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History of slots

Slots came into existence as far back as the 1800s, originating in New York and in a much simpler format. Sittman and Pitt created the first slots style gambling game consisting of a gambling drum, a lever and 50 card faces. It would cost a nickel to place a bet, with the poker-hand outcome decided by a single drum spin. Instead of cash, players would win prizes such as beverages and merchandise. Without the money element, the game didn’t really take off, but as alterations were added and the payout system was developed, things rapidly changed. It was car mechanic Charles Fey from San Francisco who created a new strategy, via a game with three spinning reels and five symbols. The infamous Liberty Bell used diamonds, spades, hearts and horseshoes on its reels, with a five cents wager per game. Players won cash payouts, with a 50c prize up for grabs. Over time, popularity increased, and the slots machine grew into a casino classic on every floor. In the 1960s and 1970s, electromagnetically controlled designs were built, altering slots forever. The lever was now removed, and a bonus game and other fun features were added to make the slots more exciting. The online casino was created during the age of the internet, with the biggest ever prizes coming from progressive jackpots on online slots. Practice versions with no registration and no deposit needed were made possible. And availability was also improved, with access 24 hours a day from anywhere with internet on offer, making online slots truly accessible to all types of player.

Game rules

All online slots share the same overall concept and rules, so it’s easy to learn how to spin the reels. You place your bet, spin the reels, play any special features and collect your payout when you hit a winning combination – it’s as simple and straight forward as that! But don’t let this fool you into thinking that online slots won’t keep you entertained. There are plenty of differences when it comes to design, game style, special features and prizes to keep you on your toes.

Classic slots: these have spinning reels and can have anything from one to multiple paylines available to activate. You win if the symbols on your activated paylines match one of the winning combinations on the payout table. Activated paylines in these classic slots are usually found horizontally, vertically, and sometimes diagonally on the reels.

Video slots: video slots are just like their classic counterparts, but rather than featuring spinning reels they often boast animated alternatives, such as cascading reels. Usually very interactive, these state of the art games boast plenty of extra features, and often include exciting animations when you hit winning combinations. Paylines on video slots may be found to be more unusual and complicated – for instance, paylines may depend on crisscross, zigzag and V-shaped patterns.

Start by setting your coin level and then indicate the number of paylines you wish to activate. Wagers cost one coin per payline, so keep your bets low and the number of paylines high for the best opportunity to hit a winning combination. When you’re happy with your bets and paylines, hit the Spin button. When the reels settle, our software automatically highlights any winning combinations and will award any payouts due to you to your bankroll. As you spin the reels, there are a number of special features to watch out for, as these enhance your game and give you more opportunities to win. If you trigger any features, these will complete before you are awarded your winnings for that round.

Strategy and tips

Bet Max for Progressive Jackpots: if you choose to aim for progressive jackpots you’ll need to Bet Max, as otherwise you won’t be eligible to claim the progressive jackpot amount showing on the jackpot counter. You will still earn a payout, but it won’t be of the same size. Bet Max button is a useful feature, as it enables you to bet all possible lines (including the progressive jackpot side bet) and spin the reels – all in a single move.

Keep Bets Low and Repetitions High: slots are games of chance, and so the best strategy to secure more wins is to have more activated paylines in action. The easiest way to do this is to make sure you keep your coin level low to make your bankroll stretch as far as it can, and get the most from your game

Learn the Special Features: If your online slots game has a special feature, have a quick read through the rules guide to get tips on what’s expected of you. Special features differ widely – they may want you to pick out on-the-spot prizes, guess the next card in a sequence, or allow you to uncover multiple symbols for an accumulative prize. Our best tip is to know what is expected to prevent making easily avoidable mistakes.

Game Buttons Information

To help you understand our software, we’ve gathered an overview of our game buttons so you can hit the tables with everything you need to know to play with confidence.

Auto Play: this gem of a feature enables you to set the presets for several rounds in a row, without having to set your wager and number of activated paylines each time. Click AutoPlay, set your desired coin level, the number of lines you wish to activate, and then specify the number of games you wish to complete in a row. Sit back and watch the outcome, and any winnings due to you will be automatically added to your bankroll. To cancel the feature at any time, simply hit the Stop button.

Bet Max: hit this button to activate all possible bets on your game and set the reels spinning. Simply set your coin level – and remember, it costs one coin per activated line – and then click Bet Max to get started.

Bet One: click this to bet on a single payline at a time. When you’re ready to spin the reels, hit the Spin button to set the game in motion.

Collect: Click this button to collect your winnings and add them to your bankroll.

Gamble: a feature that is available on certain slots once you’ve hit a winning combination. This feature provides you with the opportunity to stake your winnings on a bonus game in an attempt to double your money. You can opt to double all or double half of your winnings – if you win, you receive double the cash, but if you lose, you lose your winnings in that round.

Spin: click this button to get the game going by setting the reels spinning.

Note: The spanner symbol in the top right corner of your screen provides access to many useful settings options, such as game history, general settings, audio and general settings, and the rules guide.

Glossary

Some common terms to help you at the reels:

Bonus Game: an additional game triggered by hitting a specific combination on the reels, offering additional rewards such as free spins, cash prizes, multipliers and extra one-off features.

Coin Level: the amount you want to bet per activated payline. The cost of any wager is one bet per activated line – so if you are betting on 10 lines on any online slots game, the cost to your bankroll will be 10x your coin amount.

Deposit: Add funds to your account via your preferred payment method so you can play in our real money casino.

Extra Wild: a second wild symbol that can either be part of the original game or a special feature that can be triggered.

Expanding Wild: an expanding wild will spread across the reels, giving you extra chances to make a winning combination – usually triggered as part of a special feature.

Free Spin: a free game, with no cost to your bankroll.

Multiplier: if hit, this will multiply your winnings – e.g. if you won £100 and you earn a multiplier of 3x, 10x, or 100x, you would bag £300, £3,000, or £30,000 respectively.

Paylines: these vary per game, and the number you activate is up to you. Payouts are made on activated lines only. Note: progressive jackpots can only be activated if all other possible paylines are activated first.

Progressive Jackpot: an accumulative jackpot on a linked machine – the amount you can win has no upper limit and so these award some of the richest payouts available.

Scatter: no matter where this symbol lands, it can reward you – it does not need to sit on an activated payline.

Wild: this will substitute all other symbols to help you to complete winning combinations and earn more payouts.

Open an Account and Play for Real Money

To get started at the online slots reels and start betting for real money, you need to create an account. Click on ‘Play for Real’ on a game or ‘Join Now’ at the top of the screen, hit Create Account, and you’ll see a short and simple web form. Complete the required fields with some information that we require for security purposes, and then read the terms and conditions. If you like what you read, click the Agree box, and as soon as you hit Create, you’ll have an active account. It takes just moments to complete and only needs to be completed once. Next, make a deposit to fund your bankroll by going to the Cashier area. Choose your preferred payment method, specify how much money you want to deposit, and then follow the on-screen instructions from your chosen provider until the transaction is complete. As soon as the money shows in your bankroll, you can take your pick of our 300+ exciting online casino games.