Slots have quickly taken over as one of the most commonly played casino games, and the online versions are no exception. Now, there are literally hundreds of different varieties of Slots for players to try, with varying themes, setups and gameplay mechanics.
There’s so much to say about slot games, which is why we’ve put together this list of seven interesting facts about Slots online that you may or may not already know.
- The first online slot game launched in 1996
While casinos had started exploring the possibility of online play early in the 1990s it wasn’t until 1996 that the first true online casino launched. Developed by software developer Microgaming, InterCasino offered a range of casino games including Blackjack and Slots.
The oldest online Slots were fairly simple in terms of their graphics and gameplay, but it wasn’t too long before technology allowed them to rapidly evolve into their modern forms.
- The return to player (RTP) is an important metric
All online Slots should display a figure known as the return to player (RTP) percentage on their page. This is a key figure for players choosing between games, representing the theoretical percentage of all wagers that are returned to players over time.
So, a slot game with an RTP of 97% will generally pay back 97 out of every 100 wagered. But this figure is worked out over a very long term and is more of a guide, meaning there’s no guarantee of any short-term returns.
- Mobile Slots are rapidly growing
An increasing number of players are now accessing online casino games through their mobile devices, rather than relying on a desktop or laptop computer. This is why many sites are now mobile-optimised, with streamlined interfaces that allow for play on a smaller screen size.
- There’s no such thing as a ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ slot game
Older casino superstition suggests that a slot game that hasn’t paid out in a while is more likely to land a matching combination soon (‘hot’), while a game that has recently had a payout is less likely to have another one (‘cold’).
In reality, this theory is completely untrue. Every spin of the reels on a slot game has the same odds of resulting in a matching combination as any other.
- Progressive jackpots can climb into the millions
Slots can have one of two types of jackpots – fixed or progressive. Progressive jackpots grow every time a player spins the reels on one of the connected games, with a fraction of each wager going into the pot.
This means that progressive jackpots can grow far larger than fixed ones, continuing to rise until one player lands the jackpot combination.
- Online Slots can have hundreds of paylines
The original slot games only featured a single payline – horizontally across the centre of the reels. Some online Slots still stick to just one or a handful of paylines to keep things simple, but others have potentially hundreds of them.
These can include vertical lines, horizontal lines, diagonals, zigzags and a host of other patterns. But they aren’t all activated by default, so players can choose how many lines they want to play with.
- Residents in Monaco can only play Slots online
Monaco is home to one of the most famous historical casinos – the Monte Carlo Casino – but residents of the country are not allowed to use it. Instead, residents of Monaco can only play casino games like Slots online.
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How many of those interesting facts about online Slots did you know already?
