Slots

A Complete Online Slots Guide - Everything you Need to Know

In this beginner guide, we look at the wide range of online slots, how they work, and what style suits you best! I’ll also walk you through the wide range of online slot features, jackpots, free spins, and much more, giving you an edge when searching for more of the best slots to play online. Scroll down and let’s get started!

Best Online Slots to Play from New Jersey

Since 2013 – when online casinos were legalised in New Jersey – the launch of hundreds of online slots introduced the latest innovation to PC and mobile players. Some impressed with innovative themes, others with remarkable bonus features, and of course, those with high return to player (RTP) percentages! Let’s get started with the top 10 slots and where you can play them right now.

Best Online Slot GameBest Casino to Play
1. Guns n RosesBorgata Online
2. White Rabbit MegawaysUnibet
3. Book of DeadBetMGM
4. Gonzo’s QuestGolden Nugget
5. Starburst888 Casino
6. Blood SuckersPartyCasino
7. 88 Fortunes MegawaysBetRivers
8. Thunderstruck IIDraft Kings
9. Wheel of Fortune MegawaysWheel of Fortune Casino
10. Extra Chilli MegawaysFanDuel

Online Slots Real Money vs Free Slots

Wouldn’t it be great to play real money slots before committing? It would allow you to test the game, see the bonus features, and simply get a feel of the theme. Well, with online slots it’s entirely possible! In fact, playing demo slots is the exact same as real money, the only difference being the currency.

In free slots, you’ll use ”fun money” that don’t provide any real money winnings, but since it utilises the same RTP (Return to Player) percentage and volatility, it gives you the real money experience. If you then decide to play online slots with real money, you’ll find betting options, features, and the layout are exactly the same.

What are Online Slots?

Consisting of reels and paylines, online slots are casino-based games that provide winnings when you line up symbols to create a combination. It’s the same type of game you’d commonly find at land-based casinos, the only difference is that you can play these on your computer or even a mobile device.

Starburst slot
Starburst is one of the Most Famous Online Slots

Of course, the selection of video slot games is much greater online since casinos aren’t restricted by floor space. Instead, you can choose from thousands of games and enjoy better features, higher return to player (RTP) percentages, and do so without travelling!

Advantages of Playing Online Slots with Real Money

While practising is important to play responsibly, free slots online also give you the opportunity to activate the bonuses and see how they work. However, those big winnings don’t mean much as it’s paid in ”fun money”. Of course, this makes the biggest advantage of playing for real money quite obvious, you get to win real money!

Let’s take a look at other advantages:

How to win more on slots in New Jersey

Advantages of playing Online Slots for Free

As mentioned above, free slots online give you the opportunity to play the real money game. Therefore, you’ll know exactly how it works, what bonuses can trigger, and the available betting options when you play slots for real money. Of course, there are lots of other advantages when playing free slots, including:

  • Play without Risking Real Money
  • Play for as long as you’d like
  • Try just about All Online Slots
  • Play the Latest Releases as soon as they Launch

Are Online Slots Safe to Play in New Jersey?

It’s always important to use the safest practices when playing at casinos online, and the same applies to games. Luckily, New Jersey provides access to a wide range of safe and secure casinos that follow strict regulations, thanks to license agreements. This makes the slot games 100% safe and secure to play while ensuring responsible gambling.

Are Online Slots Legal in New Jersey

Since 2013, it’s 100% legal and safe to play online slots in New Jersey. The NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement regulates the market, ensuring player safety above all. This relates to gaming fairness, payment security, privacy, and more. Thus, it’s highly recommended to play with a licensed online casino.

New Jersey DGE

Are Online Slots Fair?

Yes, game providers use third-party agencies like eCOGRA and iTech Labs to certify the RNG (Random Number Generator) software. Furthermore, these software companies are independently audited and regulated by licensing bodies such as the NJ DGE. You can ensure that slots online are 100% fair at licensed online casinos.


Why Play Slots Online?

