Read more about US online slots
On this page, you'll find our slots guide and all the basic information you need to know about slots online.
Bojoko helps you discover the best slots and learn everything there is to slots online. Online slots are the modern version of slot machines you've seen at brick-and-mortar casinos. They range from classic fruit machines to the latest video slots and jackpot games.
We'll show you what to look for in a slot and what aspects are important to players. With our help, you are sure to find the best slot for you. Here we'll focus on what really matters; what and where are the best slots out there?
The number of online slots offered at the US casinos has climbed steadily, but there are still huge differences in the total number of games.
Browse our list of casinos with the biggest selection of online slots in the US:
On this page, you'll find our slots guide and all the basic information you need to know about slots online.
Many USA players love to play online casino slots for real money. Although there are different types available, they all share the same basic idea: you play online slots with real cash for the chance to win some more.
It's not easy to pick the perfect game by trial and error. On Bojoko, you can learn about the basic functions and features, how volatility affects the payout rates, and much more. With the basics covered, you'll be well-prepared to compare and choose the best slots for you.
The list above introduces the best casinos where you can play the slots. The casino reviews help you to get more perspective on if a casino or a slot is right for you.
Itchy to play the best slots US online casinos have on offer? Try these ones!
RTP stands for the percentage indicating how high or low the house edge is. The higher the percentage, the better the chances are for you to win back your bets. Some could say these games offer more bang for your buck than average slots.
Most online slots resemble physical slot machines. As a legacy of the old "one-armed bandits", there are many familiar elements:
When you start a round, the reels begin to spin. You want to line up similar symbols to consecutive reels, starting from the left. If you get enough of the same symbol on a payline, you win. How much? That you can find on the paytable, accessed via the info-pane.
Before each round, you have the option to adjust the bet size.
The main game area consists of vertical reels stacked together. The most prevalent layout is 5 reels with 3 symbols showing on each.
However, there are both bigger and smaller layouts. The traditional 3-by-3 reel setup is still popular in classic slots. The biggest go up to 6-by-12 or 9-by-9.
The winnings are based on getting symbols on the reels in pre-specified combinations. The highest-paying symbols match the theme of the game. The low-paying symbols are usually:
Most games feature specific paylines on which you need to get rows of symbols. In most games, the paylines only go from left to right, meaning your winning combination needs to start from the leftmost reel. The longer the row of symbols you get, the bigger your win.
The number of paylines varies. Few games may even have only one payline; most feature about 20, and some boast hundreds or even thousands of paylines.
When the number of lines exceeds the 100-mark, you can usually stop looking at the actual paylines. Instead, game suppliers speak of e.g. "243 ways to win". As long as there are the same symbols on the consecutive reels starting from the left, you're in for some winnings.
In the early days of online gambling, some slots had the option to choose the number of active paylines. However, it's quite rare now.
The info pane button is usually located in the corner of the game screen and marked with one of the following symbols: i, ? or 🏆.
From the info pane, you can view the:
Check out the info pane and you'll better understand what's happening in the game.
Excluding certain jackpot slots, you can select how much you want to bet per spin. The total bet size is affected by:
EXAMPLE: There are 9 active paylines with 1 coin per payline and 10¢ coin value. Your total bet per spin is 9 x 1 x 10¢ = 90¢.
This may sound complicated, and some game suppliers have made choosing the bet size unnecessarily confusing.
Many game providers like to goof around with coin wins. Having a thousand coins clattering to the virtual money tray may sound appealing. However, with coin size at 1¢, your joy may be short-lived.
Some suppliers have taken a different approach. Instead of tweaking the coin amounts and sizes, you can just pick the total bet from a list.
Video slots are the most popular game type of online casinos. In addition to unique themes and dazzling graphics, they come loaded with special features. These include different versions of:
Below, you'll find detailed descriptions of all special features. Use our US slot list to filter games based on your favorite features.
The wild symbol helps you create more winning combinations. It works in a similar way as the joker in poker. Whereas the joker replaces the missing card in your hand, the wild symbol fills in for the missing symbol on the payline.
The wild symbol replaces any base symbol of the game. If the same wild is on multiple paylines, it can simultaneously stand-in for several winning symbols.
