In the modern-day, slot machines make up, on average, 70% of a casino’s annual income, both online and in land-based establishments.
Whether this is due to the accessibility, simple gameplay, or having to wade through the sea of singing casino slots to find any other game you might fancy, it can be hard to tell.
So, what is it that makes slot machines so popular?
Land-based slots
In the late 19th century, when slot machines first started appearing in pubs and post offices, prizes for winning combinations were paid out in the form of free drinks, snacks, and cigars.
Of course, this encouraged people to play to see if they could bag themselves something from the bar or kiosk that would otherwise cost them more, and when slots eventually allowed automatic payouts, the stakes were even higher.
Many machines only cost a nickel to play and had the potential to pay out around 500 coins, making the game of chance an enticing offer when enjoying your time at a local establishment.
Playing online
Over time, demand for the games increased, and when the first online casino opened in 1996, slot games were quick to spin onto the scene.
With the games more accessible than ever before, and technology continuing to advance, there became many more advantages of playing slots – making them more popular than ever:
- Accessibility
Of course, when playing slot games online, you can access a huge variety of games at any time you’d like, anywhere you have internet access.
With all these games at the tip of your fingers, and some offering free modes, you could have a quick spin just about any time you fancy.
- Themes
With gaming developers constantly striving to stand out, different variations and themed games have, and continue to be created.
From mummified reels in Ancient Egypt to uncovering lost Pirate treasure; you could go on all sorts of new adventures with online Slots that stray far away from the classic fruit machines.
- Special features
Naturally, as technology has advanced, so have the special features and icons on the games that you can play.
The most common are scatter and wild symbols, rewarding you with free spins and helping you bag winning combinations.
Others could include cascading reels, expanding symbols, changing reels, and thousands of ways to win.
Not to mention the jackpots, Megaways mechanics, multipliers, and the potential to bag even more lucrative prizes than you could whilst playing on a land-based machine.
- Simple gameplay
Another reason slot machines remain so loved, is because of their easy-to-understand gameplay.
Once you’ve placed your wager, all you have to do is press spin, and the rest is down to chance (and that trusty Random Number Generator).
- Casino promotions and bonuses
On top of the bonus rounds, you could find within a slot game, you might even be able to claim some casino promotions such as free spins, for example, offered on the casino site.
Whilst not all slot games will be eligible, it’s a great way to try new games.
With all this and more, it really is no wonder slot machines are so popular.