A man named Charles Fey developed the first commercially successful slot machine in his San Francisco machine shop around 1896. Made of cast iron with three internal reels, a slot for taking in coins, and an external lever for activating the machine, it quickly became a staple of saloons, gambling houses, and even many retail stores (where patrons would trade their winnings for goods from the store – hence the term “trade goods”).
Today, no casino would be complete without gleaming rows of noisy, colorful, brightly lit slot machines. The mix of sounds from hundreds of machines chirping, spinning, stopping, and clinking out coins is the iconic background music that fills every casino floor. They are by far the most popular casino game in the world, both in terms of the number of games played and total wagers.
With the advent of digital electronics, slot machines have expanded from the original mechanical design to a wide range of computer-generated displays with multi-stage games and other new twists on an old favorite. First came multiple slots with additional pay lines. Then video slots came onto the scene to give game designers much more freedom to create interesting and innovative variations. Because they are computer-based, a number of video slots can be linked together to establish rapidly growing progressive jackpots. With this continual evolution in excitement and entertainment value, the Slot Machine will remain the most popular casino game for years to come.
Video Slots — Overview
Unlike traditional slot machines that depict a parallel set of rotating reels, video slot machines often display a grid of symbols arranged in rows and columns. During a spin, the symbols appear to rotate within each cell or column and then are randomly distributed throughout the cells when the spinning stops.
We speak of Video Slot machines as having, say, 5 “reels”, even though you may not be able to see them. That’s because these machines still use a fair spin of 5 unweighted, rotating reels to randomly distribute symbols among the cells. This means there is a distinct reel behind each column in the grid, and where it stops determines which symbols appear in the cells of that column.
Video Slots typically offer more pay lines than regular slots, and the lines may angle up and down through the cells as they move across the grid. Because their interfaces are electronic rather than mechanical, Video Slots can also offer interesting side bets, bonus rounds, and amazing graphics that provide much more fun and excitement.
To provide maximum enjoyment, each Video Slot machine is configured differently in terms of lines, payouts, and betting options. Some have progressive jackpots, others offer more flexibility in terms of the number of lines or control over how many credits are bet on each line.
Video Slots — Progressive Jackpots
Jackpot Growth. Some machines may have a Progressive Jackpot where part of the wagers from all players playing the same type of machine contributes to a central jackpot. As players around the world play the game, the jackpot progresses to higher and higher amounts. In some cases, the jackpot may be common to a number of different casinos so the payout amount increases at a faster rate. The jackpot keeps growing until somebody wins by getting the right combination of symbols on an active line.
Jackpot Parameters. Some machines may require placing Maximum Bets on all lines in order to qualify for the jackpot payout, some may require only the minimum bet on one line or something in between. Most jackpots have a minimum payout that is seeded by the House after a winning combination clears it out. Please click the Paytable button within the game for details on Jackpot parameters for the following video slot machines with progressive jackpots:
- Space Ace (3 machines)
- Faerie Tale (5 machines)
- Jurassic Cash
- Lucky Charms (3 machines)
- House of Sushi (3 machines)
- Paradise Island (5 machines)
Jackpots Exclusions. Jackpot prizes are excluded from doubling or otherwise increasing by other special awards or bonuses in the game. Under no circumstances will the jackpot amount be increased or multiplied beyond what is in the pool created from player contributions or the House seed.
Jackpot Payouts. Jackpot winnings are not paid in coins to the machine but are paid directly to your account balance. You may continue to play the game and can use the jackpot winnings in this or other games.
Jackpot Cash-outs. Jackpot prizes will be paid by cheque. For your security, in order to cash out proceeds from the Progressive Jackpot, you will be asked to verify your account and payment information.
Jackpot Promotions. You may be asked to participate in promotional campaigns and press announcements about the jackpot win and your payout. In order to receive your prize money, you must grant the Casino the right to use your name, location, and photographs in these promotions, and otherwise agree to reasonable requests in support of these efforts.
Taxes and Reporting. You assume all responsibility for reporting personal income from wagering activities to local tax authorities, including jackpot payouts. You are solely responsible for paying any and all taxes, duties, and fees resulting from your jackpot winnings. The Casino will neither report these earnings nor pay any part of your tax liabilities.
Video Slots — How to Play
Match winning combinations of symbols in any active line to win prizes.
