Why Play Online Slots and Are They Safe?
Are online slots safe to play? Yes.
Is there a great variety of slots online? Yes.
If you’re looking for fast-paced entertainment, thrilling action, guaranteed safety and plenty of variety, online slots are the perfect choice.
Here, you’ll find a market awash with options: from high-stakes jackpots to TV-themed franchise spinners, and everything else in between.
Are Online Slots Legal to Play in Canada?
In Canada, it is not illegal to play online slots. Regulators like the UK Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority guarantee safety when playing slots online.
Furthermore, modern slots are built to incredibly high standards. Each one is powered by a Random Number Generator (RNG) computer. This RNG is responsible for producing fair results.
At its core, the RNG consists of software made up of an elaborate algorithm that produces a random result each time it is triggered. Certain parameters have to be incorporated for the slots to operate, such as volatility and return to player.
However, the most important thing to understand here is that RNGs make online slots fair.
But can an operator manipulate the RNG?
No. Every online slot available in Canada has been carefully checked and certified by a third-party auditor like eCogra and iTech Labs. These companies’ job involves checking the randomness of the RNG, certify it as fair and monitor it long term.
Without the certificate of fairness, no online casino will ever be licensed by the UKGC, the MGA or any other regulator.
Therefore, you can rest assured that a licensed online casino is always fair.
In addition to fairness, reliability and safety, modern online slots have to incorporate Responsible Gambling parameters.
This is another licensing requirement that ensures the developer and casino don’t encourage player irresponsible behaviour.
What are Online Slots and Why Play Them?
Online slots are the digital version or actual slot machines that you’ll find in the lobby of a land-based casino, a pub and possibly even a social club.
In a few words, online slots are the modern siblings of fruit machines that you play either from your computer or your mobile device, from the comforts of your own home.
Did you know?
All online slots you’ll find at Canadian online casinos are tested and certified by third-party auditors like eCogra.
Slot Games That Fit Your Style
If you visit any of the top-rated casinos featured at CanadaCasino, you’ll find plenty of spinners. You’ll find anything from jackpot slots to free online slots.
Although every site comes with its own theme and games collection, you should expect to find from 100 to 1000+ online slots.
With such a huge choice of slots, it is easy to find a game that suits your particular style, especially if you know what you’re looking for.
Bonus Buy Slots
Before we start exploring all the things you need to keep in mind when searching for the right slot, we’re going to talk about bonus buy slots.
These games allow you to pay a fee to get access to the bonus round.
The cost will strongly depend on the size of your bet. The thing to remember is that you’re paying to be guaranteed a bonus.
Things to Look for When You’re Choosing an Online Slot
You’ll find thousands of slots online. Going through all of them when you don’t know what you should look for, can be daunting.
To help you choose the right slot for you, we’re going to share some features to take into consideration:
- Theme
The first thing that will get your attention when you start browsing through the plethora of online slots is the theme.
Some online slots come with unique designs or are based on movies, TV shows, popular figures and even famous songs.
You’ll find that the themes are as abundant as the slots, so you can be as selective as you wish.
- Payouts
Although slots are meant to be entertaining, you cannot forget the fact that you can win cash prizes.
Playing online slots for real money means you can land a jackpot of a few hundred dollars or maybe even millions.
At the end of the day, you have to weigh up the cost of real money bets against what you can actually win. The payout’s potential plays an important role too.
- Risk
Playing online slots comes with a certain risk. No slot will ever pay out 100% and you need to be prepared to incur some losses along the way.
However, you can assess the risk potential of each slot by analyzing the volatility and Return To Player (RTP) percentage.
- Look Out for Volatility
As we have already explained, slots are powered by an RNG computer that ensures random and fair results.
However, each game is programmed with two variables that over the long term determine the payout potential: Volatility and RTP.
The scores should not be taken at face value, since the calculations are achieved over thousands, if not millions, of revolutions.
Only in the long-term should your win rate reflect the volatility and RTP.
In simpler terms, volatility represents your chances of success and the size of your wins. It is also an indication of the risk that comes attached to your investment.
In a nutshell; volatility determines how often you land a win and how big it is.
Low Volatility Slots
Low volatility slots deliver a win with more frequency than medium or high volatility slots.
The prize, however, is typically small.
Medium Volatility Slots
Medium slots fall in between low and high volatility online slots.
You should expect payouts with less frequency than low volatility slots but more often than high volatility ones.
Wins fall somewhere in between as well.
High Volatility Slots
High volatility slots don’t pay out that often, but when they do the prize is high.
- Pay Attention to RTP
The Return To Player, or as it is also known, the RTP, is the percentage that will give you an indication of how much you’ll win back every 100 credits you bet.
Let us take an example: In a game with an RTP of 98%, you can expect to make back 98 credits of the 100 you’ve staked.
