Like many South Africans, we love to have a spin at our favourite online casino now and again, and like everybody else, we also like to know that the casinos we are playing at can be trusted.
Well, as a group of local online slots fans, we decided to create this review website where we could share our list of the best and most trustworthy places to deposit some of our hard-earned cash into and know that if we did win some money, the casino would pay us.
Featured Online Casinos
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- Sign up bonus 100% up to R4,000 The Welcome Bonus is open to new customers who are aged 18 and over. Once you have made your first qualifying deposit, please accept or decline your bonus in the pop-up notification window before playing the casino games. Your Welcome Bonus will then be credited to your account immediately.Play Now!
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
This is where we answer frequently asked questions with regard to online slots and online casinos. If you have a question that you would like us to answer then please send them to us by using our contact form.
- Where can I play free casino slots?
- How to win at slot machines in South Africa?
Slots Guide – Everything You Need to Know About Online Casino Slots
Since the advent of the slot machine in 1891, this device has grabbed the attention of so many people around the world which has led them to be sitting in front of a slot machine chasing their next victory.
There is something about slot machines that makes it almost irresistible to gamblers on a global scale and online slots are no exception. Perhaps it is the elusive jackpot or the fact that the experience is rooted in three simple factors. The physiological, emotional, and physical rewards that playing on a slot and winning can bring to the masses.
In this guide, we will be sharing everything that there is to know about online slots. Even beginners would do well to know a little history of the machine that managed to turn into a genre.
We’ll show you the different kinds of online slots that are available on the market today, explain terminology, and help you get comfortable with a game that you’ll likely be playing for the rest of your days.
The History of the Slot Machine
The first-ever slot machine was invented in the year 1891. Sittman and Pitt from Brooklyn came up with a plan to invent a machine that would take a total of fifty cards and five drums to entertain people. Two cards would be removed from the total to account for a house edge.
Like the slot machines we are all familiar with today, players would insert a coin and pull the arm to set the drums in motion. At the time, machines could not give players any money back due to the numerous ways to win. To reward winners, the establishment that housed the machine would give the players a free drink or cigarette, etc.
This first design was extremely complicated so Charles August Fey, a Bavarian-born mechanic from the humble state of California designed a better machine with a simpler way to play. Charles’ variation of the game was designed with three reels and a total of five symbols. Due to the simplicity of the new design, pay-outs then become a possibility.
Fey designed the liberty bell, an incredibly famous slot, which is situated in a restaurant in Nevada today. The game was played by inserting a coin, pulling the lever and the reels would spin automatically. When the symbols were aligned players would be awarded a pay-out of 50 cents. Sadly, Charles could not patent his invention during this time as gambling was still illegal and once news of his invention had spread, it created a lot of competition for him.
Slot machines were banned by the American Government in 1902. To protect the invention and keep the game alive, Charles changed the symbols from cards to fruit. Therefore, some people, especially in the UK, dubbed the game “fruit machine” or “pieces of candy”. When the machine landed on three of the same symbols that were the same, regardless of what they were, they would win and be awarded a prize.
Of course, there were no prizes of monetary value involved at this point due to the continued ban, but players were still treated to a reward, compliments of the establishment. History had now repeated itself. In this way, the machine, and the progress it had made, managed to still be popular even though the ban was ongoing.
Once the ban was lifted, the first electromechanical slot game called “Money Honey” was designed by Bally and was the first machine to be able to pay out 500 coins independently of an operator. A company named Fortune Coin Co. took it one step further and developed the first-ever video slot machine in 1976.
This machine had to go through modifications before the Nevada State Gaming Commission approved it. The evolution that slot machines have gone through is intriguing with many hands involved.
How Online Slots Work
Now that we have covered a condensed history of slots, let’s take a look at how online slots actually work.
The basic concept of slots has not changed all that much but now we have far more special symbols and variations to choose from. There is not much difference in how slots work.
Step One: Decide on a bet
The first step you need to take when playing an online slot is to decide on how much you are willing to bet.
Each game has a min and maximum bet that you should be aware of. Placing the minimum bet will allow you to spin the reels more often but will not result in big wins whereas placing the max bet will decrease the number of spins you have but guarantee a bigger pay-out if you get lucky.
Step Two: Activate Paylines
The second step to placing your bet is to activate your desired number of paylines.
One of the amazing changes that slots have undergone in the last couple of years is offering players an increased number of paylines. If you are playing a traditional title you might have between 1-3 paylines. If you’re playing a more modern title you could have up to 830 paylines going on all directions.
