There’s a pastime that’s sweeping the nation at the moment – and it may well be one that’s passed you by so far. It’s the playing of online slots on any of the countless casino sites catering for every taste and demographic. What’s all the more remarkable is the fact that it’s a craze that has stealthily developed over the past few years and crept in under the radar for many people. Yet, once experienced in all its excitement and variety, playing online slots soon becomes a great way to while away an idle moment or two in the day.

As we’ll see, many of the very best slots games are just as good to play on a tablet or a smartphone as they are on a PC, so this type of entertainment is also something that you can dip into whenever the opportunity arises.

Choosing where to play

When you’ve decided that you want to try out online slots, the first thing to decide is where to play. There are many different online casino game providers available, so it’s easy to be outfaced by the sheer amount of choice available. That’s why it’s a good idea to search out a reliable comparison site that gives reviews of the various providers and lets you link quickly to them too. If you’re looking for one of these, then scams.info has all the info you need on the best online slots sites available right now. This option also gives you additional peace of mind, as all the slots sites it features have been verified as being legitimate and fully licensed – something that, unfortunately, not all providers of online casino games you’ll find online are.

The games to play

It’s hard to believe, but the very first slot machine was invented late in the 19th century by a Californian engineer called Charles Fey. Called the Liberty Bell, it featured a jackpot of just 50 cents. Even more incredible is that the very latest of online slots are not so very different in principle from Fey’s original. You still pay for a spin and, depending on where the reels land, you may win a cash prize (if you’re playing with and for real money). Admittedly, the permutations and ways of winning are now far more sophisticated and there are countless features to enjoy, but it’s still fundamentally the same gameplay.

 Source: Pexels

What’s more, the boom in online slots means that there are games out there for every taste and interest. So, for example, you might want to bring back memories of a wild weekend in Vegas that you enjoyed in the past and where you may have gained a taste for slots fun. That’s fine, because you’ll find plenty of options when it comes to online slots that channel the spirit of the city’s glittering casinos. Or, if there’s a particular genre of film that you enjoy, you’ll find many of these represented too, from superhero games to darker titles like the branded Nightmare on Elm Street game, which can send a shiver up your spine when you play.

There’s also the choice of whether to play on a “fixed” slot or one with a progressive jackpot. In the case of the latter, this is a game that is often running in parallel with many others and shares a jackpot with them all. In other cases, the progressive jackpot is only linked to this particular game itself. Regardless, the result is always the potential to win a huge prize if your luck’s in. Fixed slots, on the other hand, operate on their own, offering smaller sums but higher chances of winning.

Going mobile

However, the real reason for the explosion in slots in recent times has been the number of people using their mobiles to play. This is in line with the overall figures for how people go online these days, with mobile traffic up an impressive 222% in the last five years. So, it’s no big surprise that all the best slots sites are fully optimised for mobile play, either via browser or a dedicated app. It’s a happy coincidence that the resolution of a standard smartphone screen is perfect to show the spinning reels. Using mobile to play also makes the paying of stakes and the receipt of winnings simpler, in many cases.

Where next?

There’s been much talk about the arrival of virtual reality in gaming, and it seems more than likely that this will also be the next leap forward in online slots too, since casino providers are known to be early adopters of new tech. By making the experience even more immersive, this promises to make online slots even more enjoyable.

So now may be the time to start experiencing the exciting and varied world of online slots for yourself – once you’ve given it a spin, you may well wonder why it took you so long to start