Comets Wimming and online Pokies are a golden combination. From Megaways slots and cluster pays slots to fruit slots and progressive jackpot slots: we devour them all.
And what a wonderful time it is for the Pokies lover, after all, new online slots come out every day. Read here how online slot machines work and how to find the best slots with free spins and other great bonus features!
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In England it is called a ‘fruit machine’, in Australia they say ‘pokies’ and in Scotland they call it a ‘puggy’. It all comes down to the same thing: slots and slot machines.
We ourselves find the nickname the one-armed bandit or ‘one-armed bandit ' very appropriate and tough. The ' arm ' is the lever that old slots had. You had to pull that lever to spin the reels. The word ‘bandid ' refers to the fact that this machine robs you of your money like a bandit.
In the online casinos they are mostly called online slots / pokies.
The origins of slots lie in the 19th century. At that time it was a poker machine with which free drinks and cigars could be won. This distributed tokens or receipts with which the prize could be collected at the bar.
In history, Charles Fey is often seen as the inventor of the first real slot machine. Unlike the poker machines, Fey's machine could, Liberty Bell they pay their own (cash) prizes.
At the beginning of the 20th century, gamble however, it was banned in the United States and the era of the slot machine began. The symbols on the reels of these cabinets were different images of fruits and if you got three in a row, the machine paid you out in gum and other sweets.
In the decades that followed, slot machines developed mechanically, of course, but the concept has remained largely the same.
In 1976, the first video slot was developed. A company called Fortune Coin from Las Vegas, used a custom Sony tv as a display. This video slot was available in the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel and became incredibly popular.
The next major milestone in the history of slots does not occur until 20 years later, in 1996. Software providers WMS (Williams) Interactive comes with the first official video slot with a bonus round on a second screen. As a result, the popularity of these video slots grew enormously.
The emergence of the internet in the mid-90s triggered the development of the first online casinos. In the beginning, only the classic casino games, such as roulette and blackjack were available here, but it wasn't long before online slots were also added.
As with land-based casinos, the slots online quickly became more popular than traditional casino games and slowly but surely began to overpower the gaming offer online.
In the beginning, the style of the online slots remained similar to that of their land-based counterparts, with the same limited number of reels and the same symbols. Soon the casino software developers discovered that the possibilities online were endless and new, original online slots came onto the market with interesting themes, unique game mechanics and separate layouts.
On this page you will find an overview of modern online slots and find out exactly how they work.
We test online slots from all software providers. Both the big ones (NetEnt, Play'n GO, Nolimit City, Big Time Gaming and Relax Gaming) are covered, but also small studios such as Wazdan, Thunderkick, Stakelogic and Amatic.
In our expert online casino slot reviews we cover important issues such as the theme, the bonus features and the payout percentage.
Of course, we also answer the two most important questions: is the slot a bit fun, and can you also win big money on it?
In the slots filter below you can search for:
In the early days of online casino slots, there was only a handful of software providers that made the games for all online casinos. Over the past 10 years, many studios have been added.
When we review an online slot, we always look first at who the developer is. That's important. Certain providers have certain styles. So we know what to expect when we see who created an online slot.
At online casino reviews we also look at the providers of the games in that casino. If a reputable game maker has delivered their slots to a particular casino, then that is a sign of trust. This in turn benefits the reputation of the casino.
For you as a player, this is beneficial because you can trust that all slots are fair and can take a gamble with peace of mind.
Below is a brief description of the slots from the best online casino providers.
The online slots of the Swedish game maker Yggdrasil are of an extremely high quality. They always look fantastic and are groundbreaking in terms of visual design and gaming experience.
In addition, Yggdrasil slots often contain unique, innovative bonus features that are perfectly integrated with the theme and the rest of the design.
Yggdrasil is really a rock in coming up with bonus features and now have a nice collection available such as Gigablox, MultiMAX and DoubleMAX.
Also not unimportant: there is almost always the potential to win a lot of money with the online slots of Yggdrasil.
