From Grand Theft Auto V to Fallout: New Vegas, there are countless top titles that feature slots as a mini-game. For some, such as slots-based rogue-lite CloverPit, slots are the entire game.
Players who find these fun might want to try out playing slots for real money at an online casino. There are also options to play at sweepstakes casinos. These operate a little differently from a regular online casino, and Vegas Insider has a breakdown of everything about one of the top sweepstakes sites here: https://www.vegasinsider.com/sweepstakes-casinos/chanced/
Before making the jump to playing online slots, it’s important to understand how they work. Although the basic gameplay functions are the same as you’ll find in a video game, the mechanics behind them are different.
Volatility & RTP
Whether at an online casino or sweepstakes casino, how likely a slot is to pay out is dictated by two factors: the volatility, and the return to player (RTP) percentage.
Volatility refers to the size and frequency of wins. A game with low volatility is likely to pay out more often, but with smaller wins. On the other hand, a high volatility game will pay out far less regularly, but will typically give out bigger prizes when it does. Medium volatility games sit somewhere between the two.
When looking at online slots, it’s important to pick a game with the right kind of volatility. Players who want to settle in for a long play session should pick a low volatility game as these have the best chance of sustaining a bankroll longer. For those hunting down big prizes, a high volatility game would be better.
Before selecting any game, it’s important to check the RTP. This refers to the percentage of stakes that are returned to players as prizes. The industry standard is around 96%, though some games go even higher.
Keep in mind that the RTP refers to all stakes, from all players, over a long period of time, rather than in an individual play session. To put it another way, wagering $10 on a slot with a 96% RTP does not mean a win of at least $9.60. Instead, the RTP is a measure of the house edge on a game.
The results on any slots game, whether in a video game or on a casino site, are determined by a random number generator. However, these concepts of RTP and volatility are what make real money and sweepstakes games different. This makes them run very differently from video game slots, and means extra care needs to be taken when playing.
Responsible play the key at casinos
In a video game, you can always get a second chance. Whether it’s using a life, restarting from a checkpoint, or loading into a new lobby, there are no major repercussions for losing aside from a little dented pride.
This isn’t the case at online or sweepstakes casinos. When real money is on the line, there is also the potential for very real losses. Thankfully, casinos have comprehensive responsible gaming tools to help keep playing safe as well as fun.
There are deposit and loss limits, which should be set up straight away. These limit the amount that can be paid into an account or lost during a set timeframe, helping players stick to their budget. It’s best to set these up conservatively at first, as they can always be changed later after a cooling-off period.
If players decide they want to take a break, online and sweepstakes casinos also make it easy to pause or close an account. This can be done directly from account settings, but specially trained customer support agents are always available to help players take time away from the games.