Once you start play online, you’ll quickly discover the best slots to play are much easier to access on your computer or mobile device. Game providers for online casinos constantly release new slots, featuring various themes, bonus features, and higher Return to Player (RTP) percentages. Other great advantages of playing online slots include:

Online SlotsSlot machines in Landbased Casino
Play from your home
Variety of games
Bonuses
Promotions

All the Slots Types

All online slots are video slots as they don’t use mechanical reels to set each spin into mention. Of course, it allows game developers to get creative with innovative features, themes, and graphics. Therefore, you’ll find online slots come in a much bigger array of styles, including:

VariantRTPVolatility
3-Reel Slots94% – 97%Usually High
5-Reel Slots95% – 98%Low to High
7-Reel Slots96% – 98%Low to Medium
Classic Slots & Fruit Machines93% – 96%Usually High
Video Slots94% – 99%Low to High
3D Slots94% – 97%Low to High
Bonus-Buy Slots95% – 97%Medium to High
Hold and Win Slots95% – 97%Medium to High
Progressive Jackpot Slots94% – 96%Usually High
Megaways Slots 95% – 98%Usually High
Cluster Slots 95% – 96%Low to High
Ways to Win Slots95% – 98%Low to High

3-Reel Slots

Smokin Triples 3 Reel Slot
Smokin Triples is a popular classic Online Slot

Usually referred to as classic online slots for their basic layout and limited paylines, 3 reel slots remain popular, thanks to low betting options and high winnings. Most of these games provide high volatility, which focus on combination as most don’t provide any features. A great example of a classic slot online is:

5-Reel Slots

Starburst 5 reel slot
Starburst is one of the best slots to play online

Commonly combined with special features such as free spins and bonus games, five reeled online slots have become the most popular. Game providers deliver various themes, features, and volatility that ranges from low to high with betting options that suit any budget. The number of paylines start from as little as five up to over a thousand! Popular five reel online slots include:

7-Reel Slots

Reef Raider 7 reel slot
Spin 7 Reels and Trigger Clusters in Reef Raider

Online slots with seven reels? Sounds nearly impossible, right? Well, game providers such as NetEnt have created cluster pays, which commonly features a grid of 7×7 where symbols appear. These slots don’t usually have paylines as they depend on clusters to complete combinations. Have a look at ”cluster pays slots” section below. Here are some popular seven reel online slots to check out:

Classic Slots and Fruit Machines

Fruit Slot Christmas Edition Slot
Discover modern fruit slots with Fruit Shop Christmas Edition

Available on three and five reeled online slots, classic and fruit themes come in various shapes and sizes from multiple developers. Interestingly, fruit symbols appeared on some of the very first slots, rewarding candy when a player managed to line up three of the same fruits across the payline. Today, those themes have evolved into some of the best slots to play online, such as:

Video Slots

Book of Dead video slot online
Book of Dead is one of the most famous Video Slots Online

All online slots are video slots as they don’t use mechanical reels as with the older classics seen in land-based casinos. Therefore, this selection would include everything from three reels up to seven reels, any theme you can think of, and loads of special bonus features. The most popular online video slots include:

3D Slots

Gonzo’s Quest 3D slot
See how Gonzo jump into Action in Gonzo’s Quest

Have you ever played an online slot that looks like it could be an animated movie? Well, these are 3D slots that provide the most impressive features and themes as top-rated developers show off their abilities. These attractive slots online usually provide impressive bonus features and could range from three reels all the way to seven reels. Popular 3D slots online include:

Bonus-Buy Slots

Extra Chilli Megaways Bonus Buy
Activate Free Spins with Bonus Buy in Extra Chilli Megaways

Those big win features could take long to activate and slots like to tease us by nearly activating the feature, ”Ahhhh, I needed just one more bonus symbol!” Well, with bonus buy slots you get to trigger the feature whenever you choose. Of course, this requires an additional fee, but it could be a great option when you’re feeling lucky! Popular bonus buy slots online include:

Hold and Win Slots

Love Joker Slot
Collect Hearts for Massive Multipliers in the Love Joker Slot

Whether it’s a bonus feature or a special action that follows a winning combination, hold and win slots are a fan favorite! Symbols are held in place while the other reels spin again, possibly adding more symbols to further extend the win. If you get more symbols to match, the feature repeats until no additional combinations or symbols activate. Popular hold and win slots online include:

Progressive Jackpot Slots

Divine Fortune Jackpot Slot
Trigger Massive Jackpots in NetEnt’s Divine Fortune Slot