Software developer Pragmatic Play has impressed from the start with their online slots with beautiful artwork, smooth gameplay, original themes and unique bonus rounds.
This Maltese company is not only qualitatively very strong, also quantitatively they can do some of it. New slots of them come on the market every month. Their game offer now reaches well over 150 games while they have only been working since 2015.
On slots from Pragmatic Play you can expect a high RTP. So there is still plenty to win.
This Austrian developer is an established name in both the land-based and online casino industry. Novomatic was founded in 1980. At that time, they made land-based cabinets called " Admiral Gaming Machines."
Since 2010, with subsidiary Greentube, they also make online slots. Novomatic's online games have a classic look and traditional design reminiscent of the most popular cabinets in Las Vegas casinos.
The slots from Novomatic often offer big jackpots that can run into the many millions for which you can play even for low bets. That makes them incredibly popular.
Novomatic is the mastermind behind The Book of Ra slot that served as inspiration for more than a thousand other slots which in turn resulted in the emergence of a very own genre called ‘Book of slots’. There are now countless Book of Ra clones to be found on the internet
This Swedish locksmith is without a doubt one of the most successful providers in the world. NetEnt has a whole range of top slots to their name that have been on the lists of most played titles for years.
Starburst, Twin Spin, Gonzo's Quest and Mega Fortune are just a few examples of NetEnt slots that have been at the top for years.
Super nice graphics are combined with very immersive gameplay and mixed with some nice bonus features in NetEnt's recipe for success.
Netent slots are known to average pay out much better than other online slots and on most games this is combined with a medium to low variance so you can expect more frequent, smaller payouts.
In the online casinos you will find different types of online slots. Read below what you can expect when you go online gambling in a slot casino.
Slot machines are online slots with a classic appearance that resemble the slot machines as you also find them in catering establishments.
On the 3 rolls of fruit machines not surprisingly, fruit. Symbols are: watermelon, cherries, grapes, lemons, oranges. In addition, there are stars, Bubbles, BAR symbols and ‘lucky sevens’ on the reels that have nothing to do with fruit.
Online slot machines are quite basic compared to modern video slots. That means they have (almost) no special features or bonus rounds like free spins. The number of paylines also often does not exceed 10.
In a video slot, whether online or in a land-based casino, the mechanical reels have given way to a video screen driven by a computer-controlled algorithm.
You can still see ‘reels’ spinning on most online slots, but this is all computer-animated.
The digital video slot opens up a range of possibilities for software providers. After all, there are no more restrictions in terms of design. Especially in the last few years we have therefore seen a huge trend in game makers who deviate from the traditional 5 reels with 3 rows and experiment with a lot of paylines and different mechanics.
For example , there are now the Megaways, Infinity Reels and Cluster Pays online slots. More on this later!
Another important feature of video slots is the bonus features. Each game has at least 1 but usually more. This can be a free spins round or a separate bonus game in which you can win instant cash prizes, for example.
One progressive jackpot slot is an online slot that is connected to a network of slots with one central jackpot.
With each spin, part of the bet is put into the pot. As a result, the progressive jackpot grows extremely fast (after all, thousands of players around the world play with it) and huge jackpots of millions of dollars can be created.
Hall of Fame, Mega Moolah and Mega Fortune are examples of such progressive jackpot slots.
By playing online slots for real money, you have a chance to win real money. The prizes can be high, for example due to progressive jackpots.
It is of course important that you always take care when you go online gambling for Real Money . Only bet money on slots if you can afford it are you short on cash and can't deposit money? Then playing free slots is also fun.
At many of the recommended online casinos you can play free online slots in the’demo ‘mode. Not only the latest online slots are free to play, but also the most popular titles and classic slots.
It's the perfect way to try the online slots for free before playing them for Real Money. This way you get to know the symbols and bonus features and know what it takes to win the main prize.
Always the best and latest slot reviews from all major providers:
Slots are by far the most popular game in every (online) casino. More popular than all other casino games and not without reason.
As you could read above, (online) slots have a lot of pluses and there are a lot of reasons to play them. They are therefore, even compared to other online casino games, by far the most popular.
