A couple of decades ago no-one could possibly have predicted the future success of online casinos. But today, according to official Gambling Commission figures, remote casino gaming in the UK accounted for £6.4 billion of the total £14.1 billion spent between April 2021 and March 2022.
While many players choose to play traditional casino games like blackjack and roulette, many more go for online slots.
At first glance these all-singing, all-dancing games seem to be quite complicated but, in reality, they’re amongst the simplest of the casino games to play, not to mention some of the most fun.
Choose your theme
One of the elements that make them so very enjoyable is the enormous range of themes that you can choose from.
For example, there are countless titles that will transport you back to the worlds of ancient Rome, Greece or Egypt – great for history fans. For sports lovers you’ll find games featuring soccer, golf and even tennis. Or, for real traditionalists, there are plenty of classic online slots featuring the fruits and lucky 7s that hark back to the old-style machines with spinning reels.
Look around and you might even find a slot featuring a favourite TV show or movie that also includes clips from the original as part of the game.
Special symbols
When you start to play casino slots games at sites like Rainbow Riches Casino you’ll find that most of the game descriptions talk about symbols like Wilds or Scatters. For the uninitiated, this won’t mean very much, so here’s a quick explanation.
Wilds are symbols that can stand in for any other one in the game. This can be invaluable when the reels roll and you’re one short of a winning combination. The wild will complete that combination for you, leading to a cash win.
Scatters, on the other hand, are symbols that trigger other features in a game, such as the ones we’re about to move on to next.
Common features
While there may be what seem to be like an almost infinite number of titles and themes most have a few features in common. Once you start to get into the groove of playing slots you’ll soon get used to experiencing them for yourself.
One of the most common is the free spins feature. By landing a certain combination of scatter and other symbols you can often earn yourself a set number of free spins in a game. While the spins may be free you will still get to keep all the winnings that you earn while they’re running. Some games even let you win more free spins within the free spins round.
Another feature that many games include is the multiplier. As the name suggests, this multiplies the size of your cash prizes by a set amount while it is in action. Often it is by a factor of x2 or x3 but it can sometimes rise as high as x10.
The third feature that you’re likely to come across is a form of lucky dip. You simply need to choose which of the three or so options available you want to qualify for free spins, a multiplier or even a straight cash prize.
Types of slots games
Most are standard slots but you will also come across other varieties of game. For example, some titles have the word “megaways” added to them. This means that they feature a large number of potential ways to win – often in the hundreds rather than the usual tens of permutations.
You’ll also come across others that offer progressive jackpots. This simply means that a number of slots are all linked. A proportion of every player’s stake money is put aside to create a jackpot that one lucky winner will pick up at some point. These can amount to truly life-changing sums similar to big lottery prizes.
There are also other slots that promise daily jackpots. These aren’t nearly as large, but the chances of winning are considerably higher.
Tips on picking your slot
There are two crucial pieces of information you need to discover when you’re choosing which slot to play.
The first is its Return to Player, or RTP. Given as a percentage, this represents the proportion of stake money that is returned in the form of prizes. Always try to look for ones with an RTP in the 90%-96% range to give yourself the best chance of a win.
You also need to know the volatility of a slot. If it’s high it’s going to mean fewer, higher prizes. A low volatility slot will pay out less, but more often.
So, armed with all this information, you’re now in a great position to dive into the exciting world of online slots. So let’s get those reels spinning!
