Online Slots: Exploring the Key Mechanics that Matter

Slot machines have been around for over a century, but it's only been in recent years, with the rise of the internet and online slots, that the masses have been able to get to grips with exactly what makes a slot tick.

It used to be that you'd sit there waiting for someone to go on a poor run at a bar before stepping in to trigger the drops. Now, online slots are wildly popular. In fact, they account for the majority of the gross gambling yield of remote gaming in the UK each year. With such an emphasis on these games, and with them being digital products now, details about how they operate, particularly to prove fairness, have been made readily available.

Before you spin your next online slot, these are the key mechanics that matter the most and that you should make a note of.

Volatility Tells You What to Expect

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For a long time, RTP was the focus for slot players. It didn't take long for these return-to-player percentages to be required to be shown with online slots, but they don't actually inform you of too much. Due to the level of competitiveness online and the strict regulations, most RTPs are over 90 per cent, and many are over 95 percent.

Owing to the sheer number of players spinning the slots at any given time, few players get to feel the RTP's impact, especially given the timeframe that RTPs can shake out over. Indeed, you want to have a slot with a high RTP, but given the industry standard, you'd struggle to find a poor RTP online slot from a licensed provider.

For a much better indication of the potential experience when playing online slots, turn to the volatility rating. Volatility, also known as variance, slides from low to medium to high. Low volatility suggests that the game will tend to pay out more often, but in lower amounts compared to higher volatility slots.

As you move along the volatility slider, the dynamic flips, with high volatility slots paying out less often, on average, but in higher amounts. It's these slots that tend to have the most high-powered features. Popular low volatility slots include Starburst and Reel King, while the top high volatility slots are 88 Fortunes and Towers of Olympus.

Do You Want to Experience the Feature?

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It's said that the first video slot was created in 1976, and that allowed for the inception of bonus features to standing machines. It was around this time, in the 1980s, that the very first dedicated bonus level emerged in the video game industry, courtesy of Carnival.

Across both sectors, it soon became clear that players very much like the format of having a base game and the potential to unlock a bonus feature and new, enhanced experiences. Just about every online slot out there has at least one special feature or bonus feature. This is another key element to review beforehand – likely via the slot's paytable.

Usually, the bonuses play without additional charge to your balance, and while that's a boost in itself, you may as well try to tap into the best bonuses. For most people, targeting the features with the greatest win potential is the best way, which is why games like Book of Dead and Big Bass Bonanza are so popular.

If you're going to hit that spin button on any online slot game, you'll want to first make sure that it has the volatility rating you're prepared to play with and features that tick the right boxes.