But this score does not guarantee such a perfect outcome. As you play, you might land 110 credits for every 100 you stake, other times, you might land 90.
Only in the long term should your results start to mirror the RTP. Thus, it is important that before you choose a slot you pay careful consideration to its volatility and RTP.
- What’s Your Budget?
If you can’t afford to play, then don’t! It is as simple as that! You should never spend funds that you do not have.
If you are new to online casinos, you can try out some free online slots.
On the other hand, if you do have the funds to play, you can try out new online slots, which allow you to adjust the bet to suit your particular budget.
The trick is to find slots that allow you to wager what you can afford.
One rule to keep in mind is that you should have 500 bets. For example, if you have a budget of C$100, you should bet C$0.20 per spin.
What Types of Slots Are Out There?
Apart from the theme, you should also pay attention to the structure of the game.
By structure, we mean the number of reels and their setup. Modern slots generally have 5-reels, however, the classic version follows the 3-reels model of the original games. But there are no guidelines here since you can stumble across slots with six, seven or more reels.
But it is wise to find out what is available so you can choose the right slot for you!
- Number of Reels
How many reels do slots usually have?
3-Reel Slots
These kinds of slots are usually described as classic or fruit machines because they are based on slots that were popular in the 70s and 80s.
Apart from the 3 reels, such slots usually have between one to five paylines
5-Reel Slots
On average, 90% of all online slots have 5 reels.
This kind of setup enables more features and paylines to be added, earning them that sweet spot as the most preferred slot type.
6-Reel and 7-Reel Slots
In recent years, developers have taken an innovative approach to slot designing, adding 6 or more reels to the games.
Innovations such as the Megaways mechanic, have breathed new life into traditional settings.
Today, you can find anything from slots with 6 reels to those with 8 reels or more.
- Game Type
So, what kind of slots can you play online?
Classic Slots and Fruit Machines
When we use the term classic slots, we are referring to the traditional fruit machines. This often refers to fruit symbols like cherries, watermelons, grapes, oranges and lemons.
These slots often come with 3-reels, 1 to 5 paylines, and feature additional symbols of bells, bar and 7s.
Video Slots
This category is usually home to the best online slots.
These slots come in all manner of themes with all kinds of features. There is nothing that defines this particular type, except the incredible variety they offer.
The main thing here is the reels. They usually have 5, which are packed with wilds and bonus rounds.
3D Slots
3D slots can be said to be a subgenre of classic and video slots. The main features are all there, it’s the perception that changes.
Here you don’t just see the reels, but the entire machine in all its glory.
Progressive Jackpot Slots
Every time you place a bet, a small portion of it is added to a communal pot which can be shared between casinos.
In this way, the jackpot grows and grows, sometimes really fast to extraordinary proportions. That is until one lucky player hits the right combination and bags the entire pot.
Progressive jackpot slots are usually more rewarding than fixed paylines games.
Megaways Slots
Megaways slots were first invented by Big Time Gaming, which franchised the engine, enabling other providers to release Megaways slots.
The best thing about it is that it can be used on existing slots, as well as, brand new options.
Megaways slots are distinguishable from any other type by their irregular paylines. In a nutshell, you never know how many active paylines you’ll have on your next spin.
The most common setup is 6 reels, and depending on this, it can have up to 117,649 paylines.
Cluster Slots Online
Typically, online slots come with paylines across which you need to land matching symbols to incur any wins.
Cluster slots work very differently. Matching symbols need to fall in clusters to deliver a payout.
Multi-Payline Slots
Classic slots might come with the traditional one pay line, however, newer versions can have up to 5 paylines.
Video slots can come with anything from fixed paylines to a random amount of paylines.
Multi-payline slots usually work very simply. You need to land matching symbols on a pay line from left to right. Usually, prizes are awarded for landing 3 or more symbols.
Did you know?
In the UK, slots make up 69.3% of the remote gaming GGT, followed closely by Roulette at 13.5%
How to Increase Your Chances of Winning?
Certain games require skill to be played successfully. Blackjack, for example, is better suited for players with an understanding of mathematics.
On the other hand, if you are more into slots, there is not a lot you can do. They are purely games of chance and against a random result, there is not a lot of strategies you can employ.
There are, however, a few things you can do to increase your chances of winning. By choosing the right game, you can enhance your gaming experience and get the most out of the slot.
- Read Our Reviews
The first step is to read as many slot reviews as possible. Here at CanadaCasino, you’ll find plenty, particularly of newly launched games.
Learning all the facts and insights from our experts will help you choose those slots that best suit your style and which are likely to deliver according to your expectations.
- Watch Slot Streamers Play
Some slot fans have managed to fuse together their experience with entertainment, taking to the internet to share it all.
