Online Slots

Welcome to Black Spins Online Casino! We feature a superb range of online slots from some of the most acclaimed developers in the industry. In addition to offering some of the best online slots currently available, we also include a great collection of instant-win casino games such as Slingo. But for those of you looking to play online slot games, you’re most definitely in the right place. Read on for more information!

Our Range of Online Casino Slots

Our range of slot games numbers well over 300 and is graced by established classics as well as numerous new releases. We also recognised that real money players like a spot of variety when it comes to playing slots. As a result, you’ll find three-reel, five reel and progressive jackpot slot games. To help you make the most out of these acclaimed titles, we operate a generous welcome bonus and other perks to help you make the most out of your casino gaming experience here at Black Spins. Head over to our casino promotions section for more information.

Our Slot Game Developers

Like all good online casinos, Black Spins has partnered with some of the leading developers of slot games. These companies have forged formidable reputations over the past fifteen years or so by crafting online casino slots that push the boundaries in terms of innovation and immersion. We’ll be offering more information about these esteemed companies a bit later on. For now though, let’s take a look at the different types of online slots that you’ll find at Black Spins, as well as most top online casinos.

Different Kinds of Online Slots

Most of the best online casino sites offer a variety of slot games to keep their customers happy. Some are straight up conversions of land based slot machines. Others however, have been developed from the ground up – these types of games are specifically aimed at those looking to play slots online to the exclusion of all else. Let’s begin with a classic reel configuration that owes much to the slot machines of old.

Three-Reel Slots Online

Three reel slots are basic casino games that are based on land based slot machines. Most of them don’t include any side games or bonus rounds at all. Instead, players need only match symbols across a small number of pay-lines. While not ideal for real money gamers looking to play slots with a touch of sophistication, three-reelers are well suited to casuals or newbies.

Five-Reel Slots Online

Five reel slots, often known as video slots, dominate most online casino lobbies. More often than not, they feature more elaborate game play than those present in classic slot machines. Many of the latest five reel games are replete with all kinds of jackpot bonus features and in-game elements. They also tend to include additional pay-lines and more lucrative pay-outs.

Six-Reel Slots Online

While not as common as five reel games, six reel video slots are beginning to become more and more prevalent at online casino sites. As indicated by the name, their game areas comprise unconventional reel configurations that can take the form of 3 x 6 or even 4 x 6 layouts. Those who like playing slots are often attracted to these variants because the additional reel increases the potential winning combinations quite dramatically. Online slots developers like them because they’ve got more scope to add visual embellishments to play.

Progressive Jackpot Slots Online

As any fan of slot games will tell you, progressive jackpot slots are the most lucrative casino games of all. They feature jackpots that grow every time the game is played without somebody winning the main prize. These high-paying slot machine games pool a small proportion of player stakes across a wide network that often incorporates hundreds of online casinos. Consequently, the prizes can often reach millions of pounds. When the progressive jackpot is claimed, it gets reset to a pre-specified sum. These games are available as land based machines and of course online slots, of which the latter pay out much larger jackpots.

How Play Online Slots

It’s fair to say that with simple casino games such as three-reel slot most real money players need little guidance. For these slots, play is extremely basic with gamers merely required to hit spin and hope for the best. But this certainly can’t be said of most five or six reel video slots these days.

Thanks to better technologies and a far more demanding customer-base, developers spend most of their time crafting feature-laden slot games. Because of this, a lot of the latest online games are far removed from the slot machine cabinets of old.

With this in mind, here are a few pointers regarding some of the things you should definitely look out for before parting with your money. While these tips won’t guarantee success, they may very well protect your bankroll over the longer-term.

Let’s begin by looking at the actual symbols – bear in mind that a lot of what follows is aimed at newbies. More experienced real money players may want to head straight to our outstanding range of casino games!

Standard Online Slot Symbols

Loads of online slots (far too many in our book) use playing card imagery to represent low value symbols, such as Aces, Kings, Queens and Jacks. Why? Because it’s easier for the casino developers. In fairness, some also like to acknowledge the heritage and history of traditional slot machines. Many of these old-school games used to include them, along with fruit symbols, on their mechanical reels. Mercifully, a growing number of video slots now feature theme-specific images.

Special Online Slot Symbols

The reels of all modern video slots are decorated with special symbols that can unlock jackpot bonus features and free spins rounds or replace other symbols to form winning combinations. These are known as scatters and wilds.

Scatter Symbols

Whether you’re playing free slots or real-money games, scatter symbols are attention-getters for casino gamers. Why? Because they can unlock bonus features. In contrast to standard symbols though, they don’t have to appear multiple times or across a specific pay-line. In most cases, you only need to land a single scatter in order to activate a treasure-trove of mini-games, free spins and other additional features. Landing one of these therefore opens up all manner of opportunities when it comes to winning money. Obviously, if you’re paying free slots, then the effect isn’t going to be quite as exciting. But you’ll still get the chance to preview some of the bonus features you’ll be able to enjoy when playing the real money version.

