Table of Contents
- How to Play Slots
- How to Win at Slots
- Best Payout Slots
- Types of Slot Machines
- Slot Machine Features
- Learn more with our in dept slot guides
- Online Slot FAQs
How to Play Slots
Time needed: 30 minutes
Playing online slots in Canada is easy and straightforward. Here’s a brief step-by-step guide that explains how to do it:
- Sign up
Sign up to a reputable online casino and make your first deposit.
- Play in demo mode first
Check out the casino lobby and try a few of the games in demo mode.
- Save the ones you like
Save the ones you like to your favourites list.
- Select real money mode
Choose a game and select ‘real money’ mode.
- Set stake
Set your stake by using the toggles or choosing from the list provided.
- Hit the spin button
Hit the spin button and enjoy!
How to Win at Slots
There is no guarantee that you’ll win when playing slots online, but it doesn’t hurt to use a few strategies to increase the odds. Here are some of our favourite ones:
Familiarise yourself with the paytable
Go through the online slot’s paytable and familiarise yourself with the bet multipliers, how stakes work, and the special features of the game. These will help you understand how the online slot works, how you can win, how much you can win, and how frequently.
Try the slot machine out for free
Most online casinos in Canada offer demo versions of their slot machines. Taking advantage of this feature means you can get used to how the game works without committing with real cash. Keep in mind that any winnings you achieve through this are also in demo mode, meaning you won’t win any real money. There are also thousands of free slots online to play if you don’t wan’t to play for real money.
Play online slots with bonus rounds
Online slots with bonus rounds give the opportunity of paying out more prizes without the need to spend extravagant amounts. This is because the bonus rounds usually consist of mini-games or free spins that do not take anything from your current balance. The prizes are based on the stake you were playing with when the bonus round triggered.
Sign up to a reputable site
Always vet the reliability of the online casino before signing up. You can do this by checking for licensing information, security features, and customer support options. It’s also a good idea to see what reputable review sites have to say about the casino and read through gambling forums.
Know when to stop
Set a budget before you start playing and stick to it. Most online slots in Canada have in-game limits, meaning you can decide to stop when you have won or lost a certain amount. You’ll typically find this function within the autoplay settings. If you feel like you need more help, contact a customer support agent via your preferred channel.
Best Payout Slots
Two factors to keep in mind when researching a game are RTP (Return to Player) and volatility. These elements will give you an idea of how much and how frequently you can win.
RTP is the percentage you will get back for every 1.00 credit played. For example, if you spend 10.00 credits on a slot online with an RTP of 97.00%, you can expect to get 9.70 credits back. Keep in mind that this percentage is calculated over a long period of time – there is no guarantee that each spin will have the same outcome.
When it comes to volatility, the lower it is, the more frequent the payouts. However, prizes for low-volatility slots are usually on the lower side. For larger prizes, you’ll need to play high volatility slots, keeping in mind that the hit rates for these games are significantly less.
The table below includes some of the highest-paying real money slot machines available at online casinos in Canada.
| Slot Name | Provider | RTP | Volatility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Joker | NetEnt | 99.00% | High |
| Monopoly Big Event | Barcrest | 99.00% | Medium to High |
| Tuk Tuk Thailand | Habanero | 98.68% | Low |
| Golden Mayan | Betixon | 98.44% | Medium |
| Polar Adventure | Worldmatch | 98.21% | Low |
| Pumpkin Patch | Habanero | 98.18% | Medium |
| Dr Jekyll Goes Wild | Barcrest | 98.06% | Medium |
| Money Train 2 | Relax Gaming | 98.00% | High |
| Pirate 2 | Igrosoft | 98.00% | Medium |
| Starmania | NextGen Gaming | 97.87% | Low to Medium |
Types of Slot Machines
You’ll find many different types of real money slot machines at online casinos. Here are some of the most popular ones among Canadian players:
Video Slots
The most common form of online slots, video slots are similar to the classic slot machines you’ll find at land-based establishments. The difference is that you use a button instead of an arm. Since they are online, video slots have plenty of room for variation whether that means special features, mini-games, bonus rounds, and animations. They also have an RNG (Random Number Generator) implemented in their mechanics to ensure randomness and fairness with the outcome of each spin.
