Slots are the most popular games at online casinos. They look great, do not require any specific skill, come with cool features, bonus rounds and even jackpots and are fast-paced. Their popularity has fueled huge demand and software providers have only been too happy to fulfill these demands, leading to an explosion in the number of online slots available.

Online slots at a glance:

• First real money online slot launched in 1994.
• Slots make up 80%+ of game play at online casinos.
• 2500+ real money online slots currently.
• More than 10 new online slots are released every month.
• 50+ online slot providers currently.
• Biggest jackpot win on slots: €17,879,645 by Joe Heywood on Mega Moolah on 6th October, 2015.
• Over a dozen progressive jackpot wins since 2015.

Types of online slot machines

There are a large number of online slots today. You can categorise them on the basis of:

• Themes
• Number of reels
• Jackpots
• Coin size

The following are the major types of online slots you get at the online casinos:

• Classic slots
• Video slots
• Bonus feature slots
• Slots with free spins
• Penny slots
• Progressive slots
• Branded slots

Classic Slots

These are 3-reel slots with a classic look and feel resembling the games available at land-based casinos. The common symbols on the reels include fruits, the word BAR, bells, the number 7 and also the wild symbol. They lack features like Autoplay, may have bonus rounds or even a jackpot.

Video Slots

Video slots form the majority of the games at online casinos. They have 5 reels and multiple paylines and loads of features. The features available include high quality graphics and animations, wild symbols, scatter symbols, multipliers, bonus games, free spins, and reasonably high payouts. Some of them also have a progressive jackpot.

Bonus Feature Slots

Some slots come with special bonus features apart from the wild symbols, scatter symbols and multipliers. They include:

• 243 ways to win: You wins when 3 matching symbols land anywhere on the reels from left to right or the other way round.
• 1024 ways to win: It works the same as 243 ways to win. The wins on active paylines concept is replaced by the ability to pick up wins on any symbol combination from left to right.
• Win both ways: You win regardless of whether you land matching symbols from left to right or right to left.
• Reel-based bonuses: They help you pick multiple wins in a single spin and include:
  • Cascading reels
  • Reel re-spins
  • Tumbling reels
  • Rotating reels
• Gamble feature: It gives you a chance to double your winnings from a spin or lose it all.

There are also bonus games, special games that are triggered within the slots. There are different kinds of bonus games, including pick-me-up rounds, spinning the wheel given and others.

Slots with Free Spins

A number of slots offer free spins as the bonus round. Some games have a simple free spins round while others like Microgaming’s Thunderstruck II has multi-stage free spins: you progress across the stages as you land more of these bonus rounds.

Penny Slots

Penny slots are fun and allow you to bet a minimal amount per spin. They attract players because:

• You do not need a lot of money to play them.
• You can use an average-size bankroll to play long if you manage your money wisely.
• You tend to win lesser but more frequently.
• Even if you lose a spin it isn’t too much money.

The problem with penny slots is also related to the one big advantage of playing them – you can play long but you do not win too much at the end of the day in most cases. You may not realise that you are actually losing money over time; it becomes worse if you bet the maximum amount.

Progressive Slots

These slots come with a progressive jackpot that is triggered only when you are placing the maximum bets. There is a jackpot meter that gives you the latest value of the jackpot.

There are different kinds of progressive slots: two kinds of progressive slots available:

• Standalone progressives:The jackpot pool is from the wagers placed on that machine; it is not connected to other machines.
• Local progressives: The jackpot pool is built from contributions from machines in the casino you are playing at.
• Networked progressives: The jackpot pool is created from multiple casinos across the world where the game is present. That is why networked progressive slots build their high jackpot values very rapidly and the payout, when it happens, is also enormous.

Branded Slots

Slots providers create branded slots by collaborating with reputed brands from different streams of business, including Hollywood and the world of comic books. Players are thus able to play slots featuring their favourite superhero or movie character.

The following are 4 major software providers who have inked branding deals with some of the most well-known names in the comic-book and entertainment industry.

Microgaming

Microgaming has collaborated with Universal Brand Development for the release of multiple branded slots including:

• Tomb Raider, which was among the first branded slots from Microgaming
• Hit Man, another of the early Microgaming branded slots
• Jurassic Park, themed on the blockbuster of the same name

Other branded slots from them include Game of Thrones themed on the HBO series, Bridesmaids based on the blockbuster Hollywood movie of the same name and Bullseye, based on the hit TV show presented by Jim Bowen.

Playtech

Playtech was one of the first to collaborate with Marvel Comics to bring to players slots featuring the different Marvel superheroes, including:

• Spiderman
• Iron Man
• The Incredible Hulk

However, this collaboration ended as of 1st April, 2017 and currently it has signed a branded content deal to license and develop DC-branded film and television material including Batman and Suicide Squad. It has also collaborated with Hollywood production houses to release games like Gladiator.

NetEnt

NetEnt has exclusive partnerships with some of the biggest names in entertainment from Hollywood to bring to players games of the calibre of Guns ‘n Roses, Aliens, the South Park series Scarface and Motorhead. Companies they have collaborated with include:

• 20th Century Fox™
• South Park Digital Studios™
• Universal™

Novomatic

Novomatic’s GreenTube has a branding deal with GVC Holdings of London to offer 70 games from GreenTube on GVC’s poker and casino sites, including Bwin, PartyPoker, PartyCasino and Gamebookers.