Why Are Slot Machines So Popular?

Let’s be fair, a lot of people will place a bet or two during the year. Whether it is the once a year bet on the Grand National or even a small punt on your favourite football team to win the Premier League.

One thing is certain, even if you win the return on your bet will be small. That is unless you are a high roller who can afford to place huge bets!

I know what you are thinking, what has that got to do with slot machines? Well, the big thing that stands out about slot machines is that they can be played with any sized budgets. Not only that but large sums can be won with small bets placed.

This is a big player in what makes slot machines so popular. Instead of having to put down a huge sum of money to win big, slots have been known to pay out millions from a bet as little as £8.

Online Slot Machines

The first slot machines were an instant hit. Becoming hugely popular due to the simple three-wheel layout. The first slot machine, the Liberty Bell was invented by a mechanic.

These machines, known as one arm bandits, appeared in every casino and bar. Of course, the mechanical slot machine advanced significantly over the years. However, due to their bulk, unless you were willing to take a trip to where they were you could not play.

Today almost everything that we do can be done online. The dawn of the internet has changed the way we live beyond all recognition.

We now do all our banking online, book holidays and do our shopping. So when bookmakers started to explore their transition to the online world they also introduced casino sections to their websites.

These started off with card games but as soon as the first slots were added they became hugely popular. For the first time ever, you could sit at home and at any time of the day and play slots for real money. So it’s perfectly understandable that their popularity would skyrocket.

As with all things online, everything has advanced over the last twenty years. And online slots are no exception to this.

Companies have developed games with Multi Paylines, wilds and five reels, expanding reels, collapsing reels and plenty more. But due to the numbers playing them, the prize pots have grown too.

Playing Online Slot Machines

So, why do we play online slot machines? Well, to put it simply, it’s great fun. There is little confusion playing online slots, you know exactly how much you are playing with.

On top of that, you can play with tiny amounts meaning you can get much more playing time. The downside is that modern online slots are so entertaining that it may feel that you are not really gambling. Let’s make this clear, no matter how much fun the game is, you are gambling.

What is clear, is that online slot machines grip you every time you spin the wheels. With so many options to put a win or hit a bonus round your level of anticipation is very different from making a traditional bet.

Let’s make a comparison, you pick a horse running in a race at 3/1 and bet £1 on it. The horse wins and you receive £3, not an outstanding amount of cash so you are most likely to use that for another bet. However, let’s say, you play a slot at 10p a spin. That £3 on your account gets you 30 spins, you play for a reasonable period of time and turn it into £20. I’d say, you are more likely to withdraw that £20 and do something else with it.

Even better, you use your £3 on one of the games with a progressive jackpot. Now, that could make you a millionaire and that’s appealing to anyone.

Ok, we may be getting carried away here. You can still lose playing online slots, in fact, the online casinos make a huge amount of money from them so always keep playing responsibly.

RTP

However, the chances are better than you might think. A great thing to check is something called the RTP. You can rest assured that the industry is heavily regulated. So the RTP or The Return to Player is a requirement.

Generally, you will see the RTP listed in the information section of the game along with some other requirements. But, let’s say the game you’re looking at says RTP = 92%. Put simply, the higher the percentage the better the Return.

Now, it is not as simple as playing a £1 and getting 92p back. The percentage applies to over 100,000 spins in some cases.

Choosing A Slot Machine

You could quite easily take a little bit of time to do a little research on the best casinos and the games they offer. In fact, we have quite a few reviews of Online Slots on this website for you to take a look at. Most importantly though, know your budget to start with and stick to it.

Another thing that will help you choose, is looking at a themed slot. There is a slot for everything nowadays. Your favourite band, movie or even sport.

You could be looking at a slot with the biggest current progressive jackpot. Three things to remember though are:

1. RTP – as we mentioned before this is the Return to Player. The closer to 100% you can find.
2. The Style of the game – let’s be honest if you like the theme chances are it will increase your fun.
3. The Volatility – this relates to the size of the wins and how many times it pays out.

Finally, as with anything in life, make sure that you are playing at a reputable online gambling provider. You need to be sure that you can trust the security in place, plus the games on offer will be the best available.

A good place to start is to check out the providers listed in our Casinos dropdown menu. All these providers are regulated, are very popular and have a great reputation, plus you will find that they have heaps of generous offers for New and Current players.