A Primer on Playing Online Slots

Online slots remain one of the most flourishing games of pure chance, with a freer player base capable of wagering from the comfort of their own homes as appetites grow for huge jackpots and lucky winners worldwide. 

At Bingo Village, the community has enjoyed free online slots through our routine giveaways of free spins – and in turn, the fortunes of many players have been boosted by wagering the payouts from free spins into online slots for real money.

If you’re here to learn how to play online slots, here’s how to get started:

• Choose a reputable online casino. There’s typically a badge of verification at online casino websites that link back to the gaming entity which oversees its operations. Never take your safety and privacy for granted! Ensure your favorite online slots are regulated by verifiable gaming authority, and dig into online reviews.
• Set a budget and stick to it. Decide how much money you are willing to see gone forever – and if you reach that limit, walk away until a later date.
• Build up your bankroll by betting small. More spins with less money wagered is the way to go until bonus money or payouts start helping you grow your bankroll. If you hit a winning streak while playing slots, it’s still smart to stick with low volatility slot machines while maximizing your potential for winning combinations.
• Set a cashout number. Let’s say you’re trying to win three times your money. You start with $100, so that means taking $300 home after you accumulate winnings and hit your magic number of $400 – leaving your bankroll preserved to play at your favorite online casino later.

Online Slots: A Blast from the Past with Modern Features

Classic 3-reel slots have been around for ages, but they're no longer just about fruits and numbers. Today, these retro reels are packed with exciting themes, cool features, and a whole lot more.

From Tokens to Treasures: When slots first hit the scene, players didn't win cash – they got tokens that could be exchanged for gum or drinks. But in the 1960s, slots got a makeover with flashing lights and ringing sounds, giving players a true Vegas-style experience.

Beyond the Fruit Bowl: While fruit-themed slots are still popular, there's a whole world of characters and icons waiting to be spun. From fuzzy animals to vampires and mummies, there's a theme ready to play that makes online slots fun for everyone.

More Reels, More Paylines: Classic slots typically have three reels, but newer versions of online slots have more. With more reels – the number of the vertical sections that turn whenever the player presses the Spin button – online slots have different winning combos and more paylines than classic slots. If you’re playing online slots at Bingo Village, you can click the “Details” button and see how many reels and paylines are included in your game.

Strategies for Playing Online Slots

Now that the basics of how to play online slots are out of the way, let’s get down into strategies for winning and the best ways to stay competitive, while not overdoing it. Information on return to player (RTP) can be found on most online slots game developer websites – but it’s important to remember that, unlike blackjack, online slots are not skill-based endeavors. There is no guarantee you’ll make a profit or break even, and it’s entirely a chance-based endeavor. 

That means no one online slots strategy is a surefire way to come out on top. You can, however, give yourself some firm guardrails going in so that you can maximize your opportunities.

Random number generators (RNGs) decide whether a spin wins. But there are some tips and strategies to win at online slots – starting with using casino bonuses and free spins, and then getting more tactical with how you manage your bankroll.

1. Take Advantage of Deposit Bonuses and Free Spins

The number one reason to play at Bingo Village, even if you don’t like bingo, is taking advantage of deposit bonuses and free online slots. We regularly divvy out free spins as freebies to our players – and it’s the best way to play slots for free, while still having a stake in the outcome. In seasonal promotions, we’ll match your deposits (up to a certain amount) with bonus money that can be used to play our games.

Here’s how it works: Let’s say the promotion calls for a 100% deposit match. For a deposit of $250, you’d have double your deposit with $500 to wager – half of that being bonus money, which can only be played on certain games. Although your real money balance is just $250, the bonus money can be used to play online slots for free, essentially. And anything you win is yours to keep and the payouts are added to your real money balance.

2. Play Games to Match Your Bankroll

Coin denominations vary per game, and it’s one of the first things you should look at. Let’s say your game has a minimum bet of 0.10 per coin (sometimes called token) with 20 paylines. This game will cost you $2 for each spin. If your bankroll is only $200, that doesn’t give you much wiggle room if you hit a stretch of bad luck – 40 spins would be 40% of your bankroll. A hot streak might be right around the corner, but each bet may be costing too much to keep you in the game long enough to hit a jackpot or a high-value payline. However, other games will let you play for less.

Let’s say you find another game you can play for $0.05 per token and there are 10 paylines… that’s just $0.50 per spin, and much more manageable in case you need more time to pile up some winning bets and work towards a big jackpot.

3. Understand the Risk and Reward of Slot Volatility

When you're playing online slots, you’ll hear about volatility. Not unlike playing the stock market, the high volatility options have bigger rewards. They also have fewer payouts, and your probability of winning is much lower. Playing them can feel like a roller coaster with big dips, and big rips.

