Real Money Online Slots
We've created the ultimate guide to the real money online slot games you'll find online. Not only will you discover the latest and greatest slots online for real money, but also top tips on the safest UK slot sites where you'll be able to enjoy them with the best bonuses!
Real money online slots are, today, more popular than ever - and virtually every online casino in the world offers a wide variety of different games to choose from. Whether you’re looking for the latest Megaways games, or classic, retro-inspired slot machines, you’ll find it all online - and on this page, we’re going to be looking at the different types of online slots that you can play, as well as some of the main bonuses and features these games contain.
There are many different types of online slots that you can play for real money. In the sections below, we’re going to look at some of the different online slots for real money that you can play at UK casinos.
Original slot machines were classic slots, sometimes referred to as traditional or reel slots. They only have a few paylines and, generally, three reels. Although the themes and graphics of these slots are typically pretty basic, playing them can still be a lot of fun. They don’t usually offer the most win potential, but some have small localised jackpots!
One of the major benefits to playing classic slots is that you can usually play for relatively small amounts of money; this suits those on lower budgets, as well as those who want to prolong their online gambling experience without risking too much money.
Progressive Jackpot Slots
Online slots that include progressive jackpots are common and offer the potential to award substantial prizes. The jackpot on these slots grows after each spin until it is won. Many progressive jackpots video slots have conventional bonuses and features as well as the main jackpot round - although it should be noted that the RTP of progressive jackpot games is usually lower, as the jackpot contribution eats into the RTP.
There’s hundreds of progressive jackpot video slots around today, but, arguably, the most famous is Microgaming’s Mega Moolah which holds the current World Record for the biggest online slot win in history!
Megaways games were developed by a game developer called Big Time Gaming. Since their creation, they’ve somewhat dominated the online gambling world - and the technology behind Megaways games has now been licensed out to tens of other software providers. Megaways games have a varying number of rows on each spin - and there aren’t any paylines, as they use a "ways-to-win" mechanic, instead.
Progressive jackpot slots that contain a jackpot that must be won by a specific date and time are known as must fall/drop slots. These slots can be found at thousands of casinos and are well-liked due to their large payouts. They were first made famous by Red Tiger Gaming, although a few other game developers have since used similar mechanics within their games.
Slingo slots offer a distinctive and thrilling gaming experience because they combine bingo and slot machines. These games, which can be found at a limited number of UK-focused casinos, are quite a lot of fun to play, and they offer something completely different from what we generally see in the online gambling market.
While there are hundreds of game developers operating in the online gambling world today, there are a few names that stick out - and below, we’re going to give you a brief summary of some of the main names in the iGaming world.
NetEnt: A renowned online casino game developer, NetEnt is known for creating high-quality and innovative video slots such as Starburst, Gonzo's Quest, and Divine Fortune. With a reputation for excellence, the company has received numerous industry awards. They’re based in Sweden, and hold online gambling licences all around the world - including in the UK and Malta.
Microgaming: Microgaming, one of the industry's earliest game developers - and the creator of the infamous “Quickfire” platform - is renowned for its vast selection of more than 600 games, which includes well-known titles like Mega Moolah, Thunderstruck, and Game of Thrones.
Play’n Go: A leading game developer, Play'n Go is known for its focus on mobile gaming and a wide range of games optimised for smartphones and tablets. Popular titles include Book of Dead, Reactoonz and Legacy of Dead.
Pragmatic Play: A fast-growing online casino game developer that offers a wide range of games, from slots like Wolf Gold and Mustang Gold, to live dealer games and progressive jackpots.
Nolimit City: Nolimit City is one of the newer contenders in the online gambling market, but they’ve enjoyed rapid success - and are famed for their highly-volatile video slots which offer players the chance to win thousands of times their stake. Popular titles include Tombstone, Deadwood, and Punk Rocker.
Elk Studios: Elk Studios used to be known for their low variance games, although in the last couple of years they’ve started pushing out titles with higher win potential. They’re known for games such as Taco Brothers Christmas, Wild Toro, and Kaiju.