Ultimately, you can learn a few tips, but they can’t show you how to beat the RNG and any strategies they share cannot guarantee your success.
If you are familiar with Twitch, there are a few slot streamers to watch out for:
- Is There Such a Thing as a Slot Strategy?
As we have already explained, there is no way you can beat the random factor when playing online slots. Strategies offer no guarantees and are likely not to work.
But there is a way to optimize your approach to slot gaming.
Reading our reviews and watching streamers play is useful, but you can learn to manage your money. As we have mentioned earlier in this article, make sure to have at least 500 bets.
Volatility and RTP should also be considered. How often will you land a win? Are prizes bound to be small or large? What’s the game’s potential?
The best way forward is to answer these questions before you settle on a game.
How Do Slot Games Work?
Before you start playing online slots you need to know the basics. By basics we mean fluctuating results. You should expect it so you don’t get frustrated.
So, keeping that in mind, here is how the average slot works:
- Place a bet and hit the spin button.
- The reels spin a few times before they come to a halt.
- The rees are filled with symbols, which are arranged randomly after the spin.
- Crisscrossing the reels will be a number of invisible lines called paylines. If similar symbols fall on any one payline you land a win.
- To help you form winning combinations, the game might feature wilds, which substitute any symbols except the scatter.
- If you land 3 or more scatters, you’ll be taken to the bonus round of the game. This can be anything from free spins, a mystery pick’em or anything else the developer can come up with. Scatters are the key to special features that are not usually included in the base game.
- And last but not least, if you are playing a prodressive jackpot slot, the top prize has no fixed value. It increases each time someone places a bet until it finally drops.
- Practice for free!
Before you start playing for real money, you should try to play online slots for free.
You don’t need to claim a bonus to do it. In some cases, you don’t even need to register for an account.
The demo mode is a feature added by the developer to enable players to try the game before spending their cash on a slot they might not like. You can play the demo for as long as you wish and as many times as you want.
Online Slot Providers, You Should Check Out
Every online casino game developer has its own style to bring to the table. Some are more focused on entertainment, others are all about big jackpots and others like adding all sorts of features.
Most of our recommended casinos feature games by multiple providers.
Since there are so many to choose from, we’ve selected 3 of the hottest slot developers to get you started:
NetEnt Slots
NetEnt has earned a reputation as the top slot developer in the world.
Apart from releasing the most games, NetEnt seems to strike the right balance between style, payouts, substance and theme.
Some of its most popular slots are Starburst, Gonzo’s Quest and Guns n’ Roses.
Yggdrasil Slots
If you’re after innovation and creativity, Yggdrasil fits the bill nicely.
This developer’s style is all about rich storylines, animations and neat little features like levels. In fact, Yggdrasil’s slots remind us of video games with their many levels and animated stories.
So titles that have become favourites are Champions of Rome, Vikings Go Berzerk and Jackpot Raiders.
Big Time Gaming
Big Time Gaming is the mind behind the Megaways Mechanic. This engine has revolutionized online slots.
The mechanic activates a random number of paylines at every spin. This can vary from 1 to 117,649 ways to win.
So far the Megaways mechanic has been added to already popular slots like Bonanza Megaways, Gonzo’s Quest Megaways and Vikings Unleashed Megaways.
Glossary – Learn the lingo
| Payline | An invisible line on the reels, across which matching symbols need to land to form a winning combination. |
| Reels | Slots are made up of rows or columns, shaped like barrels. They spin until they stop with symbols on them. |
| Jackpot | It is the biggest payout you can land. There is no higher prize after the jackpot. |
| Free Spins | A set of spins that are awarded either by the casino or by the game for no fees. They are like a bonus. |
| Wild Symbols | A symbol that can substitute any other symbol on the reels with the exception of the scatter. |
| Scatter | Landing a number of scatters will often lead you to the bonus round or it unlocks special features. |
| Base Game | A term used to describe the ‘standard’ game from the bonus round. |
| Bonus Game | A special part of the game where you might receive free spins or play with special features. |
| Multiplier | This is included as a feature where your wins are multiplied by a certain number. |
| AutoPlay | A button on the game console that allows the slot to spin automatically. |
| RTP | The Return To Player percentage is a score that indicates how much you’ll make back in the long term. |
| Volatility | Also referred to as variance, this is the frequency with which you’ll land wins and how big they are. |
Conclusion
Online slots players in Canada will find a rich scene with plenty of slots to choose from. And the best thing is that you can enjoy them on both your desktop and mobile. Modern online slots come with exciting features. Game developers are always inventing new ways to keep the interest alive and players hitting wins in exciting ways.
The best Canadian online casinos offer numerous bonuses and free spins for you to play with. And let us not forget the demo button!
Ready to start exploring the world of online slots!