What are Video Slots?

Video slot machines is a term that has its origins in brick and mortar casinos, where it was used to differentiate between games with video screens and those with mechanical reels. One of the advantages of such games is that you can play quicker than you can with reels.

In practice, you’re always playing “video slot games” online because (with the exception of live casinos) no mechanical hardware is used online. Even so, it’s common for people to call virtual slots on computers or tablets/smartphones video slots.

Classic Slots vs. Video Slots

When people talk about classic slots in relation to online gambling, they’re usually referring to 3-reel or 5-reel slots with very traditional themes and mechanics. Let’s compare those with some of the things the best video slots have to offer:

Winner: VIDEO SLOTS!

Classic slots appeal to certain types of players, especially those who like their gambling straightforward and traditional, but we think that most players will prefer the beautiful visuals and exciting innovations that real money video slots offers.

Different Types of Slot Games

Despite the fact that there are countless different online slots out there, most do group together to a certain extent. It’s useful to have an understanding of how these types of slots vary because it can help you figure out what you’ll enjoy playing the most.

1. Classic slots (3 Reel & 5 Reel):

   Think of these as “no frills” slots, with a straightforward payline structure and a simple bonus round - if they have a bonus round at all! They most resemble the old one-armed bandits from which slot machines developed.

2. Megaways slots:

   This type of slot offers a huge – up to 117,649, to be precise – number of ways to win instead of the set number of paylines offered by most slots. They’re all produced by Big Time Gaming, with various themes available.

3. MegaSpin slots:

   Another set of games with a Mega-prefix, titles in the MegaSpin range are a bit different in that they allow players to spin several sets of reels at once. This offers an interesting way to chase bonus rounds and jackpots that feels quite different to most video slot games online.

4. Mobile slots:

   Rather than taking one set form, mobile slots come in all shapes and sizes. Progressive, multi-payline, real money slots and video slots are all, for example, available for use on smartphones and tablets.

5. Multi-payline slots:

   In 2021, the vast majority of video slots fall under the heading of multi-payline slots. Originally, 3-reel slots had a single payline through the center of the reels but most modern games have tens, hundreds or even thousands of paylines.

6. Progressive slots:

   Jackpot slots are also known as progressive slots. The main way in which this type of slot differs from typical video slots is that it starts with a base jackpot then adds a small percentage of every bet made on the game to it. The resulting jackpots can grow very large and are triggered randomly. It’s worth noting that you can’t play these as free video slots and you must use real money to access them.

7. Vegas slots:

   When most people think of slots, they think of Vegas slots. As a result, it’s common for casino software providers to use those Vegas staples, (think diamonds, dollars and neon!) as the theming in their games.

Learn how to play slots or about the different types of slots in our comprehensive slots guide.

How We Rate Our Online Casinos

Whether we’re writing a video slots review or checking out classic table games, there’s a range of things we look for at real money casinos. If they do not live up to our expectations, we don’t recommend them to our users. A few aspects include:

Security

The first, and most important, thing we check is that a site is safe and secure. From licenses and regulation through to SSL protection and other safeguards, we only deal with casinos that are 100% legitimate.

Games

A safe site is all well and good but, unless there are a range of games to enjoy, there isn’t much point in signing up. We look at the software offering(s) used by casinos we review, making sure they offer a wide variety of games to cater for all users.

Exclusive Bonuses

Almost all casinos offer some form of welcome bonus, so we try to differentiate between them by looking at the added value each promotion can offer players. Ideally, sites will also offer other casino bonuses such as reload promos, no deposit bonuses or free spins.

Jackpot Alerts

One of the big tradeoffs of playing online slots is that their high house edge also means high jackpots. If a casino only offers games that have low jackpots, we won’t be that impressed. The more big jackpots a casino has paid out, the better! Check out the list of the best payout casinos here.

High RTP

Regulation around minimum RTP (Return to Player) percentages is less strict online than offline. You may want to take your chances with lower RTP games sometimes, but we make sure that there are games of all types available.

Support

In an ideal world you’ll rarely, or perhaps even never, need to contact a casino support team. However, it’s good to know that there’s an effective and efficient team waiting for your email or instant message if you do run into any issues.