Jackpot Slots
Jackpot slots are those that give you the opportunity to win larger rewards. This could be through mini-games, random triggers, or bonus games. There are many types of jackpot slots, but we’ve listed the main two:
– Fixed Jackpots: These are jackpots that have a fixed multiplier. You will generally see the prize amounts adapt as you change your stake. They are typical in Hold and Win and other bonus games.
– Progressive Jackpots: These are jackpot slots that increase with each bet a player makes as a percentage of each bet is put into the total pot. These typically trigger randomly with any spin or via a jackpot mini-game.
Multi-Payline and Multi-Reel Slots
These games allow players to win by dropping symbols on different paylines. This significantly increases the chance of triggering bonus rounds, free spins, and other exciting features. Paylines could include 243 ways to win, adjustable paylines, fixed paylines, and win-both-ways paylines.
Megaways Slots
Megaways is a feature that was created by Big Time Gaming but is used by most providers. It entails the video slot having six reels that can drop between two and seven symbols each, pushing the ways to win up to 117,649 per spin. You’ll complete a payline when aligning matching symbols on adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost one.
Slot Machine Features
Another important element of understanding slots online is being able to identify the different elements of the game. Here are some basic features that most slot machines have:
Paylines
These are the combinations of symbols that will trigger a prize. Fixed paylines are strict patterns of symbols that are usually visible in the paytable. With online slots that offer multiple ways to win (243, 4,096, 117,649, etc.), paylines are often not fixed and just depend on symbols being on adjacent reels. Paylines generally start from the leftmost reel but there are cases where slot machines pay both ways, meaning that paylines can start from either side of the reels. Finally, paylines can come in the form of clusters, meaning that you’ll win when landing matching symbols in horizontal or vertical positions.
Bet Multiplier
This is by how much your stake will be multiplied if you hit a payline. For example, if the bet multiplier of the K symbol is 2x, you will win 1.00 when playing with a 0.50 stake.
RNG
The RNG, or Random Number Generator is a feature that all slot machines must have to comply with the gambling regulations of the licensing bodies. This feature makes sure that the symbols fall in random positions on the reels. By doing so, it ensures fairness and randomness. Each online slot must be tested regularly to ensure that this function remains active and accurate.
Wilds
Wilds are symbols that substitute for other paying symbols within the online slot to complete or enhance a payline, acting as the ‘joker’ of slot machines. These may also be paying symbols.
Scatters
Scatter symbols are those that pay in any position. These generally also act as the bonus symbol, meaning they have the potential to trigger a free spins round, a bonus round, or more. In most cases, the more you collect during a single spin, the higher your bonus reward will be.
Learn more with our in dept slot guides
We have summarized everything you need to know about online casino slots.
Online Slot FAQs
To play slots online, you first need to sign up to a reputable casino in Canada. Next, select a payment method you’re comfortable with and make your first deposit. Head over to the casino lobby and select the game you would like to play. Set your bet using the toggles or table within the game and hit the spin button. That’s it – enjoy!
There is no magic spell that guarantees winning at online slots, but you can use strategies to raise the odds, like selecting games with high RTP percentages and bonus rounds. We recommend reading through the paytable to help you understand how the game works and how much each symbol pays out.
Online slots work in the same way as land-based slots – you will win prizes when completing a payline. The difference lies in the graphics, animations, and special features. Online slots work with a spin button instead of the lever in land-based casinos. This works with an RNG (Random Number Generator) that ensures fairness and randomness with the results of the game.
Yes, you can. Any real money bet you make at an online casino in Canada can result in a real money prize. Keep in mind that if you are playing with bonus cash, you may need to wager your deposit and bonus a certain number of times before you are able to withdraw. In the case of free spins, you’ll need to wager through any winnings you make from them.
Of course, you can. Most online slots are designed to work perfectly on all devices via an updated browser, regardless of the operating system. Some casinos also have a native app for iOS and Android devices to give you a more authentic experience. We recommend being connected to Wi-Fi before accessing an online casino so as to not use up much of your mobile data.
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