnessed lots of innovation over the years with new games, themes and mechanics innovating slot play.
The slot machine became a popular feature in multiple venues, from brick-and-mortar casinos to public houses, due to the simplicity and fun of these games. As of 2023, the reported number of slot machines in the UK totaled 184,126!
The evolution of online slots came after their debut in the mid-1990s. The development of online slots gave players the opportunity to play slot machines from their homes via a secure internet connection. The very first online slot released was a game called Cash Splash. The game was simple; it featured 3 reels and had a progressive jackpot included alongside the base gameplay. Since then, a huge range of unique slot games have been created featuring unique, detailed visuals and game mechanics.
Popular Slot Games
There are many popular online slots for you to choose from, ranging from those with advanced visuals and game mechanics to classic slots featuring a more traditional play experience.
Fishin’ Frenzy
Blueprint Gaming’s Fishin’ Frenzy has become one of the most established slots in the online casino industry, with a series of titles following this initial release, which hit the market in 2014. The vibrant and colourful visuals create a pleasant atmosphere for gamers, with arcade-esque audio features to complement the slot game experience.
The game features a minimum stake of 10p with 10 paylines across which symbol combinations can land in play. The game offers a bonus in the event of 3 or more scatters, which can reward up to 20 free games. In this bonus game, the fisherman symbol is able to reel in any prize value fish that land in the same spin.
Eye of Horus
Created by Merkur Gaming, the Eye of Horus slot uses an ancient Egyptian theme based on the ancient Egyptian god Horus.
Eye of Horus can trigger base game prizes should 3 or more symbols land matched across a payline. The highest base game symbol value in play is the Eye of Horus symbol, which can return a prize value of up to 500x the stake. Eye of Horus provides a wild symbol, which features an image of a Scarab Beetle. This wild can substitute for other base game symbols to create or increase a combination across the reels. The scatter symbol in play here features an ancient temple and is able to trigger the bonus free spins game in play.
The game features a min stake of £0.10 and a max stake of £20.00 per spin.
Jokers’ jewels
Jokers Jewels is a much more traditional-style game, giving punters a sense of nostalgia for physical fruit machine slot games. The interface of the game resembles a physical slot machine, and the audio features used here are like that of a classic physical slot game. Despite Pragmatic Play’s decision to resonate with more traditional slot gamers, Jokers Jewels still offers a modern scatter bonus feature in play..
The Joker’s Jewels slot game utilises a traditional 5-reel, 3-row format across which there are 5 fixed paylines where symbol combinations could land.
RNG And RTP
It is important to understand that slot gameplay is determined by the RNG (Random Number Generator) software included in these titles. Every slot game available will determine results through a constant stream of numbers produced by an RNG that makes gameplay completely random. This means that every result that you get will be based independently on luck, and there is no skill that can help you during slot gameplay. The online slot developers do not know the outcome of any specific spin the same way the players cannot predict what will happen in play.
Another key part of slot game mechanics is the RTP (Return To Player) percentage featured in these titles. This term is used to show players the percentage of all money paid into a slot game that is ultimately used to fund returns to players. It is vital for players to understand that nothing is guaranteed in slots; a 97% RTP slot game will not necessarily return £97 from play. The randomisation of these games is why some gamers may not win anything from play and others may land jackpot prizes.