Wild Symbols

Wild symbols are extremely useful when it comes to forming pay-lines. They replaced all others (apart from scatters) to help form winning combinations. Therefore, anybody who likes to play online slots for real money covets wilds in a big-way. But there’s a catch. Wild symbols will often only appear on certain reels; usually two, three or four. Sot to compensate, some slots feature special expanding wilds that fill entire reels, thus boosting a player’s chance of forming a winning combo quite substantially. Then you’ve got sticky wilds that remain fixed in place for a set number of spins, as well as shifting wilds which move along the reels.

Online Slot Bonus Rounds

The best online video slots include extra bonus features that can help take play to a whole new level. Although not for everyone, most gamers who like to play slots for real money will make a bee-line to games with these extra elements. Here’s a run-down of popular bonus round games that you can expect to see in some of the latest slots.

Bonus Wheel Rounds

Bonus wheel rounds follow the same principle as those often found with casino welcome bonus offers. They’re also present in some of the latest bricks-and-mortar slot machines. In most instances, you’ll need to land one or more scatters to gain access. A specific amount of spins will then be awarded (usually related to how many scatters initially appeared). You should then get the chance to spin for cash prizes, multipliers and other game-specific bonuses. Some big-money progressive video slots (Mega Fortune) also feature bonus wheel games. Unlike standard versions though, these will often be tiered, requiring players to progress through each one in order to get their hands on the big prize. This is of course, easier said than done!

Pick and Match/Win Rounds

Pick and match bonus round games are similar to pick and win games. Unlock this particular feature and you’ll get the chance to select from a collection of themed boxes to reveal cash, free spins or multiplier prizes. However, pick and match games differ from pick and win versions in that you’ve got to continue picking until you match at least two prizes. Rainbow Riches Pick ‘n’ Mix is perhaps one of the most famous examples.

Free Spins Rounds

Free spins rounds kick in when you form a certain combination of bonus symbols or by landing scatters. Once they’re activated, you’re given a set number of free spins (based on the number of scatters in a lot of cases) which are then played through without impacting your bankroll. The free spins can sometimes be of the same value as the bet amount that was in place when they were activated. And some of the best online slots include rounds that feature win multipliers.

Online Slot Game Engines/Mechanics

So what kind of mechanics grace can you expect to see when playing the best real money video slots? Well, at the time of writing, there are four that really stand out. Given how innovative casino developers have become over the past decade, this isn’t likely to remain the case for very long. Here are four standout engines that can also be previewed when playing free slots (demo versions).

Cascading Reels Mechanic

The cascading/rolling reels mechanic can be found in a massive number of online slots. Basically, when you hit a winning combination, the symbols drop off the reels to be replaced with new ones. Although this doesn’t sound particularly ground-breaking, you’ve got the chance to bag some huge pay-outs because the cascade effect continues, until it’s no longer possible to create wins. What’s more, some slots will also reward multipliers with each cascade.

Cluster Pays Mechanic

Online slots with the cluster pays mechanics pay out in bunches as opposed to traditional pay-lines. So in order to win, you’ll need to land at least four adjacent symbols. Slots with cluster pays engines include larger game areas than standard online slot machines. Most real money versions comprise 5 x 6 configurations which can of course boost your chances of triggering pay-outs. And in contrast to video slots which have pre-specified pay-lines, clusters can be formed anywhere.

Megaways Engine

The Megaways Engine was developed by Big Time Gaming (one our casino partners) and has changed the way people play online slot machines. This widespread game mechanic makes use of random number modifiers that alter the number of symbols that appear on the reels for each spin. So although you’re still required to match adjacent symbols, the addition of extra ones gives you more ways to win. In fact, the majority of these games include up to 117,647 opportunities to receive some sort of pay-out.

Megaquad Engine

The Megaquad engine is another innovation from Big Time Gaming. Games with this feature comprise four sets of mini slot game areas with 4 x 4 layouts, of which each offers 256 ways to win. As is the case with standard slot games, wins are possible by creating winning combinations from left to right. However, the first game in the series, Slot Vegas, includes a Rainbow Wild Bonus that merges the reels together to create more than 65,000 pay-lines. It remains to be seen whether or not this feature will be repeated in future Megaquad games. Nonetheless, it’s an enticing prospect!

Playing Slots -Basic Tips

Ok, so we’ve talked about the symbols, jackpot bonus rounds and in-game mechanics present with most of the best online slots games. But how do you improve your chance of winning money while protecting your bank-balance? Well, you’ll need to take into account the pay-lines, stake-levels, RTP and volatility of all slots. You should also look out for free slots play – as well discuss a bit later these allow you to test drive games for no extra cost. Anyway, let’s begin with pay-lines.