Striking multi-million dollar prizes in one spin makes progressive jackpot slots incredibly popular among all players. Instead of fixed jackpot rewards as with most slots, each spin played from around the world contribute towards the jackpot pool. If you manage to line up the combination or make your way through the feature, the entire jackpot pool is yours! Popular progressive jackpot slots online include:

Megaways Slots

Wheel of Fortune Megaways Slot
Wheel of Fortunes Megaways offers 117,649 ways to win

Launching the first title in 2016, Big Time Gaming introduced an entirely new mechanic that delivered over 100,000 ways to win. It’s called Megaways slots, which spread through all types of game themes from various developers. These online slots commonly provide impressive bonus features, high volatility, and huge combinations. Some of the most popular Megaways slots online include:

Cluster Slots

Aloha! Christmas Edition
Create Clusters for Huge Wins in Aloha! Christmas Edition

Online slots with no paylines is the best way to describe what cluster pays slot games are all about. These activate winnings when enough symbols appear adjacent to each other vertically and horizontally. These are some of the best slots to play online and usually feature a bigger set of reels, which means even more winnings! Popular cluster pays slots include:

Ways to Win Slots

Choco Reels Online Slot
Choco Reels has 2,304 Ways to Win

Online slots with paylines reward only when matching symbols appear on one or more of those lines, which is quite standard. However, with ways to win, the slot activates winning combinations in any direction as long as matching symbols appear on consecutive reels from the left. Check out some of these online slot reviews to learn more about ways to win:


7 Steps to Master the Game of Slots

It’s important to understand that all slots are based on luck as there’s no way of knowing when the next combination will trigger or how much it would pay. However, you can choose the right slots to improve your chances of winning and ensure a responsible gambling experience that’s entertaining. Below, we’ll take a look at the top seven steps to play the best slots online.

1. Investigate Payouts

While everyone wants the highest payouts, there are a few factors to consider. The best payout slots could mean higher volatility, which indicates that rewards take longer to activate. Online slots with lower payouts are not considered less fair, but rather indicate the winnings would occur more often and your odds of triggering the highest payout are greater.

2. Make sure the RTP is Acceptable

To determine the fairness of a slot, thousands of spins are played to see what’s the average return to player percentage. Since the RTP can be higher or lower at any time, the theoretical percentage is an indication of what you can expect. The best online slots with excellent fairness levels have high RTP percentages ranging from 96% up to 99%, which is usually displayed in the slot’s pay table or game rules.

3. Check the Volatility in Slots

It’s quite uncommon for slots to show the volatility range, but we cover that information as part of our slot reviews. So what does it actually mean, and is high volatility better than medium or low volatile slots online? Let’s dive into the details:

  • High Volatility Slots

Massive standard game payouts or highly rewarding bonus features make high volatility slots online incredibly popular. However, since you have higher winnings, it means the odds of activating those payouts are lower. Therefore, you might need a higher bank roll to accommodate for more spins as payout might only occur once in a while.

  • Medium Volatility Slots

The majority of online slots fall into the medium volatility range, which is a balance between risk and reward. The payouts are lower than high volatility, but you’ll get to activate winnings and special features more often.

  • Low Volatility Slots

Triggering payouts with just about every spin is attractive, but the rewards are lower. These are great online slots to play with a lower account balance as you’ll trigger features and combinations often. Some of these winnings might seem tiny compared to medium and high volatility slots, but it’s still a win that increases your account balance.

4. Pick the right Slot Bonus

One of the biggest benefits of playing slots online is that casinos provide bonuses of various shapes and sizes. These give you free spins and cash to use as part of your bankroll, which means you have more cash to play the best online slots. Of course, they include terms and conditions, which we’ve explained with bonus offers on the following pages:

5. Practice for free!

There’s simply no better way to find the best slots to play online than to enjoy the real game for free. Free online slots provide access to the real game with ”demo cash” that allows you to test the game, activate features, and much more based on the accurate RTP percentages, features, and more.

6. Watch Streamers Play

Our online casino expert, Dominic, always comes up with the most impressive videos to give you an extra edge in playing online casino games. Some of his most popular videos include the top three Halloween slots, best Megaways slots, and much more. Be sure to check out and subscribe to the NJCasino channel on YouTube and see the best online slots first!

