Slot machines are classic casino games of chance where players look for a matching set of symbols to claim a win. The basic idea has mostly stayed the same since Charles Fey created the Liberty Bell slot in the 1890s, but how has current technology been used to give these games a fresh look online?
More Varied Ways of Winning Jackpots
At the heart of every virtual slot lies a random number generator (RNG). This is a sophisticated piece of software that means every single spin gives a completely unpredictable result. When jackpots were first added to slots, this prize was simply paid on a random basis or when a player collected a certain winning combination.
However, game creators have added more sophisticated methods, which can be seen in the current range of progressive jackpot slots. These are games where the top prize grows as a small amount from every bet is added to it. Once someone wins it, the jackpot gets reset to its starting point and starts building up again. Hot Drop Jackpots add a clever mechanism that ensures they pay out at regular periods once the largest figure has been reached.
The way this type of prize can be won varies from slot to slot. In some cases, players need to play through a series of bonus rounds to get their firsthand it. Another change to how these prizes work has been the rise in popularity of linked jackpots where the same prize can be won across any one of a series of different games. Some casinos even let you play and win cryptocurrencies, although you need to be aware of the true cost of these digital tokens.
Bonus Rounds Have Got More Interesting
You may recall how older slots had simple bonus rounds where you often had to follow a trail to get the chance of increasingly big prizes. These were among the most interesting and sought-after parts of the game, but theory was pretty much low-tech and often didn’t add much visual appeal to the overall experience.
On the other hand, the latest online slots have a diverse range of bonus rounds that add extra excitement to the main game. Look for slots online in Canada and you’ll see titles such as Leprechaun Riches, Golden Buffalo Hot Drop Jackpots, and Bonanza Billion among the popular choices. These games all introduce different themes and have varied bonus rounds to keep the action bubbling along. You can filter the tabs to find the type of features you’re more interested in trying.
Free spins are often offered as the main bonus feature you can trigger. This round will give you several free games, but it might also add new rules such as higher-value symbols and more wild symbols than in the base game. Free spins are commonly seen as the best way to build up big wins but they’re easier to trigger in some slots than in others.
The collect feature is another mechanism that’s proved to be a hit. In this case, you’ll see certain symbols with cash values or other prizes on them during a special round. A character may come on-screen to collect them, or you might need to get other symbols that can collect these prizes on your behalf.
Other features continue to appear, with expanding wilds, sticky wilds, win counters, and others all appearing in various slots. Since there are many slot developers who each work on their own, unique designs, it is no surprise to see that they have taken the basic slot in so many varied directions in recent years.
Reel Layouts Are Evolving
The Liberty Slot we mentioned earlier set the reels in motion for this genre of gambling game, with a layout of three reels with a single payline. This format proved to be particularly popular over the years, although some of the changes tried by other creators have included showing more paylines or adding more reels.
With online reels now extremely flexible due to their virtual nature, game developers have realized that they’re free to experiment with any type of setup that catches their eye. This led to the massively successful Megaways setup being introduced by Big Time Gaming in 2016. With reels that shift and symbols that merge on every spin, it proved to be a dynamic approach that captured the imagination of the public.
We can also see slots with different numbers of players, including grids as big as 7×7 or 8×8. One of the most interesting trends in recent times has seen some games created with certain reel positions blocked at the start of a game. These positions can be unlocked – usually with a win or a series of wins – to increase the number of ways of winning on the reels and completely alter the feel of the game.
These changes have created a neatly varied and vibrant slots industry where new games are launched regularly, and fans can expect to find classic gameplay mixed with the use of innovative technology.
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