Online Slots

What are Slot Machines?

Slot machines are by far the most popular online casino game of chance in the world. Their diverse array of exciting themes and features make them a joy to play, not to mention the fact that they yield the best rewards and jackpots too. 

They are computer–generated arcade-like titles that revolve around matching symbol combinations on the screen. These symbols are usually stacked on rolling reels. When the reels stop, and symbols align favorably across the paylines, wins will be awarded.  

There are several symbol types in every game, each with its own payout value and role in triggering bonus features, all of which can be found on the game’s paytable screen. 

Slot games are managed by sophisticated RNG, which means that each round is randomly and unbiasedly generated for fair outcomes.

A Glossary of Slot Terms

Once you start playing slot games, you will notice a few terms that may be tricky to understand to start off with. While some terms are intuitive, let’s look at a few to make sure we’re all on the same page: 

• Max Bet – This is the maximum number of credits you can bet on any given machine, per spin 
  • Most games will have a designated button marked ‘Max Bet’ to make it easier to bet the maximum amount allowed. If you want a chance at the game’s top payout, Max Bet is the way to go 
• Paylines – These are the lines on the machine, across which winning reel combinations must land 
• Line Bet – You can choose how many pay lines you want to activate for each bet 
  • Placing a Max Bet will activate all the pay lines, which is what you’ll have to do to win the top prize. 
• Scatter Symbols – The scatter symbol is usually one of the game’s highest paying symbols, and the key to unlocking any given game’s bonus features. These symbols need not land across a set pay line to payout but can be scattered across the reels to reap rewards. 
• Wild Symbol – A Wild symbol is an exciting substituting icon that can take the place of any standard symbol to complete a winning combination. Often Wild symbols come with favorable added features, dependent on the game. 
• Payout – The amount you win for landing a particular winning combination 
• Paytable – The payout per winning combination is set in the paytable of each slot machine.
• Bonus Round – Most online slots have awesome bonus rounds incorporated which can be triggered in various ways. These usually include unique gameplay features with the chance for bigger rewards.
• Special Features/Reel Modifiers – Most slot games offer special features to sweeten the base game. Multipliers, Wilds, Stacked Symbols, and other such features all qualify under this banner.

Type of Online Slots

While slot machines do share certain aspects of gameplay, they come in a variety of styles, looks, and features. Take a look at what each of the different types of slots can offer you:

• Classic slots: The grandfather of slot games, classic slots are the ones that you imagine when you think about the real-life casino slots games of the olden days. It’s the classic three-reel machine with one arm to pull down 
  • Classic slots typically have very straightforward gameplay with just a few pay lines and usually not more than three reels 
• Multi-pay line slots: Slots featuring many pay lines, sometimes in the thousands, give many opportunities to win but the prizes are usually smaller than those with just a few pay lines. 
• Video slots: These are slot games that are somewhere between a progressive jackpot and a classic game 
  • These slots generally adopt more engaging gameplay, providing many features and sometimes even a unique reel setup 
• Progressive jackpot slots: These reel games have a dynamic slot machine jackpot that grows when someone plays on it but doesn’t win. There’s no limit as to how big the cash pool can build up to and it’s not uncommon for it to reach the millions before paying out. 
• 3D slots: If the look of a game is important to you, then you’ll want to check out 3D slots 
  • These slots have cinematic-quality graphics that could rival any sophisticated video game
• Vegas Slots: Many land-based classic games found on the floors of Vegas casinos have been wonderfully remastered for the online world. These are known as ‘Vegas Slots’.

Along with different styles of games, slots are commonly designed with a unique game theme. These can include various genres. Some of the most popular game themes include Egypt, fairytales, action and adventure, the holidays, Asia, and many more!

Get a Taste of Our Latest Slots

As new slot titles get released, the game provider will tout all the special features and give you an indication around the theme, return to player (RTP) and volatility.  

While new slots often offer better graphics and features due to technological advancement, not all of them can make the Online Casinos Canada cut. Check out the ones that did:

There’s so much choice it can sometimes be overwhelming. If in doubt check our recommended slot machines for top slots to try

Top Features Found in Online Slots

The most exciting part about playing online slot games is the diverse array of special features and bonuses available. Some of the most popular features include: 

• Wild Multipliers: When a Wild is part of a winning combination, it can increase the win amount as a multiplier. This can range from 2x your bet to much more! 
• All Ways Pay Slots: Instead of using fixed pay line patterns, all ways pay slots will reward you if matching symbols simply land on adjacent reels to one another from the left to right.  
• Megaways: The Megaways™ feature is an all ways pay engine, however, the number of pay lines is never set in stone and can differ from one unique spin to the next. This depends on how many symbols show up on each reel. Megaways can offer over 117,000 ways to win. 
• Cascading Reels: When winning combinations land on the reels, the symbols will disappear, leaving gaps on the screen. Symbols from above will then cascade down to fill their spaces and allow for another chance at winning.  
• Free Spins: This is the most sought–after feature in slots games. When triggered, the round will grant you a certain number of spins for free. These rounds usually pay out far more lucratively than normal. 
• Pick Bonuses: If you are lucky, some games will allow you to trigger Pick Bonuses. You will traditionally be allowed to choose a few symbols from a large array on the screen. Each symbol you choose will hold a mystery prize, often granting you instant cash or special feature triggers. 
• Gamble Features: This can usually be triggered from the main game after landing a winning combination. It will give you the chance to double your rewards. 
• Wild Reels: This is when an entire reel of symbols turns wild to help you win more. 
• Stacked Symbols: Certain slots will allow lucky symbols to land on the reels stacked 2 or 3 on top of each other. This increases your winning chances, especially if the symbols involved are Wilds. 
• Sticky Wilds: Sticky Wilds have substituting powers like normal but will remain in place on the reels for several spins before disappearing. 
• Walking Wilds: These are substituting symbols that move across the reels after consecutive spins to gather up extra rewards as they go. 
• Re–spins: Some games will conveniently re-trigger a free re-spin of the reels when you land a win or place a Wild on the reels. 

