Why Play Online Slots, And Is It Safe To Play Them?
Online slots offer the opportunity to play casino games in the comfort and convenience of your own home. To answer the question of whether they are safe to play, the answer is yes. As long as the online casino you choose is properly licensed, you can be sure that it is safe to use.
Are Online Slots legal to play in UAE?
Even though it is not legal to open casinos in the UAE, most international online casinos accept players from the UAE. These sites are highly committed to player protection through responsible gaming control tools.
Also, playing slots as a UAE player is very safe due to the use of random number generators (RNG) that ensures games offer fair, unpredictable results, and can’t be rigged.
What are Online Slots, and why play them?
With the rise of mobile devices, mobile slots seemed to be the next step in casino game evolution. Online slots are essentially virtual slot machines that can be played through your phone, tablet, or computer.
The reason they are so popular is mostly convenience but also because of the sheer number of them to choose from. Not to mention, gaming developers and casinos are constantly evolving better games with more features and bonuses.
| Did you know? |
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| Slots have been around for about 140 years! |
Slots that fit your style
In order to pick the best slots to play, you will need to figure out what style of game you prefer. For example, do you prefer jackpot games or high-quality graphic masterpieces?
What to pay attention to when choosing a Slot
There are six points to pay attention to if you are looking for a slot. They are the theme, payout, risk, volatility, RTP, and betting range. You will need to know what suits you best according to each of these and narrow it down.
1. Theme
There are so many themes to choose from. Some examples to get you started are fruit, Egyptian, Irish luck, and adventure slots. There are even slots that have lore and story behind them that carry on across sequels!
2. Payouts
Payouts are winnings, which can be from symbol multipliers (eg. 50x your bet) or awards from specific game bonus features (like jackpots) . To see some of the best slot games with the highest percentages, you can look it over on our page for the best payout slots.
3. Risk
To understand the risk, you need to weigh up the RTP and volatility against your own bankroll. It’s also worth understanding that every slot is a game of chance.
4. Look out for volatility
Most slots online will have a volatility rating from low to high. Volatility basically measures how often you win and measures the payout accordingly. For example, the higher the volatility, the less chance there is to win, but if there is a win, the payout is substantially higher than low volatility games.
5. Pay attention to RTP
RTP is an abbreviation for Return To Player. This represents a percentage of the money a player can win from their bets over time. The average RTP is between 96-97%.
6. What’s your budget?
Likely, one of the most important points is that you need to evaluate is the size of your bankroll when you play for real money. This is important because players should always gamble responsibly. You can go to the Bankroll Management page if you need assistance with managing this.
| Did you know? |
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| Did you know that casinos can sometimes choose a game’s RTP, but only if a developer allows it. |
What Types Of Slots Are Out There?
There are multiple types of slots, from ones that are differentiated between theme and volatility, to titles that incorporate interesting mechanics like Megaways or Hold and Win. We’ll look over a few below.
Number of reels
For casino slots, there is a variety of reels and layouts. Some slots even expand into more reels as a bonus feature which can add excitement to the standard gameplay. To elaborate, we broke down the most common reels that are available.
- 3-Reel Slots
Three reel slots have three vertical rows and can have up to five paylines. They are usually very simplistic and have easy-to-follow gameplay.
- 5-Reel Slots
Five reel slots utilize five reels and often have a good number of game symbols in them. These types of slots can be some of the best online casino games as they leave more room for extra features.
- 7-Reel Slots
Seven-reel slot games often have intricate game features that slots with a smaller playing area can’t accommodate, such as higher symbol payouts.
Game Type
There are so many slot types to try, and there never seems to be a shortage of each. Below we break down some of the best slot game types on the market.
- Classic Slots & Fruit Machines
These are preferred by a lot of players. These slots usually have similar designs across the board, which tend to involve three reels and fruit symbols. Some of these slots do have a modern revamp so that they have cleaner graphics and gameplay, which gives players the best of both worlds.
- Video Slots
Video slots will have key markers no matter how well-designed the game is. They will each have bet settings buttons to adjust your wager, spin buttons, and various paylines available that depend on the individual game. Some will feature character or symbol animations or even cut scenes when you unlock certain features.
- 3D Slots
This type of slot is not what you think. No special 3D gear is needed at all. It is simply a game that offers 3D graphics as opposed to 2D ones. This type of slot is more for players who prefer something visually appealing.
- Progressive Jackpot Slots
A progressive jackpot will increase each time a game is played without it being won. Once it has been won, the game resets the value and repeats.