Setting realistic expectations for winning at online slots begins with knowing a game’s volatility. Bingo Village lists each game’s volatility under “Details” with a range from low to high. Low volatility slots have smaller payouts, but consistently reward players which can be a more exciting overall experience while playing slots. Low volatility games that also may have jackpots that grow over time as players contribute a portion of their wagers.

4. Spread Out Your Bets, Play High RTP Games

When you’re playing online slots for real money, it’s important to remember you stand to lose as much as you stand to gain. By not wagering too much of your total bankroll you stand to gain more long-term versus playing with large max bets in hopes of a big return. Some of the best advice seasoned gamblers is to always check a game’s return to player (RTP). This is the percentage of money each game pays back to the player base, and the higher the percentage the more likely you are to reap the rewards of online slots!

Some player favorite online slots with the best odds, available at Bingo Village:

Hercules in the Underworld

From Mount Olympus to the Underworld, everyone’s favorite Greek hero Hercules is the star of this high-RTP game of online slots. With 98% RTP and 3x5 Reels that produce 30 winning variants, you’ll feel like a God among men after going on a winning streak!

Vlad Dracula
Spooky season is every season when you play Vlad Dracula! This popular version of video slots has a top-ranking 98% RTP, with 3x5 Reels and a WILD symbol that lets players complete near misses and earn free spins.

Legendary Outlaws
With 4x5 Reels and an Old West setting, this is one of our online slots with a generous 98% RTP. Players have 1024 ways to win – and the opportunity to earn free spins, while waiting for the WILD train to appear that helps you complete near missed wins!

Wisps
This online slots variant boasts 5x5 reels and lo-fi, relaxing music set to a theme of a dark, mystical forest with magical creatures. The RTP for Wisps is 97%, and the game features a relatively obtainable jackpot through stacking wins.

Lion’s Explorer
Hakuna matata! Get ready to roar with pride in this game of online slots, featuring 3x5 Reels and WILD lion symbols that offer up to 20 free spins. The RTP is a fantastic 98%, and lucky winners who find the safari truck symbol will get an 8x multiplier on their winnings.

Cleopatra VII
Another gem with a fun theme set in ancient Egypt, this game gives you the opportunity to win free spins with a 98% RTP. Bonus rounds will let players climb up the pyramid, and at the very top there’s a 150x multiplier for lucky winners.

Diana Jones
Calling all adventurers! Uncover secrets and free spins inside of a tempting temple, where 3x5 Reels offer up the opportunity to score a 5x multiplier. The best part? You can find all this treasure with the assurance of a 98% RTP.

5. Play Low Volatility Slots to Clear Your Wager Requirement

At Bingo Village and other online casinos, you have to wager a certain amount before cashing out. Depending on the value of your total deposit, your cashout level could have a relatively small wager requirement or it could be $5,000 or beyond.

Of course, when playing online slots the casino’s terms and conditions always apply – put simply, follow the rules and you’ll be able to access your winnings. Being sticklers of the rules actually makes our games fair for everyone, from free online slots to playing bingo for a big jackpot.

The easiest way to cash out while meeting your wager requirement – assuming you’ve been smart and played the probabilities to your favor – is by playing low volatility slots over an extended period of time. Don’t double your wagers in high-risk games just to reach a wager requirement!

Low volatility in online slots correlates to the frequency and size of payouts. Slots with low volatility usually pay out smaller wins more frequently, while slots with high volatility tend to pay out larger wins less frequently.

There Are No Tricks to Winning Progressive Slots

Ordinary slots with low volatility have fixed jackpots, and over time you’re sure to win occasionally. Progressive jackpots by comparison will accumulate over time, with a portion of each bet contributing to a jackpot pool. Over time, it continues to grow someone wins – and jackpot payouts are also part of the RTP calculation.

Obviously online casinos would go out of business if a lot of their players won jackpots. So, the odds of winning jackpots in slots are exceedingly low. These payouts may be life-changing if you’re lucky enough to win, but they also encourage players to chase top prizes with max bets – and placing a maximum bet as many times as possible at the same slot machine is the only strategy to win online slots jackpots.

Depending on your bankroll amount (and the rules you set for yourself), placing max bets may be to your disadvantage. This is a high volatility effort and can diminish your returns, with your chances of losing increasing with max bets on every payline.

However – if you stick to the tips we provided earlier and grow your bankroll over time – you can still play to win progressive jackpots. Making a max bet once in a while when you have extra money to lose can lead to a rare golden egg, and as the old saying goes... you can’t win if you don’t play!