Online Slot Pay-Lines

Pay-lines are known as betting or winning lines. They’re basically pre-specified paths/positions upon which the symbols must land for slot machines to pay out money. Unlike old-school three reel games, the latest slots will include multiple pay-lines; usually at least twenty. Although this may seem a bit daunting at first, after you’ve been playing slots for a while, they’ll become more far familiar. All online slot machines include precise information about their pay-lines so if in doubt, click the information tab.

Online Slot RTP

In contrast to live dealer casino games, slots are powered by random number generators. While it’s perfectly possible to use house edge to calculate what you’re up against in the long-run, it’s better to rely on the Return to Player formula. RTP is expressed as a percentage and indicates how much a slot will pay out per one hundred bets. Therefore, a casino slot game that features an RTP of 97% will payout £97 for every £100 staked. Worth remembering too is that the RTP isn’t an exact calculation, more a very close estimate. Regardless, it’s an invaluable indicator of a game’s long-term value and should be a key consideration for anybody looking to play slots sensibly.

Online Slot Volatility

The volatility of slots indicates how frequently a game will pay-out. Naturally this is another important thing to bear in mind. Low volatility slots will pay out regular, albeit, small sums of money. For high volatility slots, it’s possible to hit larger jackpot prizes although nowhere near as often. The extent of your casino gaming budget should help you determine which is more suitable. Players with smaller bankrolls often gravitate towards low volatility slots for obvious reasons. High-rollers often prefer games that pay-out big prizes, for the simple fact that they’re better placed to absorb the costs of waiting for the jackpot. To see how volatility works over the long-term, try playing frees slots, either at the developer site or your chosen casino.

Play Free Slots

One of the best ways to familiarise yourself with a game and avoid losing money is to play freeslots versions first. Many top casino sites allow players to do just this. So if you’ve got the opportunity, we recommend you take full advantage because the game-play for real money versions is exactly the same for demo slots. Free versions must, as stipulated by regulatory bodies such as the UK Gambling Commission, match the play of standard variants.

Leading Developers of Online Slots

Black Spins Casino partners with a number of leading developers of casino games. These companies are among the most acclaimed outfits in the industry and have built a reputation for developing exciting online casino slots. Here are five of the best.

Blueprint

Blueprint is based in the UK and has created some incredible slot games over the years. To date, this respected casino developer has released more than 100,000 games for land-based venues. It also does a decent line in online casino slots as well as well as jackpot titles.

Major Online Slots – Buffalo Rising, Diamond Mine, Jackpot King: Eye of Horus, King Kong Cash, Mighty Griffin

Big Time Gaming

As previously mentioned, Big Time Gaming has made a name for itself, thanks largely to the shape-shifting Megaways engine. The Aussie upstarts also boast an outstanding back-catalogue of casino slot games that can be found in the lobbies of many web-based casinos, including ours!

Major Online Slots – Kingmaker Megaways, Slot Vegas Megaquads, Star Clusters Megaclusters, Royal Mint Megaways, Opal Fruits,

Microgaming

Microgaming was around during the infancy of web-based gambling. In fact, it lays claim to being the first company to create a bona-fide online casino platform (way back in 1994). Today, Microgaming continues to develop casino gaming software as well as hit slot games. So successful has this company become in this department that it’s considered absolute royalty within the industry.

Major Online Slots – Book of Oz, Immortal Romance, Mega Moolah Progressive, Retro Galaxy, Thunder Struck II

NetEnt

Net Ent has its roots in the land-based casino sector, as is the case with a lot of developers. But now, the company focuses on the creation of online casino titles. Over the past ten year or so, NetEnt has created more than 200 amazing slot games that raise the bar in terms of ingenuity and imagination. As testament to the company’s talents, it serves games to well over 200 operators around the world.

Major Online Slots – Gonzo’s Quest, Hotline 2, Jungle Spirit, Rage of the Seas, Street Fighter II

Pragmatic Play

Pragmatic Play launched back in 2007 so it hasn’t been around for quite as long as some of the other companies mentioned here. But it’s made up for this in a big way by crafting some brilliant slots and table games. In a relatively short space of time, Pragmatic Play has built up a sizeable portfolio of games which it supplies to hundreds of high-profile operators.

Major Online Slots – Aztec Gems, Great Rhino Deluxe, Pyramid King, Street Racer, Wild Wild Riches

Don’t forget, that in addition to real money/free slots, we also include a great collection of instant win games such as virtual scratch cards and Slingo. These are ideal if you’re looking for a break from spinning reels!

Check out our Exciting Casino Promotions

Be sure to head over to our promotions section. You’ll find information about a generous welcome bonus, as well as other fabulous perks that can be used with most of our games. We want to you enjoy your gaming experience here at Black Spins Casino – we believe these will help!