- Megaways Slots
Megaways slots are games that incorporate an extra reel, or reels. This in turn expands the playing area, offering more ways (usually around 117,649) to win.
- Cluster Slots
Cluster pays slots don’t rely on traditional paylines. Instead, they award payouts according to how many symbols are grouped together.
- Multi Payline
This type of game allows you to choose how many lines you can activate and set a coin value for each selected line.
These slots differ from others through the ability to access bonus features. Generally, they have a purchase feature on the screen for players to access things like free spins instantly.
- Hold and Win Slots
These slots use a Hold and Win mechanic to keep bonus symbols ‘stuck’ to the reels, thereby allowing more winning combinations to keep landing.
| Did you know? |
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| Players preferred to call slot machines fruit machines when they were first released, partly due to the symbols used and also because they typically paid-out fruit-flavoured gum! |
How to increase your chances of winning in slots
It’s not possible to increase your winning chances on a slot, as they are games of pure luck. However, there are ways you can better manage your bankroll and gameplay. Check out our tips:
1. Read our reviews
Reading over reviews is a great way to gain valuable intel from experts. Reviews can often go into everything you can possibly know about the game, but for our reviews specifically, you can trust that what you are reading is double-checked and factual.
2. Watch Streamers play
Another way to gather research is to watch popular streamers play, as they often provide unique tips for the game. This will also give you a good understanding of how the game is played.
3. Is there such a thing as a “slot strategy”?
There is no such thing as a slot strategy, but you are able to influence your game choice and gameplay through money management, bonus picks, volatility, and knowing the RTP.
How do slots work?
To start, you will need some understanding of how slots work. Most slots will have paylines. Paylines usually have a lineup of symbols that will award a specific payout.
Secondly, you will notice that most slots will have a wild symbol and a scatter symbol. The wild symbol generally substitutes for all symbols except the scatter and bonus symbols, which leaves an opportunity for more winning combinations. The scatter symbol generally is used for activating bonus features unique to the game.
Lastly, you will need to know the difference between a progressive jackpot and a normal jackpot. The key difference is that a progressive jackpot can increase over time with each game, while a normal jackpot has a set amount to win.
4. Practice for free!
The best part of online slots is that most will have a ‘demo game’ feature. This can provide great insight into the game and if you will enjoy it enough to play for real money.
| Did you know? |
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| Games without a demo version do significantly worse on the popularity scale than games that do. |
The Slot Providers You Should Pay Attention To
Choosing the right slot provider can be super important as each has its own unique way that it designs and develops its games.
- Pragmatic Play – Gates of Olympus
Pragmatic Play is known to be a top content provider in iGaming that offers unique Drops and Wins promotion. It offers many popular slots, one of the best being Gates of Olympus.
- Play’n GO – New Year Riches
Play’n GO has a ton of different game styles on offer, all with top-notch graphics and soundtracks. New Year Riches is a fairly recent entry into its range of festive slots.
- Microgaming – Immortal Romance
Microgaming were one of the first iGaming software developers, and the Gothic horror slot, Immortal Romance was, and still is, one of its most popular slots.
- Wazdan – Magic Spins
Wazdan may not be as well-known a provider as the others on this list, but it’s still a worthwhile developer with many popular games. Magic Spins is one such title, thanks to its jackpot feature.
Slot Glossary – Learn The Lingo
| Payline | The line you have to get matching symbols on to get a payout |
| Reels | The general layout for the slot. It can vary between three-seven reels. |
| Jackpot | A cash prize that can be won. |
| Free Spins | A number of spins given that can be played through a bonus round. |
| Wild Symbols | A symbol that can substitute for any symbol except the scatter and bonus features. |
| Scatter Symbols | They are symbols that line up to activate a bonus feature. |
| Base Game | This is the general gameplay. |
| Bonus Game | This is the activation of a bonus game that isn’t part of general play. (Free spins, etc.) |
| Autoplay | Autospins reels. |
| Multiplier | The amount your bet is increased by (e.g., 50x). |
| RTP | Return To Player. The theoretical percentage that is given back to the player over the course of multiple games |
| Volatility | The frequency of payouts and the respective amounts |
You Are Now An Expert
Now that you’ve read through this page, you can expertly navigate the online casino world. Slots and gambling can confuse new players, but luckily, the world is your oyster for gaining access to the information you need.
Make sure you research and learn everything you need to know before deciding to play any slot. Also, make sure to double-check that the online casino you use is certified and has top-of-the-line data security to ensure your info is always protected.
With these final words of advice, you can now go confidently into the world of iGaming and slots.