7. Learn the Lingo

PaylineA line indicating the direction or path symbols need to appear to activate combination. Most modern online slots only show these lines with activated combinations.
ReelsThe ”columns” on which symbols appear.
JackpotThe highest payout from a particular combination. Progressive jackpot slots would present the current jackpot above the reels, and reveal how it activates in the pay table.
Free SpinsA bonus feature that usually activates with scatters or bonus symbols. Using the same bet that activated the feature, you’ll get to spin the reels and collect winnings for free.
Wild SymbolsA special symbol that has the ability to represent anything else to complete combinations. The pay table will explain exactly how it works and what symbols it cannot substitute for.
Scatter SymbolsThe only symbol that can create a winning combination without appearing on a payline. These usually provide winnings multiplied by the wager and activate features.
AutoPlayAn optional feature that spins the reels for you based on the settings you select.
MultiplierAs a symbol; the winning combination it’s part of is multiplied. As a feature, multipliers apply to all the combinations in a spin.
Max BetThe highest possible wager per spin instantly activates with max bet. Be careful as some slots would also activate a spin when selecting this option.  
Min BetThis presents the lowest possible wager per spin with all paylines activated.

How do Online Slots work?

Without getting too complicated, it’s quite easy to understand the basics of how online slots work. Firstly, all of them use a Random Number Generator (RNG), which works with a random number sequence to determine what symbols need to appear on the reels. It’s the main factor that ensures accurate theoretical return to player (RTP) percentages and volatility.

How are Slots made?

Companies that create casino games consist of a large professional team, including software engineers and graphic designs to mention just a couple. Online slots are created based on a specific set of rules to meet the fairness and reliability standard of their license agreements. Let’s take a closer look at some of the best game providers:

NetEnt

Established in 1996, NetEnt is one of the original game developers that deliver the most innovative themes and slot features. Having won over 30 awards, it remains a top-rated developer among beginners and professionals.

Microgaming (Games Global)

microgaming

Established in 1994, Microgaming was the first developer to launch games at an online casino. As with NetEnt, the company won multiple awards and strive to deliver the latest innovation with each release. In addition to original titles, you’ll find games from multiple developers in their library.

IGT

International Game Technology (IGT) is one of the most well-known and popular developers for land-based and online casino games. The company was established in 1975, and offers a brilliant range of slots, video Poker, table games, and much more!

Light & Wonder

Light & Wonder logo

Formerly known as Scientific Games (SG), Light & Wonder is a company based in Las Vegas. It provides a wide range of gaming services that feature multiple developers for both land-based and online casinos.


Play Slots on your Phone

Ever-evolving online technology makes it possible to enjoy online slots from any device, including smartphones and tablets. Not only can you play slots at mobile casinos using the browser on your device, but you can also download a range of mobile casino apps.

Wheel of Fortune Casino mobile slots app
Play mobile slots at Wheel of Fortune Casino

Mobile slots are exactly the same as those you’d find using a computer. The only difference is the button positioning as providers strive to deliver a better view on smaller displays. This includes easier access to betting options, pay tables, and other slot settings.


Online Slots are Simply the Best Option

Choosing to play slots online will introduce a world of new opportunities that many land-based casinos simply cannot match. New online slots arrive weekly and offer the latest features we’ve never seen before. This combined with innovative themes, mobile gaming, and betting options that meet the requirements of all players simply makes it the best option.

Besides, just because you play online slots, it doesn’t mean you can’t visit land-based casinos anymore. In fact, since online casinos are partnered with these land-based establishments, you can further enhance your loyalty rewards by playing both online and at the casino.

Frequently Asked Questions

Real money online slots are only available at online casinos. We highly recommend using licensed online casinos that ensures the highest level of gaming fairness, security, and reliability.
To increase your odds of winning, it’s important to understand the fundamentals of online slots. Choosing the right volatility range, higher Return to Player Percentages, and online slots from trusted developers is key.
To determine fair and random winnings, online slots use Random Number Generating (RNG) software, much like slots found in a land-based casino. The software pre-determines the results of each spin and ensures it meets the theoretical Return to Player (RTP) percentage.
To play slots online, you’ll need an account with a licensed online casino. While it’s possible to play demo games with an account, you’ll need to make a deposit to play for real money.