Popular real money slots

In the age of virtual reality and instant gratification, online casinos are an increasingly popular gambling choice, and with so many options, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of games. If you’re searching South Africa’s online casinos for something that’s simple and tons of fun, we recommend trying your luck at our pick of popular real money slots.

What’s so great about slots?

Slots are so much fun to play because they’re easy to get into – not much brain power needed – and they don’t require you to lay down a whole lot of money. They’re a quick fun fix with massive potential jackpots, and you can get dizzy trying to keep up with the sheer numbers of them. Casino games providers today go all out to bring you mindblowing graphics around captivating themes and heroes that make you want to surmount the greatest obstacles.

 How to bet on slots

Although this is a game of pure luck, you can still tailor a betting strategy that keeps you afloat and brings a grin to your face once in a while. Placing a bet couldn’t be simpler: choose your denomination and click ‘spin’ to get started. Some slots have an Autoplay function which is great if you don’t want to have to spin manually. Usually, you need at least 3 or 4 matching symbols along one of the win lines to win. And while you wait to hit those wins, it’s so easy to keep spinning and enjoy the sounds and visuals of the game.

Some features of slots games

• Wild – a wild symbol is a substitute for all other symbols and can either be transferring, expanding or sticky, giving you a chance to win big
• Bonus games/symbols – bonus games are a departure from the main game that give you a chance to win extra money while having a bit of themed fun. Hitting bonus symbols in the main game gives you another chance to win.
• Scatter symbol – a slot player’s best friend. They can appear in any position on any reel and can reward you with a win or unlock a bonus feature such as a free spins round.
• Multiplier symbols are always a welcome sight. They multiply your winnings by that number and can range from 2x to a crazy 100x or even 1000x depending on the game. Multipliers come in different forms and can feature on the main reels or as part of special rounds or bonus games.
• Free spin rounds are a bonus feature that gives you a chance to boost your winnings. Watch your total add up as your free spins revolve. This is a common bonus feature on slots.
• Tumbling/cascading reels – if you’re a slots fan looking for an extra kick, you’ll enjoy this one with all your senses. Tumbling or cascading reels work the same way as a standard reel, except that symbols fall or cascade down. And here’s the best bit: a series of winning symbols vanishes to allow new symbols to appear, giving you another chance to win on that same spin. Some of the accompanying sound effects for cascading slots can be very satisfying.
• Retriggering gives you extra spins to boost your winnings – a fabulous addition to the genius that is the slot game.
• RTP is the return to player rate – it’s how much money the game gives back to all players over an extended period. So it’s an average. Some slots have a higher RTP than others.
• Win both ways – this is a fun feature where you can either claim wins with the reel from left to right or in the opposite direction. Not every slot has this feature so when you find it, do your happy dance and keep winning.
• Paylines are rows on which your symbols must land to generate a win. They depend on the number of reels and can vary from game to game. In a game of 3 reels, the central row is usually the pay line. Most slots let you select the number of paylines you want to play and how much you want to bet on each line.
• Pay tables – access this from the main game screen of an online slot for game information including scatter and wild symbols, payouts for winning combinations and how to get to bonus games. Clicking on the pay table opens up a separate window. It’s a good idea to have a look at this before you start playing so that you know what’s what and can take advantage of the game’s features.
• Progressive jackpots – some slots’ jackpots don’t zero out after each play but continue adding up until you’re sitting on a mighty jackpot with a chance of winning big. Some players only play progressive slots because the thrill of that ever expanding pot of gold is too good to miss.

Popular real money slots at SA online casinos

Playlive has over 100 different slots to choose from, with developers like BetSoft and Play ‘n Go behind them, so you can never get bored at this online casino that makes players feel like rockstars. Slots at PlayLive include:

• Savanna Stampede
• Sugar Rush Summertime
• Grim Muerto
• Crown Gems
• Eye of the Kraken
• Black Hawk
• Lucky Babies
• Space Race
• Cruise of Fortune
• Slots Angels
• Wild Antics
• Megaways Buffalo Rising
• Star Joker
• Tree of Gold
• Asgard
• Tower Quest
• Journey to the West
• Super Fortune Dragon

 Yebo a truly South African casino, has a wide range of slots powered by RTG, including:

• Ghost Ship
• God of Wealth
• Hen House
• Ocean Oddities
• Paydirt
• The Big Bopper
• Zhanzhi
• Snowmania
• Dragon Orb
• Fu Chi
• Achilles
• Texan Tycoon

Springbok, with its South African colours and bilingual play options, boasts a glorious RTG slots selection:

• 5 Wishes
• 777
• Aladdin’s Wishes
• Ancient Gods
• Aztec’s Treasure
• Bubble Bubble & Bubble Bubble 2
• Builder Beaver
• Cai Hong
• Caesar’s Empire
• Cash Bandits and Cash Bandits 2
• Cleopatra’s Gold
• Count Spectacular
• Coyote Cash
• Crazy Vegas
• Crystal Waters
• Cubee – The Travel Adventure

 Yeti has a whole host of fantastic slots from established developers such as NetEnt, Big Time Gaming and Novomatic, including:

• 777 Burn Em Up
• Action Bank Plus
• Bars and 7s
• Lucky Bells
• Burning Hot Respin
• Bar-X Hot Spins
• All That Cash Power Bet
• Bells on Fire
• Fruit Box
• Hot Neon
• Wild 7
• Big Runner
• Magic 81
• Hit it Hard
• Always Hot Deluxe
• Hot Twenty
• Chronos Joker
• Hot Fruits 40
• Sizzling Hot Deluxe

Punt offers some of RTG’s most popular slots, including:

• Eternal Love
• Samba Sunset
• Gemtopia
• Lucha Libre 2
• Panda Magic
• Sweet 16
• Lucky 6
• Kung Fu Rooster

 A handful of popular real money slots we recommend

Some advice on playing slots

• Play higher denominations. To increase your chances of a winning combination when playing slots, always play the slots with a higher price per spin or bet as often as possible for a higher chance of payout – a win-win for any gambler.

• Bet the maximum. Always bet the maximum number of lines to increase your chances of a payout and make sure that you don’t miss out on any part of the game. You’re in it; you might as well be all in.

• Test games first. Before you decide to bet real money, play the free version of titles you are interested in. This way you can test the tips you’ve read and practice and develop your strategy for when you play for real. Playing for free also helps you find which slots you enjoy before you put your rands on the line.

• Most important slot tip: Don’t get hung up on ‘due’ payouts. It may be difficult to accept, but the result of each bet or spin is completely random, controlled by a random number generator RNG. ‘Due’ payouts don’t exist, so don’t waste your time or money chasing a hit you think is due because it’s your lucky day or because you’ve been sitting here for two hours now and the last few spins looked promising.

• Know your budget and stick to it. If you start your play session with a total play amount allocated, and make sure you leave when it’s finished, you keep it clean and you stay sane by making sure you have fun without losing more than you have in the process.

• Know when to stop. While playing slots is fun, it’s addictive and can cause huge losses if not played responsibly. Setting a budget and time limit stops you getting caught up in the excitement of the game and spending your life savings to chase that payout.

Let us know which are your favourite slots and why. And most importantly, have fun.