Slots Maths Models 

The coding that goes into making slot games is based on mathematics. There are two statistics found in a game’s make-up that will give you an idea of how well and how often a slot will payout. This is handy information to know when selecting which slots will suit your play style best. 

Return to Player (RTP) 

RTP is a reflection of how much the casino game stands to pay out throughout its lifetime. The average slot’s RTP is approximately 96%. This means, that in most cases, the machine will pay back around 96% of the money put into it over an undefined period of time.  

The flip side of RTP is House Edge. This statistic (4%) refers to the average profit that the casino makes off of each wager. In short, high RTP games are likely to pay out more frequently than low RTP games. 

Variance/Volatility 

When we speak about variance or volatility in slot games, it is referring to how often you can expect wins to land in your favor. Slots pay in a streak which can be measured on a chart to show average patterns. The variance is the swing of these streaks. 

There are three main variance or volatility levels: 

• Low: The game will pay out smaller wins, but far more steadily. These games are well suited to beginners. 
• Medium: This is a perfect balance between low and high variance. The game pays small amounts steadily and big rewards on occasion.
• High: Here, the game pays infrequently, but when wins do land, they are usually massive and normally exceed a generous 1000x bet. These games are well suited to VIP players and high-rollers. 

At OCC, our slot reviews will always include the maths model for you, so that you know how well the game is likely to perform.

How We Review Our Slot Games

Like everything we do at Online Casinos Canada, we take reviews very seriously to make sure you have the best experience. When we reviewed these games, we put each slot through its paces in both demo and real money mode. 

Each of our experts has spent hours personally playing the slot they recommended, testing out these areas: 

Gameplay 

We evaluate whether the gameplay is smooth, bug-free and if the interface is easy to use. 

Fun factor 

This includes anything that could continue to capture our attention, including features, themes, as well as visual and audio characteristics. 

Sound and graphics 

Does the look of the slot impress our experts? Or are the graphics and sounds so well-designed that they create an extra immersive experience? 

Win potential 

Not only do our experts look at the value of the largest prizes the games offer, but also how often can you make a win. 

Once we know enough to make a recommendation, we have done all the legwork so that you won’t be disappointed.  

We like to give it to you straight – after all, we are here to help you choose a game you will love playing!

Where to Play Online Slots

We have tried and tested a myriad of online casinos and found the best of both free and real money slots for you to try. Each one promoted on our site is suitable for the Canadian market and includes: 

• Licensed gameplay 
• Site security and guaranteed privacy 
• Canada-friendly payment methods 
• Great customer service 
• Easy sign–up processes
• Responsible gambling protocols 
• Great slot-friendly bonuses and promotions 

To ensure we get the same service you do, we test all our recommended casinos using anonymous accounts. If we get anything less than stellar support we won’t even consider recommending them to you.

Choose Your Way to Play Slots

There are two great ways that you can enjoy slot entertainment online. Either you can play for virtual credits or real money: 

• Playing slots in Demo Mode – One of the best parts about online casinos is the fact that you can try games for free. These games are played using virtual credit so that you can explore a game’s theme, payouts and features. You’ll be given a demo balance that you can use to play and have fun with. But no matter how much money you win, you can’t withdraw any of it. 
• Playing slots with real money – If you want the chance to earn real cash, you can play slots for real money. You’ll need to choose an online casino to play at and purchase casino credit. Then you can spin the reels for the chance at a payout. As you are using real money, anything you win can be cashed out and deposited into your bank account. 

If you are new to the slots market, we highly recommend that you play demo slots to get a feel for the game, which will make you far more confident when you decide to place real money bets.

Play for free to learn about the slots features and mechanics. Play for real money only when you’re ready .

How to Play Online Slots

Playing slot games at online casinos doesn’t get any easier. Just follow the steps below to get started:

Step 1 – Visit your favourite online casino and log in 

Step 2 – Choose an online slot to suit your mood 

Step 3 – Select a coin size and total bet to suit your budget 

Step 4 – Click to spin and win 

Once the reels have stopped spinning, the tiles will land and indicate whether you’ve won a payout or triggered a bonus round. Most slot games require you to align at least 3 identical tiles to trigger a win or bonus feature.

Paytable 

To understand what it takes to win, the Paytable in the game will show you which tiles are required to be matched for a payout. Not only will you see how many symbols you need but also how much each one pays. The more matching symbols you hit on the reels, the bigger your payout will be. 

Wilds and Scatters 

Wilds and Scatters are specific high paying symbols that can trigger bonus features like: 

• Respins 
• Free spins 
• Select a prize 

Make a note of how to trigger the bonus round, and do your best to collect as many wilds and scatters as you can.

Most slot machines have similar game mechanics but feature unique twists and bonuses with interesting themes