But what are the advantages of playing online slots? Isn't a day at the Royal Vegas Casino pressing the spin button a lot more fun?
We can be brief about that: no. A day at the Royal Vegas Casino playing slots is also fun but playing online is more fun. In addition, playing online slots has a number of advantages over their physical counterparts.
First, of course, there is the payout percentage. That is much higher with online slots than with land-based slot machines. In addition, the offer online is much larger than in a physical casino and there is therefore much more to choose from. In an online casino, you will always find a slot that appeals to you.
Above all, of course, there is the convenience of playing online. You can log in online whenever and wherever you want and play the best slots online. You don't have to get up and you don't have to leave the dNZD. But even if you have to leave the dNZD, you can play all your favorite online games even on the go.
Playing online slots couldn't be simpler. All you have to do is determine your bet and possibly how many paylines you want to play on. After that, it's a matter of pressing the ‘spin’ button and going.
Don't want to keep pushing? Then there is an autoplay feature that can automatically spin up to 100 spins for you.
You also have the opportunity to win big prizes, especially if you prefer progressive jackpot slots.
The entertainment offered in online slot comes from a great balance between a rock-solid design, a fascinating game mechanics and a combination of exciting bonus features that keep you on the edge of your seat. A good slot will make you think every round: “would I Spin 5 high value symbols this time?”
Most slots have 3 or more reels, also known as ‘reels’. These all contain a certain number of symbols with which you have to make a winning combination on a so-called Payline.
The actual in-game mechanics of online slots are determined by sophisticated computer programs known as RNGs. these random number generators generate results immediately for each spin.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Do you know what else is involved in online slots? Then read on soon.
The Random Number Generator is the heart of all slots, both online and offline. In essence, the RNG chooses a number again and independently with each spin. This number corresponds to a certain payout.
Based on the payout, online slots determine what they show on the screen (and not the other way around!). The RNG has no memory and therefore does not know whether a player has already won or lost a lot. So he cannot take that into account! So you never know in advance when a slot machine pays out .
The payout percentage shows what a slot pays out on average compared to what is deposited. In online slots, this is usually displayed as ‘ Return to Player (RTP) ’.
This percentage varies per game and is measured over millions of (virtual) spins. How higher the payout percentage of a slot, the better for the player.
Online, the payout percentage is roughly around 95% -98%. In the physical casinos, that percentage is a lot lower, because they have much more overhead costs (rent, personnel, energy). For example, the RTPS of Royal Vegas Casino slot games are between 88% and 92%.
Simple! Most slots providers make no secret of this. You can find the RTP simply in the game explanation of the slot.
Progressive jackpot slots almost always have a lower payout percentage than 'regular' online slots. Because players on progressive games mainly act on the big jackpot, they take it for gZodiaced that they get paid a little less on the smaller prizes. In addition, a fixed percentage of the deposit goes to the progressive jackpot, which in turn “eats” the payouts in the regular game.
Wondering which online slots have a high RTP? Below we list some very popular online titles with a high RTP for you.
For your chances of winning on a particular slot, the variance plays a big role. The variance is an important indicator of the risks in online slots.
A slot with a high variance will give a lot of small payouts and a few extremely high payouts, but few in between. These slots are notorious for their all-or-nothing gameplay.
Sometimes it takes forever before a big prize falls, but when it does....then he falls well too. Examples of popular online slots with high volatility are Dead or Alive (Netent), Bonanza (Big Time Gaming) and Raging Rhino (WMS).
If you prefer to do a little longer with your money, look for slots online that do relatively many medium payouts. You may not get mega payouts here, but you will be able to play longer with your money.
Examples of slots with medium volatility are: Halloween Jack (Netent) and Hugo's Adventure (Play'n GO) .
The actual playing of online slots is very simple and does not require much preparation. As a beginner, it doesn't hurt to prepare for what's to come.
Read below what you should pay attention to if you are going to start playing slots.