The more paylines you activate, the more lines you’re betting on which means that even a small bet size with a high number of paylines could do some damage to your bankroll. The upside is that your pay-out would end up being bigger as well. This is a real catch-22 if you’re not sure how to bet yet.
We suggest going with the minimum bet and a low number of paylines, to begin with. Once you’ve decided, it’s time for step three
Step Three: Spin the Reels
Once you’re satisfied with the bet you’ve placed you should spin the reels.
Online slots come with great features like auto-spin where you can place a bet once and have the reels’ spin without interruption for as many spins as you choose. If you’d prefer not to venture on that path just yet, then you can spin the reels just once and hope you get lucky!
Types of Online Slots
The classic one-armed bandit has come such a long way. Here are the variations of online slots that players can choose from today.
Multi-payline
Multi-payline slots have been given this name because of the multiple paylines that it offers to players.
The traditional slot only offered one payline but these days you can find online slots with up to 50 paylines that go diagonally, up, down, zigzag, and almost any other direction you can think of.
3 Reel
Also known as the classic slot, this online slot is theme-based and is designed in the likeness of the classic one-armed bandit with one payline and no special features-aside from the nostalgia!
Progressive Slots
This is by far one of the most popular online slots right now.
A progressive slot game is played on a network of other similar slot games where a percentage of every player’s bet is taken to create one huge jackpot that everyone is hoping to win. Players who manage to hit a progressive jackpot can be awarded a life changing amount of money.
Mobile Slots
These slot games are specifically designed to be played on mobile devices such as tablets, smartphones, etc.
Multiplier Slots
These slots are characterized by the multiplier feature that is built into each game of this genre.
It allows players to multiply their prize money by a designated number. A win can be multiplied up to 100 times. If you’re keen on trying this feature, ensure that the title you’ve chosen offers it as many, but not all, slots do.
5 Reels
Five-reel slots are online slot games that have five reels opposed to the classic 3.
It is quite rare to find a modern-themed game with just 3 reels these days as most developers have moved away from the classic design. This is mainly since more reels mean more fun and excitement for players.
Mega Spin
This kind of online slot game allows players to engage with more than 5 sets of reels simultaneously, all displayed on the same screen so players can keep track.
If you’re looking for an exhilarating and fun way to spend your free time this one is definitely for you. To add to the fun these lots are usually attached to progressive jackpots.
Video Slots
Video slots refer to all slots that have more than three reels and that also have many paylines. Video slot games are played on a video monitor and do not have mechanical reels.
In fact, most of the other genres of slots mentioned here are also video slots due to the functionality. It is exceedingly rare to play an online slot that is not a video slot.
RTP & RNG Explained
RTP is an acronym used to represent the term “Return to Player” and is one of the most noteworthy aspects of any online slot.
The Return to Player percentage is used to indicate to players what the likely average pay-out would be spread over many thousands of spins.
That being said, there are RTPs on slots that are good and will result in a winning session even if the payout is small, and then there are RTPs that are not good at all and should be avoided if you want to hold onto your hard-earned cash.
Any slot with an RTP percentage over 97 percent would be one worth giving a try and if the percentage is lower than 94% then it would be best to give that slot game a pass. Make sure to check the RTP percentages on your chosen slot before you play.
RNG is an acronym for Random Number Generator. Now if you are researching slots, you are likely to come across this term from time to time so it would serve you well to understand what this is. The Random Number Generator is a technological component that is built into slot games and that has changed the game significantly since its invention.
The digital device randomly generates numbers that the game software uses to display results for each spin, this mimics the randomness that mechanical spinning reels produced.
How Special Symbols Help You Win
Most special symbols are featured in video slots and progressive slots and are unlikely to be found in classic slot games. If you’ve ever heard of a scatter or a wild and wondered what they do, we’re more than happy to explain
Wilds
A simple way to explain a wild is to call it a substitute symbol that’ll help you win.
If you are playing a title that has symbols of, let’s say, butterflies and you need to get the three blue butterflies in a row to win, if you had two butterflies and land a wild symbol in that same row, the wild symbol substitutes for the third blue butterfly and you win.
It also works if you receive two wilds in a row with any other symbol. The two wilds will substitute to ensure that you win.
Scatters
A simple way to describe this symbol is as a wild card.
Scatter symbols can do a few things such as award free coins, trigger special features, or a bonus game. The only way to activate the special feature brought on by the scatter is to have three symbols appear on the screen.
Unfortunately, wilds cannot substitute for scatter symbols but on the other hand, you do not have to get your scatter symbols on active paylines in order to reap the rewards that this epic symbol brings to the table or, in this case, the reels.
