Why Online Slots is the Most Addictive Casino Game
Video slots, in my opinion, is the main reason behind the online casino boom which has been going on since the 2000s. They have become extremely popular among online casino players around the world pushing online gambling experience to the whole new level.
Online slots’ popularity is not a coincidence, and, I would say, they were bound to succeed from the very beginning. Let’s learn why online slots attract so many online casino players, and why it is so easy to get hooked.
Very easy to learn how to play
In some casino games, there could be complicated rules that everybody is supposed to learn in order to enjoy the game to a full extent. A good example would be Craps.
In some casino games, there could be even space for some cunning strategies. For example, in Blackjack, casino players can theoretically even beat the house by cards counting. Such strategies imply even more learning and efforts.
Video slots, on the opposite side, are very intuitive in terms of rules. A casino player has to adjust the bet level, maybe set a needed number of paylines in some cases, and that’s it. Once it is done, gaming mechanics is very primitive. An online casino player should press just one button, which, as you may have guessed, is called “spin”. As the game’s rounds go on, a casino player usually gets more and more grasp on how a particular slot works so that there is no more need to open an information section most of the time.
Also, online slots is a 100% game of chance. As a result, there is no room for strategies. All that being said, online slots require very little efforts to start playing.
Maximum possible winning is very thrilling
In classic casino games, the riskiest bet allows you to win 36x in Roulette (bet on the straight number), 30x in Craps (horn bets), 8x in Baccarat (bet on tie).
In online slots, maximum possible winning is very attractive. And, in some cases, it can reach an unbelievable x10,000. Even online slots with low levels of volatility provide casino players with at least an x100 multiplicator that makes them more appealing than all other traditional casino games, in terms of maximum winning.
Some slot developers go even further introducing progressive jackpot features. Such slots more resemble Lotteries in some sense. The maximum winning in such slots can reach crazy levels, for example, 18 millions of EUR in Mega Moolah by Microgaming.
No need to explain how huge prizes on the horizon affect players’ choices which casino game to gamble in.
Everybody can play thousands of video slots
There are literally thousands of online slots on the market as of today. Different themes, different bonus features, different volatility and maximum winnings, no matter what you prefer, the chances are high that you will end up enjoying at least some products.
Hence, a lot of diversity, so that everybody can grab something that fits their preferences, makes video slots a game of choice for many online casino players.
An illusion that you constantly win
Online slots produce small winnings relatively frequently. For example, a player bets 10 EUR each spin and gets winnings worth of 5 EUR rather often. The trick is that such “winnings” do not do any good financially, obviously. But it feels like a win anyway, at least to some degree.
That way online slots fuel players’ desire to play more, making a false impression that it is rather hard to lose.
Many bonus features (free spins, bonus game, wild symbols etc.)
From the previous chapter, we have learnt that every online slot is designed to give the impression that something positive is constantly happening. In addition to frequent small winnings, online slots players are provided with free spins rounds (which are not free obviously), bonus games, wild symbols, scatter symbols and more.
All these features are in place to convince players that there are so many ways to win, and success can be easily achieved one way or another.
An illusion that winning is close
Online slots constantly display the highest paying symbols on their reels. That way casino players get an impression that life-changing money is always around, and all you have to do is to continue to play.
Many slots even emphasize the highest paying symbols which have not ended up to become actual winning by special graphics and animation. Online slots are basically whispering in the ears, “Hey, buddy, you were very close, and next time the winning is yours”.
Hence, online slots are doing an excellent job in terms of how they advertise maximum winnings to their customers.
Auto-play option
If you are getting tired of pressing the “spin” button again and again, online slots have solved this “problem”. Online casino players can play video slots nowadays with literally zero physical efforts. Just set up how many rounds you would like to play in auto mode, and there is nothing to worry about anymore.
No questions that auto-play feature facilitates slots’ popularity making them more comfortable to play in.
Online slots are very decent in terms of RTP
To their credit, online slots are the best option on the market when it comes to RTP or House Edge, and it is understandable that casino players are more eager to play in high RTP games.
Some of you may argue that many traditional casino games are better than online slots in terms of RTP. This statement is correct and incorrect at the same time. Let me explain how so.
For example, Baccarat has RTP of 98.94% for 1:1 bets at best. However, if you decide to make a more risky bet in an attempt to win more than flat 1:1, then RTP becomes miserable. Bet on “tie” in Baccarat pays 8:1 but has RTP of 85.6%. In comparison with online slots where average RTP equals 96-97%, it is a flat out robbery.
The same is true for some other casino games. In Craps, 1:1 paying bets provide players with an impressive RTP of 98.64%, but if you decide to take more risky bets, then RTP can go down as low as 87.5% which is an absurdly low rate.
Such a tendency is very consistent among many casino games. Yes, they have got slightly higher RTP level for 1:1 bets and much worse RTP for more risky bets. Hence, there is no other option than video slots if you prefer to have an opportunity to win really a lot of money, not boring 1:1.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many reasons why online slots are dominating the online gambling industry. In the process, some online casino players get addicted due to the thrilling gaming experience that video slots can offer, and, for sure, it is a bad thing to happen. On the other hand, online slots are the most interesting casino game to play in with a huge gap, and it inevitably will cause addiction in some cases.
I hope, from now on, you will be able to better control your gaming habits as you have learnt about the mechanisms behind.
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