Unless you’re playing very niche - or old - slots online, you’ll almost always find that there’s a wide variety of bonuses and features. These features make the video slots more engaging and entertaining, making the game more exciting for the player.
While every game is different - and each software provider likes to put their own unique spin on things - there are a few common bonuses and features that we see time and time again. Below, we’ll be taking a look at some of the most common slot features you’ll find when you play slots online.
Wild symbols are a common feature in video slots, and they usually substitute for other symbols to help you create winning paylines. They can also have special properties; for example, some games feature expanding wilds, while others apply multipliers when wins are formed using a wild symbol.
Instead of traditional paylines, some video slots use win ways where symbols payout for combinations in any direction. This can increase the chances of winning. Microgaming was one of the early adaptors in the "ways-to-win" mechanic - and this was seen in their 243-ways-to-win games like Immortal Romance and Thunderstruck II.
Almost all video slots today offer bonus rounds - although they differ greatly in terms of how they work and operate. When you manage to trigger a bonus round, you’ll usually get to play special games, or enter mini-games where you can win special extra prizes or multipliers.
Like bonus rounds, free spins can be found in a huge number of video slots. Usually triggered by landing 3, 4, or 5 of the scatter symbols anywhere in view, free spins bonuses allow you to play a video slot for a set number of spins without any money being deducted from your balance. Some video slots apply special perks during free spins bonuses, including added wilds, multipliers, and collector-based features.
Avalanche reels - also known as tumbling or cascading reels - is a popular mechanic that’s found in quite a few video slots today. When a win is formed, the symbols that helped to make up that win disappear from the screen, and new ones drop down to take their place. This process (usually) continues until no new wins are formed.
Some slot machines - generally older machines - have a special feature that allows you to “hold” or “nudge” one or more reels. This allows you to bring down symbols that will allow you to form a winning payline. UK slots in pubs, for example, often have this feature - and it’s almost always seen on fruit machines.
A “Pick a Bonus” feature - more commonly known as a "pick me bonus" - is a special type of bonus round found in certain video slots. Once triggered, players are usually transported to a special new screen where they’re tasked with picking from various objects or symbols on the screen. These picks can award several prizes, including cash amounts, multipliers - or even entry to other bonuses and features.
The return to player (RTP) - or payout percentage - is a phrase used in online gambling to indicate the amount of money that a game is expected to return to players over a given period of time. It is generally stated as a decimal or percentage and shows a game's overall fairness.
For example, a 95% payout ratio on a video slot means that for every £100 spent, £95 is expected to be returned to players in the long run.. The casino can expect to make a profit of £5. However, it’s important to remember that the payout percentage is a theoretical value determined over a lengthy period of time; it’s often calculated over billions of spins, so in the short-term, a game’s RTP can vary significantly.
As a general rule of thumb, an RTP of 95% or higher is considered acceptable; however, 96% is a slightly more comfortable region - and if you play the right games, you can even find slots with RTPs as high as 98 or 99%! Another thing to remember when you play slots online is that the RTPs are generally much higher when compared to land-based casinos; this is because land-based casinos have higher costs and need to generate more money.
The amount of risk associated with a specific slot game is referred to as variance or volatility. It is a measure of the frequency and amount of payouts that a player can expect when playing a certain game. In slots, there are three categories of variance: low, medium, and high.
Low volatility slots provide smaller, more frequent wins. These games are well-suited to players who want a steady stream of small winnings but don't want to risk a lot of money. They are also ideal for newcomers to online slots since their bonuses and features tend to trigger a lot more frequently, too.
Medium volatility slots provide a middle ground between low and high variance games. They provide a modest frequency of payouts with the possibility of bigger wins. High variance games, on the other hand, are geared towards gamblers who like risk. They can go hundreds of spins without triggering bonuses and features - but when the bonus does land, it’s usually worth considerably more money than in low and medium variance games.
However, it’s really important to realise that the variance of a game does not represent the payout percentage or RTP. Instead, it simply gives you an idea of how frequently you can expect to hit a win - and what the rough value of that win will be.