Before you spin the reels, use the bet button to decide what you want to bet per line played. This can range from $ 0.01 to $ 10 or even more per combination. Unlike offline casinos, the payout percentage does not change if you bet more heavily.
To calculate your total bet, multiply the amount you set per line by the number of paylines the slot offers.
Fortunately, the most modern slots often offer the option to set the total bet per spin. We find that easier.
Each slot has a max bet button, which is usually located next to the” spin " button. Beware of that. If you, accidentally or not, press this button, you will automatically play for the highest possible bet.
Regardless of which mechanic or theme is used in the online slot of your choice, you will find symbols on the reels of each slot. This is what it's all about, literally and figuratively.
Physical slots often have 20 symbols per reel, while online slots can contain up to 256 different symbols per reel. This means that there are millions of possible combinations of slot symbols that can appear in one spin.
There are different types of symbols, regular symbols and special symbols. We explain the most important ones to you below.
These are all the 'regular' symbols that you will find on the paytable. To win money, you need to spin some of these symbols on the reels. How many symbols and in what order they appear affects your prize.
There is often a combination of low paying symbols and higher paying symbols. The lower paying symbols are simple things like card symbols (Ace, Lord, Queen, Jack and 10) while the higher paying symbols are often images related to the theme.
Scattered symbols (also called: scatters) play an important role in slots online. Scatters do not have to fall on a certain Payline to give a payout. In other words: it doesn't matter where they fall, as long as they fall. Often the bonus games are triggered by spinning 3 or more scatter symbols.
Wilds are becoming increasingly popular. This symbol counts for every regular symbol and can therefore make a combination winning. In most online slots, the Wild cannot substitute for special symbols, such as the scatter.
A multiplier is often linked to a wild but can also appear as a separate symbol on the reels. He multiplies the payout of a winning combination by a certain factor. Sometimes there are even higher multipliers in the bonus game.
Sticky Wild symbols are common in bonuses with free spins. The bottom line is that the symbol remains sticky for a number (or all) of the spins.
With the right amount of Sticky Wilds, a bonus can pay out particularly well. Examples of online slots with Sticky Wilds are Bier Haus (WMS) and Dead or Alive (Netent).
We speak of stacked symbols when multiple SAME symbols placed on top of each other (stacked) appear on the reels. This can create even more combinations and thus even bigger payouts.
A well-known slot with stacked symbols is Fire Queen (WMS) .
In the beginning... slots had 3 reels and only one Payline left. Only if you spun 3 matching symbols on a horizontal line, you won a prize.
Today, that is no longer the case and you can win in many different ways. Paylines are not only more horizontal but can have a large number of shapes, from clusters to zigzag or trapezoid. Moreover, they have long ceased to fall not only from left to right, but also often from right to left.
In addition, Online slots are no longer limited to 3 reels and 3 rows and all sorts of possible game mechanics have been devised to spin the reels and drop the symbols. Read below what innovative online game mechanics are available.
A Payline, also known as a bet line or winning line, is a combination of symbols that results in a win on a slot machine.
Each online slot has a number of paylines. The number of paylines varies greatly: there are those with 5 paylines and there are games with more than 200,000 paylines. However, most online slots offer between 10 and 30 paylines. If the number of paylines exceeds 50, they are usually called ‘ways to win’.
Sometimes you can choose the number of lines you want to play (also called variable paylines) and sometimes they are fixed. The information about which and how many paylines there are can be found in the paytable and/or game explanation of your slot machine.
Knowing how to select paylines in variable Payline slots is important. After all, the more paylines you choose, the higher your total bet will be. So make sure you always keep an eye on the total bet per spin to stay within your budget.
A special arrangement is that of the 243 ways to win. In this variant, all symbols are scattered from left to right. With an arrangement of 5 reels with three symbols per reel, 3x3x3x3x3=243 possible combinations are available, i.e. paylines.
The Megaways mechanics were invented by software provider Big Time Gaming (BTG).
