Just because online casinos are all the rage does not mean that the old ways to partake in slot games have gone entirely. Brick and mortar casinos are still around and are doing good business. They offer everything that an online casino does from casino games, fruit machines and slot machines. However, there are striking differences between brick and mortar games and slots game online. How are new slots online different to the traditional fruit machines and slots?
Digital format with new slots
The main thing that separates slots online from physical machines is that they occupy a digital space. This means that the slots are created using pixels instead of real, physical materials. This offers one huge advantage to slots online. They do not take up as much room. You can house over a hundred of these new online slots on just one online casino and not worry. In a brick and mortar casino, you are limited by how much room you have to hold these large, cumbersome machines.
New multi-screen features
How do you feature a bonus round in a new slot online? It is quite easy actually. The pixels that make up the game disappear and new set of pixels create a new environment for the bonus round to take place. When the bonus round is over, the game simply switches back to the main game in an instant. With slots online, the game can do this as many times as it needs across multiple bonus rounds. Compare this to a physical fruit or slot machine. How do you feature a bonus round? Well, you can’t really. Unless you add an additional screen but then that just takes up more space. That’s space that another casino games can occupy in the casino. Therefore, there are fewer limitations to new slots that you should play.
New online slot themes
Carrying on with the idea of fewer limitations, this goes for theming too. If you search through the hundreds of slots online, you will find that each one sports its own theme and identity. From pirate ships, Vikings, ancient Rome to cuddly cartoons, online slots can feature any theme or environment that they desire.
On top of this, they can implement bonus features and mini-games to work alongside these themes making new slots worth trying. Fruit and slot machines cannot do theming as effortlessly. Again, we are talking about them needing more space to do this. Other than a few pictures on the reels and surrounding area, that is as far as theming goes in brick and mortar casinos.
Higher RTP rates on newer slot games
It is no secret that RTP rates, or return to player rates, are higher at an online casino. The return to player rate is how often the game will pay real money back to the player on a spin.
One reason for this is the demand. Over 78% of slots players now play slots online and that can be hard for an online casino r a slot developer to manage. How do you ensure that players choose your game? You raise the RTP rate.
When this starts to happen across the board, the RTP rates online creep up to an average of 95%. When looking at the average RTP rate of a physical fruit or new slot machine, we often find that it sits at an average of around 83%.
Online slots pay out more on average, therefore it isn’t hard to see why new slots online are the preferred gaming option.
Slots as a social activity
We have already seen many instances where new slots online are a massive improvement over fruit and slot machines but not everything is in the favour of the online casino. It is true, you can access slots online from anywhere but more often than not, people choose to play at their home desk. This isn’t a very social experience.
What brick and mortar casinos have always provided is a place for casino game players to gather and enjoy the games together. You are more likely to find likeminded people at one of these casinos and enjoy fruit and slot machines with a group of people than when playing slots online. Of course, this isn’t a universal truth as you can invite people to your house to play online slots but nothing will ever replace that feeling of winning in a group on a real fruit or slot machine.
Some might find it unfair to compare new slots online to fruit or slot machines. However, the benefits of an online space are undeniable. It is up to personal preference, but new slots online do seem to win this contest.