Slot games can be fun, provided that you have a firm control over your gambling budget, and you can stop when you need to. However, you will still bet with real money, which means that practicing added cautionary measures is highly recommended. This ensures the best possible experience that you can get out of online slots, as well as improving your chances of winning something back from those bets.
Here are the factors to consider when choosing online slot games.
1. A verified, licensed, and regulated online casino should have the slot
In order for an online casino to legally operate within a jurisdiction, it must have the adequate licensing necessary. An online casino will first be verified, before being granted the necessary licensure. To continue operating, they must also be periodically regulated by an approved gambling authority. This is done to make sure that those playing on the site always have a fair chance of winning.
Therefore, irrespective of the slots you may like, it is of the utmost importance that the games are available in verified, licensed, and regulated online casinos. This is easier said than done, especially since there are so many illegal casino sites operating in the world today. From the player’s perspective, this means that they will constantly be exposed to illegal or even scam online casinos.
It is mostly up to you to decide which of those countless casino sites are legitimate, which ones are legitimate but not yet licensed, and which of those are outright scams. Playing a slot game with real money in any casino that isn’t licensed is a fruitless endeavor. Even if the casino is legit, you will not be able to withdraw your winnings, unless they are licensed.
2. RTP should be above 95%
RTP stands for Return to Player, which is represented by a percentage. The percentage indicates that the casino will be paying back 95% of the money spent by players on the slot. Now, what you need to understand is that the RTP rate is a percentage and not a ratio. What that means is that you cannot expect to get back $95.70 for every $100 you spend while playing the game. If that was to be the case, then the randomness that defines the very concept of gambling would cease to exist.
Instead, you could win nothing at all from a $100 bet, or you could win $10,000 from it. That’s what keeps slot games fair and random, but this also leads us to another question. Why is a high RTP important then? The fact is that RTP is not as important as a slot’s variance/volatility. RTP rates indicate that after a considerable number of unspecified spins, the concerned slot will have paid out the specified percentage of all money that was bet on it.
Although a fair slot will never pay out in any determinable manner, slots with RTP rates that are at least higher than 95% and preferably closer to 98% will still be easier to profit from than low RTP slots. To break even while playing on a high RTP slot, players may still need to continue playing on the same slot machine for quite some time.
3. Pay attention to the variance/volatility
On getting to know the variance or volatility of an online slot, you will gain a better understanding of what to expect from your stake. To explain things in the simplest way possible, the measures of volatility are explained below.
- High volatility/variance: All progressive jackpots are high variance and so are most high value video slots. When a slot is marked as being highly volatile, it indicates that players do not win often in the game, but when someone does win, they are more likely to win a substantial payout.
- Medium volatility/variance: Medium variance slots pay out a lot more often than their high variance counterparts, although most of those wins are not likely to be exceptionally big ones. Nevertheless, medium variance slots with a high RTP provide players with the best odds of hitting substantial jackpots.
- Low volatility/variance: Slots marked as low variance are easier to win from, but your winnings might just be too small for them to matter as much. However, playing at a low variance slot is highly recommended to experienced players who have a small budget and a long-term strategy. The small wins will keep you afloat, without exceeding your gambling budget for the evening in control.
Progressive slots do not depend on the bet’s size because people have won millions from them while betting with bonus credits. However, modern progressive jackpots have adopted a dual prize strategy to keep players motivated. These are additional, pre-specified jackpots of a smaller value that players can win at any time, just like in any average video slot game.
