Online slots have been present for a few decades now, with the first online slot game launching in 1996 by Microgaming. The online gambling industry picked up a bad reputation in the early days, with no regulation to enforce a safe experience. After many years, it’s now safe to play slot games on any UK licensed slot game operator. Playing online slots may be a case of hitting a button and hoping for the best, but there is plenty to know about. Slot sites have come leaps and bounds since the nineties, with new technology, regulation, and more. Let’s run through some tips to help you get the most out of your slot play.
Promotions and Bonuses
Most slot sites will offer promotions to get your balance boosted through a match bonus. There’s much to know about free spin promotions and bonuses and you’ll be surprised just how many there are to choose from. You should always take a look at the terms and conditions attached to any offer. Some of the terms to take notice of are the wagering requirements, the max win amount, and the expiry date. What’s more, some promotions cannot be claimed using certain payment options. These are usually eWallets such as Neteller and Skrill. Slot sites sometimes restrict these methods because there are high transaction fees that get charged to the operator.
Terms and Conditions
Slot sites apply terms and conditions to bonus offers to protect the slot site from abuse. These terms are designed to level the playing ground and make it more challenging for players to cash out their bonus winnings right away. Here are some of the terms you should be looking at when claiming a slots bonus.
Wagering requirements
The wagering requirement is the amount you need to wager before any bonus funds turn into real withdrawable cash. The industry standard for wagering requirements is around 35 times the bonus amount. If you have a bonus of £100 with a 35x wagering requirement, you will need to wager a total of £3,500 before the bonus funds can be cashed out. You should shop around slot sites and pick one that offers fair wagering requirements for its bonus offers.
Max bet amount
This is the maximum bet amount that you can place that will contribute towards the wagering requirements. Generally, most slot sites have a max bet amount of around £5.
Max win amount
The maximum win amount is the max amount you can cash out from a free spins bonus. This term is on most free spin offers, to prevent players from cashing out huge profits from not risking anything or a small amount. For example, if the slot site serves you 20 no deposit free spins and you land a huge win, it will be significantly out of pocket.
The RTP (Return to Player)
All slot games have an RTP (return to player) percentage. This shows how much the house edge is, if a slot game has a 96% RTP, then the house edge is 4%. In theory, this means that if you wager £100 on a slot, over the long term, the random number generator should give out £96 in payouts. This is of course an average and not something to be expected every time you wager £100. Some slot games have a better RTP than others, so it’s always worth picking a game with a decent RTP and giving yourself a better chance of picking up some wins.
Fair Play
All games hosted on a UK licensed slot site must go through several stages of testing to ensure all payouts are fair and above board. Many slots operators will partner up with a third-party auditing service to further enforce fair gaming. These auditing services include eCOGRA and iTechLabs, you can find their stamp of approval on the footer of the slot site.
Licencing and Regulation
There are many different gaming licences, some with better regulation than others. You should only play casino games on sites that are fully regulated by the Gambling Commission of Great Britain. The UKGC is a highly reputable regulatory authority that enforces strict standards to make sure operators provide a safe and fair gaming experience. All UK licensed slot sites must be members of GamStop – a responsible gambling tool that allows at-risk users to self-exclude from every other UK licensed slot site at the click of a button. Unregulated slot sites do not have to abide by such rules and therefore can be unsafe. These slot sites are not on GamStop and can be unethical when it comes to responsible gaming. They do not have to provide safe gambling measures, and many choose not to.
Play for Free
Most slot sites allow you to play their slots in demo mode, so you don’t have to risk any of your real money funds to experience the game. This is a great way to get to grips with the slot before playing with real money. The free play mode gives you the same experience as the real money mode. This also gives you the opportunity to learn about the pay tables, the bonus extras, and other in-game features such as multipliers and wilds. The only difference is that the demo mode uses test funds. It’s always worth checking out a new slot in demo mode to see if it suits your mood.
Hot and Cold Slots
You will find that some slot sites have a ‘Hot’ and ‘Cold’ games section. This is a relatively new addition to the online gaming space. The ‘Hot’ games mean the slots are paying out a lot, while the ‘Cold’ games are those that have not been paying out as much. You just need to decide if you want to play slots that are on a hot streak or games that are due one soon.
Final Thoughts
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Remember, playing online slot games should be a fun pastime and never a way to make an income. Always keep your gameplay casual, and make use of the responsible gambling tools made available to you wherever you choose to play.
