Online Slots vs Retail Slots – Why Are Online Slots Superior?
Slots are by far the most popular casino games at casinos. They are very simple to play and in many cases, lead players to massive rewards. Not only that, but they are extremely diverse and thanks to that fact, they provide players with a dynamic experience.
Up until a while ago, retail slots were the only types of slots that players could access and enjoy. However, the evolution of technology led to the rise of online slots – Internet versions of these games that are easily accessible.
Why Are Online Slots Superior?
In the past couple of years, millions of players started registering at reputable online casinos so that they can enjoy these slot games. Registering at these platforms is extremely fast and simple. All players have to do is provide the casino with some information about themselves. Considering the fact that online casinos utilize the latest SSL encryption software, players don’t have to worry about their security.
But we are not here to talk about online casinos, their advantages and security. We are here to talk about retail and online slots. With that being said, we will be comparing these two types of slots and see why so many players started opting in for online slots over land-based ones.
Accessibility
Let’s start with the first and most important feature – accessibility. In order to play retail slots, you need to travel to a land-based casino, which might be a problem if you are living far from major cities.
That is why accessibility with retail slots is a possible issue, depending on where you are residing. That is not the case with online slots. Because these games are played online, you can access them at any time and place.
All you have to do is connect to the Internet and access the casino site. What’s even better, is the fact that a majority of online slots, especially those created by the most reputable game providers, are powered by the latest HTML5 technology.
That means that you can enjoy them from any mobile or desktop device. The game will fit any screen and there will be no changes in the gameplay.
Furthermore, when searching for slots online, you might even come across online casinos that offer a demo version of these games. That’s a major benefit if you are looking to get familiar with the slot and its features without having to spend any money. On the flip side, the only way to play retail slots is for real money.
Rewards
Next up, we go to the rewards section. This feature concerns high rollers the most. When playing slots, you will have certain expectations as to how rewarding the games actually are. To determine that, you will have to look at the RTP rate of the games.
Research shows that when it comes to retail slots, the RTP rate varies between 70% and 90%. In rare cases can the RTP reach 92%. The case is totally different with online slots. The average RTP of online slots is 96% and the best part about them is that you can find many that go over 97% and can reach 99%.
A few online slots that have an insanely-high RTP are Ugga Bugga by Playtech (99.07% RTP), Book of 99 by Relax Gaming (99% RTP), Mega Joker by NetEnt (99% RTP), Jackpot 6000 by NetEnt (98.8% RTP) and Blood Suckers by NetEnt (98% RTP).
As you can see, online slots have a much higher RTP rate, which means that you can expect higher returns over a longer period. Not only that, but online slots that have progressive jackpots, such as Mega Moolah, can reward players with millions of dollars. For example, the biggest-ever online jackpot payout was made in April 2021 when an anonymous player won $23.6 million on Absolutely Mad Mega Moolah.
In-Game Bonus Features
Apart from providing players with massive rewards, online slots are also superior to retail slots when it comes to bonus features. A vast majority of retail slots are classic slots and have straightforward gameplay. That means that there are no in-game bonuses. If there are bonuses of this type, you will most likely run into Wild symbols and free spins.
That is not the case with online slots. Thanks to the fact that providers are extremely creative and are looking to exceed the expectations of players with every new release, they have come up with tons of bonuses. That includes:
- Free spins
- Re-spins
- Bonus rounds
- Mystery symbols
- Wild symbols
- Scatter Pays Any
- Gamble feature
- Bonus Buy
- Multi-level jackpots
- Expanding Symbols
- Megaways, Cluster Pays and Infinity Reels mechanics
As you can see, the list goes on. Thanks to the fact that online slots are packed with in-game bonuses, you can expect the gaming experience to be diverse, dynamic and most importantly, entertaining. Not only that, but any of these bonus features has the potential to boost your overall potential rewards.
Casino Bonuses
Speaking of bonuses, online slots have another major advantage over retail slots and that’s casino bonuses. Allow us to further expand on that. When you register to play at online casinos, you will be provided with tons of deposit and no deposit bonuses, many of which apply to online slots.
Some of these bonuses and promotions are welcome packages, reload bonuses, free spins, bonus money, cashbacks, loyalty programs, tournaments, etc. The most popular deposit bonus is the welcome package, whereas the most popular no deposit bonus is free spins.
What’s even better is that with no deposit bonuses, you can play for real money without having to deposit any funds. Free spins, bonus money and cashbacks are the three featured no deposit bonuses. You can use these bonuses to play the eligible games and win real money rewards.
Then, after you meet the respective terms and conditions, you will be able to withdraw winnings made with the bonus itself. In comparison, land-based casinos offer little to no bonuses at all.
Speaking of terms and conditions, one of the most important T&Cs is wagering requirements. They represent the amount that you need to stake at the casino before being able to withdraw bonus winnings.
Here’s how it works. Let’s say that you want to claim a welcome package at a certain casino site. The minimum deposit is $20 and the wagerings are set at x30. That means that the total amount that you need to stake within the bonus validity period is $600 (wagering requirements multiplied by the deposit). Other T&Cs include:
- Maximum bonus amount
- Maximum bet
- Eligible games
- Eligible payment methods
- Validity period
- Country restrictions
Diversification
Earlier, we touched on the fact that online slot providers are extremely creative and capable of creating diverse online slots. That is yet another advantage that online slots have over retail slots. Diversification means fun and thanks to online slots, the gaming experience will never be dull.
There are plenty of online slot categorizations. If we classify slots based on their payline mechanic, you can come across:
- Left-to-right paying slots
- Right-to-left paying slots
- Both ways paying slots
- Megaways slots
- Infinity Reels slots
- Megaquads slots
- Cluster Pays slots
If we diversify slots based on their jackpot, they can be standard or progressive. In terms of the reels, you can come across 3-reel slots, 5-reel slots, 6-reel slots, 7-reel slots, 10-reel slots, etc.
Next up, online slots can be categorized based on their theme. Some of the themes that you can come across are Wild West, ocean-themed slots, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Norse mythology slots, classic slots, fruity slots, etc. Finally, online slots can be diversified based on the bonus features that they offer.
Security and Fair Play
The final advantage that online slots have over retail slots concerns security and fair play. As we mentioned earlier, when you play slot games at online casinos, you are protected by state-of-the-art SSL encryption software.
Not only that, but licensed and regulated online casinos can cash out your winnings via numerous payment methods – credit and debit cards, Skrill, Neteller, PayPal, crypto, etc. In other words, the money is transferred electronically and you don’t have to walk around with a duffle bag.
Moreover, when you play at online and crypto casinos, you can rest assured knowing that the slot outcomes are fair and random. Here’s why. Standard online casinos have RNG certifications. RNG stands for Random Number Generator and this AI tool is in charge of creating random outcomes for each round.
That means that your chances of winning are the same as the next player. Crypto casinos have gone a step further by applying the revolutionary provably fair gaming concept. With this concept, you can even check if the outcome of the slot round is random or not.
Add the fact that regulators and all related independent testing agencies are closely watching online casinos to see whether they are in tune with the industry standards and you have a winning combination of security and fair play.
As for retail slots, casinos claim that the outcomes are random, but there’s really no way that you can check that.