However, the wild symbol doesn't replace special symbols, e.g. scatters.
In addition to standard wilds, some games feature more specialized wilds:
Scatter symbols are the slot special symbols that unlock free spins, bonus games or coin wins.
Unlike ordinary symbols, scatter symbols don't need to land on a specific payline. You only need to get a certain number of them on the reels. In many games, you need 3 scatters to launch the free spins or the bonus round.
The term "free spins" can refer to free game rounds that casinos use to attract new players. On our casino bonus page, we tell you how to get no deposit free spins. This is one of the most common forms of casino bonuses.
In-game free spins are a completely different thing. You don't get them as a bonus from the casino; you win them by playing the game. You usually need to land 3 scatter or free spins symbols on the reels to start this feature.
You always get a certain amount of free spins. In some games, the exact number of scatters landed may affect the spin amount. In others, you can win more free spins during the feature itself.
The spins are given in the same bet size you used on the round where you unlocked the spins.
EXAMPLE: You play with a $1 bet and win 20 spins. Every one of these spins is worth $1, landing you a total of $20 worth of spins. While you're playing the free spins, they don't use up your real money balance.
When the free spins start, the appearance of the game often changes to make them distinct from the main game. The free rounds may also have some extra perks compared to the base game. Here are a few examples:
There are also free spins games, where you can decide the exact nature of the feature. For example, you may choose between a larger number of spins with fewer extra perks and a smaller number of spins with more winning potential.
You may need to hit the feature several times to unlock all the options.
Bonus games are special features that often offer much bigger wins than the base game. You usually need to land a certain number of scatters on the reels to start the bonus game. In some slots, you can launch the bonus feature by paying a lump sum. This is known as Buy bonus.
Bonus games differ a lot from each other. Some may require decision-making or quick reactions. The simplest and most common version is the pick-n-click type of game. You reveal coin wins, free spins, and other rewards by clicking treasure chests.
Re-spins let you spin some or all the reels again without placing an additional bet.
Just like there are many kinds of wilds, there are also various types of re-spins:
The sticky win isn't exactly a re-spin, but it resembles this feature class a lot. When you win, the winning combinations stay on the reels for an additional round. You need to place a standard bet, though.
Expanding reels copy themselves on one or more neighboring reels or add completely new places for symbols. This helps create longer, more valuable winning combinations.
Colossal symbols are bigger than the standard 1-by-1 symbols. They help create big clusters of the same symbol.
NetEnt's Spinata Grande is one of the most popular slots with colossal symbols.
In most slots, the paylines only go from left to right. You'll only get wins, if:
When you have a slot with wins both ways, the paylines can go from right to left and left to right. This practically doubles the number of wins.
The most famous slot with wins both ways is NetEnt's mega-hit Starburst.
NetEnt, Microgaming, Betsoft, Play ‘n GO, Yggdrasil… What makes one game supplier superior to another? Which one of them makes the best slots to play online?
If it's the age, then Microgaming and NetEnt are at the top of the list.
Microgaming had a long head-start with online gaming, as their first game and casino software were published as early as 1994. NetEnt followed in 2004, which is still quite early, and Play ‘n GO in 2006.
Naturally, with age comes experience and knowing your customers better. It's a great help while creating new slots if you actually know your audience and the trending features.
Those who have played slots for some time can easily distinguish one supplier's games from others. The suppliers do have their distinct style which they're known for. That causes some of the players to favor certain suppliers more.
Read more about US casino software providers.
1. Find the best slot casino from our list
Here on Bojoko, we have a huge list of casinos with the best slots. You can use our ready-made filters to narrow down your search and add personal ones to find the perfect casino for you.
2. Read the casino reviews
When you have chosen a best slot casino, you can read what other users and our experts have said about it. Their first-hand accounts will give you a clear idea of what it's like to play there.
3. Go to the casino
Every review page has a big green ‘PLAY HERE' button that takes you straight to the casino. That button will also activate any special bonus offers that we might have for that particular casino.
4. Register and play
When you get to the casino, you need to register an account. Just follow the instructions, fill in the required information and verify your email if needed. Then you can just deposit and start playing the best slots.
There are many kinds of slots available at US online casinos. With thousands of games to choose from, picking the right one may seem intimidating.
