Whether you are online, in a Vegas casino, or even the local pub, slots are a classic fixture in the gambling world. Known by many as ‘fruit machines’ ‘one-armed bandits’ or even a ‘puggy’, slot machines have been the most popular casino game, and they continue to be played by million.

Initiallybased on the concept of poker in 1887 by Charles Augustus Fey, and, the game soon developed a more simplistic form of gameplay and incorporated colourful symbols such as the iconic cherries. The very first slotswere purely mechanical machines, with many of them requiring an attendant to operate. In terms of video slots, these were first introduced in 1976 and the technology used was quickly purchased by IGT in 1978.

Given the evolution of technology and broadband, these video slots have improved the speed of gameplay and the quality of themes and bonus rounds have too. Slots are now one of the most frequently played online games across the world, with thousands of different options for players to select from.

How to Play

Despite there being various types of slot games with all kinds of bonus rounds and features, the basic structure of a slot machine gameplay stays intact throughout most versions.

Each slot game holds a certain number of reels (usually 3 in physical slots and 5 in video slots) and paylines. The paylines are all the possible winning lines that players can activate during their gameplay and each payline holds a different value. Usually though, on a physical slot machine, the payline is just simply one row, where players need to spin three matching symbols to win. On video slots, there are usually around 20 different paylines, which can be found via the ‘paytable’ tab on the player’s screen. These paylines are not necessarily always horizontally straight, instead, they can be diagonal and even a zigzag. 

To play, players simply must choose their betting value and the number of pay lines that they would like to bet on and then they hit the ‘Spin’ tab and subsequently, all the reels will spin. After the reels have spun, the game will payout to players if the symbols are in the relevant positions to activate a payline.

You can also choose to ‘auto spin’ and select a certain amount of spins for the machine to automatically spin this specific amount.

Different Features of Slots

Each individual game consists of their own special designs, themes and aspects. However, there are certain features that will reoccur across many of the games.:

  • Wild symbol: The Wild symbol is a symbol that will replace all other symbols across the reels, bar the Scatter. Each game’s Wild will hold a different design and layout – keep an eye out, as they will increase your chances of activating a payline.
  • Scatter symbol: Usually, if players spin three Scatters across the reels, they will unlock free spins or a special bonus round. Depending on the game, players may need to land the Scatters on any three reels or sometimes adjacently.

 Of course, there are various other bonus round features that are unique to each individual slot game. These features can consist of taking control of characters, selecting mystery boxes, spinning a wheel and so much more - they are what make each slot game so special!

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