For many years, slot game players were considered “second-class citizens” in casinos. They often sit separately from the luxurious players at the card tables. But that all changed with the advent of the first video slots in the 1970s and then the emergence of online gambling sites in the 1990s. Nowadays, Video Slot Games. Most are played in both traditional and online casinos.
What Are Video Slots and How Do They Work?
Video slot games are the most popular games played in casinos today. This includes traditional casinos, where slot games take up more than 80% of the casino floor space. Along with online casinos and online mobile slot games, where more than 90% of the total bets in the casino are wagered on the reels of the electronic slot game. However, this is not always the case. For many years, slot games only played a supporting role for card, roulette, and dice tables.
History of Video Slot Games
To better understand what video slots are and how they work, it is necessary to explore their history.
There are many important milestones in the history of electronic slot games. However, the real revolution began in 1994 with the launch of the first online casino. This evolved into mobile casinos, which today allow casino players around the world to have thousands of electronic slot games at their fingertips.
It is worth noting that new slot games are constantly being developed and released. PHJOY‘s convenient Slot Calendar has all the information you need to know about the latest and upcoming releases so you never miss out on the latest hot games.
How Do Video Slot Games Work?
Technology has revolutionized video slot games and changed the way we play them. But, many of the basic principles of slot games remain the same – regardless of whether it’s an old-fashioned One Arm Bandit slot or a modern electronic slot game.
Both mechanical reels and digital reels have reels with different symbols. In which each symbol represents a different payout value. Each slot game will have win lines that highlight winning symbol combinations on the reels.
Win Lines, Reels, and Symbols in Electronic Slot Games
Paylines
The rise of video slots in the 1990s saw a new generation of slot games. These include slot games with 3, 4, 5, and even 25 and 40 paylines. Further changes now allow slots to pay both ways, meaning symbols that line up from left to right and vice versa count as wins. There are also many electronic slot games with zigzag winning lines on the reels and even slot games with up to 1024 ways to win.
Reels
Classic slot games usually have a 3×3 game grid, displaying 3 reels, each reel has 3 symbol positions. The advancement of technology now allows game developers to create multi-reel slots that are more visually appealing and offer more exciting gameplay. Plus, players have more chances of winning. The most popular video game slot today is the 5-reel slot game. However, there are also slot games with 8 reels or more and more symbol positions. Some card game slots have no reels at all, but instead a grid of floating, animated symbols.
Icon In Video Slot Game
In addition to providing visual illustrations for the theme of the video slot game, the game symbols will determine the value of your winnings. Common game symbols include low and high-paying symbols, each with a different multiplier value calculated based on your bet. Winning spins can include different numbers of symbols (e.g. 2, 3, and 5 symbols in a row on a win line). Meanwhile, more symbols will increase the payout coefficient.
Special Symbols in Electronic Slot Games
- Wild Symbol (Jokers): The Wild symbol can substitute for other symbols to create winning combinations. Normally, the Wild does not replace the Scatter and other special or bonus symbols. Some video game slots also have Expanding Wilds that can expand to cover more spaces on each reel.
- Scatter Symbol (Diamond): The Scatter symbol will provide bonuses or trigger a bonus round when appearing on the reels. For example, 3 Scatter symbols will trigger a Free Play. On many electronic slot games, a certain number of Scatter symbols need to appear on the reels in any particular shape to trigger the bonus.