To Play:
- Depending on the type of machine, you may be able to choose the number of lines to play or choose the number of coins wagered per line, or do both.
- Click on Bet One to increase your bet or Bet Max to bet the maximum.
- The Bet Meter shows the number of coins wagered on each spin.
- Click Spin to start a game.
Winning
- When the symbols stop spinning, all winning active lines will flash and pay coins according to the Pay Table.
- The Win Meter shows the number of coins won in the most recent spin, gamble, or bonus round. When prize amounts are posted to the Win Meter, payouts in chips are displayed in the Message Window and paid directly to your account balance.
- Only active lines will be eligible for prizes on winning combinations. An active line is one that has been enabled by the player with the bet.
- If any active line has two or more possible paying combinations of symbols, the line will pay the combination with the highest prize.
Classic Slots
Classic online slots are the predecessors to today’s advanced range of video slots and can be a great source of fun for some light gambling or recreation. The main feature common to classic online slots (in comparison to video slots) is having only 3 reels and 1 payline. At some online casinos, you’ll find a wide range of online slots, including both your favorite classics and exclusive variations of them. Some of our most popular online slots are explained below for your convenience, among them Alchemist’s Lab, Tres Amigos, Magic Slots, and Fountain of Youth.
Alchemist’s Lab
Alchemist’s Lab is a classic slots game that will take you deep into the underground gold-making laboratory of a chemist. The first thing you will notice in Alchemist’s Lab is that the reels themselves are uniquely designed as scrolls. Among them, you will find different colored potion bottles, coins, rings, and books. There are 3 reels and 1 payline to find one of the winning gold-making combinations, which themselves appear in a potions book behind the reels. Alchemist’s Lab has a fixed betting value of $1 and a maximum coin amount of 3 coins. It can be played in free practice mode, yet if you play Alchemist’s Lab in real money mode and bet max, you have a chance at winning the 10,000 coin jackpot! There is also a bonus game where you can make gold using different potions, which as activated by spinning up at least 3 potion books.
Magic Slots
Magic Slots is a 3-reel and 1-payline classic slots game that offers an enormous progressive jackpot. There are 4 coin values ranging from $0.25 to $5.00, and a max of 3 coins per spin is allowed, such that Magic Slots can suit practically any gambling budget. Aside from being able to win a significantly larger jackpot, using the bet max feature can also activate the Magic Slots bonus round. To get into the bonus round, players need to spin up at least 3 magic wands, wherein they are given the option to choose 1 out of 4 magician’s hats for a cash prize. The graphics and sound effects for Magic Slots are great, and if you haven’t yet gotten the drift, this slots game is based on the theme of a magician’s act. Some of the symbols you’ll se include dice, magician’s hats and magic wands.
Fountain of Youth
The Fountain of Youth classic slots is the perfect game for anyone looking for a relaxing and ‘therapeutic’ online gambling experience. Based on the legend of a mountain spring that can restore youth to the person who drinks from it, Fountain of Youth boasts tranquil music, birds, butterflies, frogs, harps, and flowers to calm down your day. Its soothing environment is also filled with what makes you most happy – slots – 3 reels and 3 paylines to be precise. The Fountain of Youth has a maximum payout of 800 coins, and coin values ranging from $0.05 to $5 to get you there. The betting max feature allows players to gamble u to 3 coins, and also increases their chances of taking home the major prize. It takes 3 consecutive fountain symbols to hit the jackpot, and they must also be spun up on the 3rd payline. Unfortunately, there is no bonus round in the Fountain of Youth.
Tres Amigos
Tres Amigos is the ideal classic slots for all those who like a bit of Mexican spice to their game. Yes, Tres Amigos, as you might have guessed, is a Mexican-themed slots, and has everything from cactuses to tortillas to add that extra bit of bite. You’ll see cocktails, tequila, red hot chillies, guitars and maracas on the 3 reels and 1 payline offered, which are accompanied by the sounds of the Mexican acoustic guitar tune to add to the atmosphere. There are coin values ranging from $0.05 to $5, and a maximum of 2 coins per spin is allowed. Playing that extra coin is definitely recommended, as it can win you the Tres Amigos major jackpot, which is worth 2500 coins. In order to win it, players need to spin up 3 of the sombrero wearing amigos – thus “Tres Amigos”!