Online slots that run on this mechanism have large playing fields with 6 reels. The number of symbols per reel changes per spin. Sometimes a reel contains 2 symbols, sometimes 8. There are no fixed paylines, 3 or more of the same symbols on adjacent reels are already enough for a winning combination.
This creates a huge number of ways to win. Depending on the slot, there can be up to 117,649 or even 248,832 ways to win.
The Megaways are often combined with so-called’ cascading wins ' where the winning combinations disappear from the reels to make way for new symbols that appear on their bNZDt to make winning combinations again. This can cause a chain reaction to winning combinations.
Megaways slots are therefore particularly popular because of the fact that you can win gigantic amounts with low bets.
Since 2018, it is possible for other software providers to release Megaways games under license from BTG. This has been eagerly used and so you can also play Megaways slots at iSoftbet, Netent, Pragmatic Play, Microgaming, Fantasma Games, Red Tiger Gaming, Blueprint Gaming, WMS (Scientific Games) and Relax Gaming.
Which software provider is exactly vezodiacresponsible for the invention of the Cluster Pays slots , that's unclear. It doesn't matter. Cluster Pays are really fun!
This game mechanics is not based on traditional reels spinning. Instead, these types of slots are played on a grid-shaped playing field where winning combinations are not formed by paylines but by contiguous clusters of the same symbols. The larger the cluster, the higher the payout.
Also cluster pays slots often come with cascading wins so you can make whole series of winning clusters in a row.
The Infinity Reels mechanics always add reels to the playing field, so your chances of winning are unlimited. You start with a basic number of rolls, for example 3. If you make a winning combination, an additional roll is added to it.
The new reel spins to see if it can also add another symbol to the winning combination. This can go on for so long.
The higher the number of reels, the greater the possibility of forming winning combinations and the higher the prize.
The bonus game is indispensable in online slots. It appears as a rule when there Falls certain combination (often scattered) symbols.
The bonus game always consists of one or more separate games and can often provide much higher payouts than are possible in the basic game.
Also, Bonus games are often very inventive and entertaining. These two important factors make bonus rounds very much in demand.
In some games you can win the game again within the bonus game. This is called a re-trigger. There are several slots bonus games available that we list for you below.
There are dozens of different types of bonus rounds. Most are a variant (or a combination) of the species listed below.
Bonus Buy Slots are online slots where, by paying a certain amount, you get direct access to the bonus round.
That's convenient because you don't have to wait until the bonus game is triggered. In addition, the bonus round that is activated via the bonus buy often offers a higher payout percentage.
It is also dangerous because it is not cheap to buy the bonus. This will cost you on average between 20x and 1,000 x your bet. That means that you have to earn that amount back in the bonus game in order to play even. If you do not succeed, you will end up with a lot of loss and that can be very frustrating.
Use the bonus buy feature in moderation!
Now that you know how online slots work and what types there are, you can of course not wait to start playing. But which one should you start playing with? The offer is so huge! The titles below are the most popular slots in the world, with millions of fans. Try these great titles and who knows, you might be one of them soon.
This has been the absolute number 1 when it comes to most played online slots in the world for years. Starburst is a very simple game made by NetEnt. It has only 10 paylines and a simple (yet effective) bonus game.
The space theme is well executed yet not exceptionally spectacular. Yet millions of people find their way to this retro online slot machine every day. The big attraction is the low variance that makes the bonus rounds extremely frequent. And while it doesn't always make money, it does provide a healthy dose of excitement.
The extreme popularity level of Gonzo's Quest , also from NetEnt, lifts this online slot almost to a cult status.
This is also an absolute Comets Wimming favorite and offers the perfect mix of entertainment, excitement and the opportunity to win a lot of money.
The theme of this slot revolves around Gonzo a Spanish explorer who is looking for the gold of Eldorado. Gonzo stands next to the playing field to put your heart under the belt or to celebrate a winning combination with his best Michael Captain Jackon imitation.
The symbols appear already falling on the reels and after each win you get a cascade in which winning symbols give way to new symbols. This can create new winning combinations. Also, the multiplier shoots up a step to a maximum of 5x.