In this section, we cover the most common types of real money online gambling slots. Learn the differences between them and choose the games that suit your budget and preferences.
Modern video slots constitute the bulk of the online casino slot games in the US market.
Bursting with cool themes, features, and graphics, these games can be very elaborate. They often feature storytelling, engaging animations, and prolonged features to keep players on the edge of their seats.
Fruit slots are some of the simplest slots available. Modeled on the physical, coin-operated real money slot machines going back to the late 1800s, the online versions give the old formula a modern spin.
Online fruit slots can be divided into two categories:
You can play both types of online slot machines at USA casinos for real money.
Progressive jackpot slots feature a jackpot that grows until someone wins it. Whenever you make a bet on a progressive jackpot slot game, a portion of the money goes to the slot machine jackpot. The pot grows continually until some lucky player hits the winning combination.
Progressive slots offer the most lucrative potential out of all casino games out there. You can play them at most licensed online casinos in the USA.
Penny slot machines are a budget-friendly solution for many slot fans. With a minimum bet of only 1¢ per payline, you can spin for hours without making a big dent in your bankroll.
Most slots now have fixed paylines. Before you venture out to play penny slots online, you need to make sure to pick a slot that allows you to select the number of active paylines.
High roller slots are the best option for slot fans with deep pockets. The maximum bet goes up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars per spin. These high-limit slots are a natural choice for players who aren't afraid to risk big to win big.
Mobile slots are the mobile-friendly version of the desktop slot games. Usually, the game is 100% the same, whether you play online slots games on your computer, smartphone, or tablet.
Sometimes, the controls may be optimized for a tiny screen, making it easier to use with just one hand. Some slots are also optimized for both screen orientations (landscape and portrait mode).
In 2021, all new releases are published on mobile. The support for Flash - a technology that used to dominate the desktop slots - ended in December 2020. That's why practically every game studio has switched to mobile-friendly HTML5 technology.
Some of the old, obscure online casino slot games are going to disappear from the game libraries for good. However, many studios are re-launching their older classics in a mobile-friendly format.
High RTP (Return to player) slots have the smallest house edge of all online slot games. The RTP percentage tells you the share of your bets you can expect to win back.
These are averages calculated over thousands of spins. The results within a single gaming session may vary significantly.
All slots have a theme, but some of the slots really rise above the others by picking a certain theme. It can be a popular TV show or a movie, or a game considered a cult classic. Even the fairy tales from our childhoods have been featured in slots - like Red Riding Hood, Big Bad Wolf, and Hansel & Gretel.
The theme can also be a fad or a phenomenon, of which an NFT is a perfect example. NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are sort of cryptographic tokens used to certify a digital asset (a photo, video file, etc.) to be unique. In Red Tiger's NFT Megaways™ slot, you can play around with one of the first NFT tokens called Crypto Punks.
A slot tournament is a form of casino competition. There are different types of slot tournaments online. In some categories, you have to hit the biggest coin win in one spin or over several spins. In others, you need to wager the most in a certain slot.
So, where are the best slots? What are the best slots? We can't tell you that because there are as many best slots as there are players. However, with these pointers, you'll easily figure out the right answer for you.
RTP tells you how much the slot pays back to the players in the long run.
The level of volatility indicates the level of risk. If the slot is marked as highly volatile, you can expect the payouts to be scarce but higher.
Lastly, the level of variance tells you the likelihood of hitting any winning combination on a given spin. It's often mixed up with volatility as it also refers to the risk involved.
Colorful slots with upbeat jingles are easy to be drawn to. They invite you over with often cartoonish looks, or they're themed after something that interests you, like food, cars, music, or your favorite TV show. They're also fast-paced games where you may lose the track of time - and of your balance.
Online slots have a lot of different kinds of mechanics and visual aids to keep your attention to the reels. This is why it's very important to remember to play responsibly. Here are a few tips on how you can do that:
Slots also come in different levels of volatility, meaning a high volatile slot may pay heftier but it's not as likely to hit big wins. Low volatile slots pay generally less but more often.
To put it simply: the higher the volatility, the bigger the risks you're taking.
For more information and contact details for support services in the US, check out our Responsible gaming page.
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