Slots are one of the most popular types of casino games in the world with almost every casino, both land-based and online, offering a huge variety of slots to their players.
The development of the first modern slot machine goes all the way back to 1894 when Charles August Fey developed the first coin-operated gambling machine.
Today, slots have become so attached to the idea of casinos that it is almost impossible to imagine one without them. In this article, we’re going to take a look at modern online video slots.
How modern video slots work
The initial slots were physical devices that operated mechanically. We’ve traveled a long way since then and most online casinos today have slots that are basically online games created with software and use a random number generator (RNG) to determine the outcome of each spin.
There are a few game providers that are responsible for creating the majority of all slots available today such as Microgaming and NetEnt. The games created by any game provider are thoroughly tested and regulated so they provide a fair and transparent experience to the player.
Modern video slots also a number of different pay lines (i.e the lines in which the symbols should arrange to provide a win) with some video slots offering more than 10 different pay lines. The amount you bet on a spin is determined by the number of coins per pay line and the value of each coin.
There are also a number of bonus features available on most modern video slots that make it easy for the player to win big amounts such as free spins, wild symbols, and jackpots.
Branded video slots and jackpots
Another interesting aspect of modern video slots is the concept of branded slots where the slots are based on the characters and themes of a movie or a video game. Some of the popular branded slots include Lara Croft Template and Tombs, Rambo, Conan, Wonder Woman Gold, and more!
While creating slots based around familiar characters is one of the ways to draw people in, another feature of video slots that regularly draws people are the various jackpots offered by slots like Mega Moolah.
There are usually two major types of jackpots available on modern video slots – progressive and fixed. With progressive jackpots, the game provider adds a certain amount of each bet into the jackpot and it keeps growing while a fixed jackpot, as the name implies, offers a fixed jackpot that is ready to be busted by a lucky player!
Slots and the future
It is clear that the slots are here to stay. From the earliest days of being a huge machine to modern responsive online slots that you can play on any device, slots have stood the test of time and proven to connect with a certain aspect of human nature.
However, that doesn’t mean there is no room for innovation and we can expect the continuous development in the online casino industry to come up with more innovative ideas to keep players engaged such as VR-based slots in the future!