It creates extra tension since you never know exactly how long the chain reaction with winning combination will continue.
In the Sweet Bonanza slot Pragmatic Play combines a bonus buy feature, scatter pays and mystery multipliers. It delivers an ant-sweet and highly entertaining slot that offers fast-paced gameplay and is full of surprises. In addition, you can win up to 21,100 x your bet.
Winning combinations are formed in Sweet Bonanza by forming clusters of the juicy fruits and sweet candies on the 6 x 5 playing field. There can be up to 30 SAME symbols in a cluster.
The symbols from winning clusters disappear to make room for new symbols so that you can make multiple winning combinations in a bNZDt.
The Swedish slots developer Play'n GO developed this online slot in 2016. It is an outright copy of Novomatics Book of Ra slot but pursued the success of the original far beyond. That's because the design and game options that Play'n GO added to Book of Dead just be stronger.
The theme is loosely based on Indiana Jones. The tough Explorer Rich Wilde travels to Egypt to discover the indigenous treasures.
The Book of Dead slot machine has a high variance which means that you win very large amounts, but your balance can also deteriorate very hard. The big wins are in the bonus round where a special expanding symbol helps you make multiple winning combinations.
This is the second Pragmatic Play slot machine in this list and like Sweet Bonanza, this slot is also not based on spinning reels and paylines. However, it is also not a cluster pays slot.
In Gates of Olympus winning combinations are formed by 8 or more SAME symbols on the 6×5 playing field. It does not matter where they fall and whether they are contiguous or not. Winning symbols also disappear here to make way for new symbols and hopefully new wins.
During the free spins you benefit from a progressive multiplier. This means that the multiplier increases by 1x with every winning combination during the entire free spins.
It's a great online slot to play, the only regret we find is that Pragmatic Play has given it a paltry 5,000 x your bet as a maximum win.
Online slots are video slots that you can play at an online casino. These types of online slot machines come in many varieties: from the old-fashioned fruit machines and slots that you also play in the casinos of Las Vegas and Royal Vegas Casino to Megaways slots, with hundreds of thousands of ways to win. Something for everyone!
There are thousands of online slots and there are a lot of particularly good titles among them. If we were to compile a top 5 of the most famous online slots, we would say: Starburst, Book of Dead, Gonzo's Quest, Sweet Bonanza and Gates of Olympus.
Although land based slots and online slots do not differ much from each other at first glance, there are important differences.
For example, online slots are never occupied, pay out significantly more on average and often have a higher variance. A slot with a high variance can pay out huge prizes, sometimes more than 100,000 x the bet. That a land based Slot Machine (excluding jackpot slots) will never pay out. In a brick and mortar casino, the focus is much more on entertainment and many bonus features.
The main slot providers are: Relax Gaming, NetEnt, Play'n GO, Microgaming, Nolimit City, Pragmatic Play and Big Time Gaming.
Online slots pay out on average around 96.50%. This has been measured over tens of millions of test spins. Results in the short term can vary considerably, both upwards and downwards.
How much you can win on online slots varies. There are slots online where you can win up to 100 times your bet and there are slots that have a maximum win of over 150,000 x the total bet. And that's not even to mention the millions of wins to be had on progressive jackpot slots, such as Mega Moolah and Mega Fortune Dreams.
To be able to determine what the best online slots are, you need to have played a lot on slots. Different players prefer different factors, but usually the choice is influenced by the RTP, the variance of the game and most players also have a favorite software provider.
Course. If you play online slots for real money, you can also win real money. It all comes down to luck, so we'd rather win than ‘earn’. If you play for real money, make sure you play at a reliable online casino so that your money is safe.
Online slots that are developed by certified software providers cannot be manipulated. They are regularly checked by external testing agencies. The same goes for all slots offered at reliable online casinos.
Okay. Every reputable casino offers players the opportunity to play free slots. This means that you don't need to deposit any money to get started, you can just enjoy the game for fun. Playing free online slots is a great way to get an idea of the game before playing with Real Money.
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