Are There Any Differences Between Traditional and Online Slots in Canada?

The main differences between traditional slots (which are also known as mechanical slots or fruit machines) and online slots in Canada are the obvious ones. For example, online slots are played at online casinos using either a desktop, laptop, smartphone, or tablet device, and they are played in a virtual environment rather than in a physical, land-based casino or other similar licensed gambling venue.

What are the main differences between traditional and online slots?

Online slot machines often come as 3-reel slots or 5-reel slots, which you can play on a computing device using a screen. You have to be connected to the internet to play an online slot, and you can only play these games at any fully licensed casino online in Canada. In comparison, traditional slots are often played at licensed bricks-and-mortar casinos, and they are played from what can be likened to traditional video game machines.

Some of these traditional slots are physically designed for just one game, and other machines have ten or more games to choose from with just a standard gaming machine design. Many of the more basic traditional slots also have a crank/lever that must be pulled to spin the reels. Some traditional slots will only pay out when the money tubes for the coins or the money trays for the notes have reached a certain point, whereas the outcomes of online slots at online casinos are determined by Random Number Generators (RNGs).

What is a slot’s RTP, and what are RNGs?

A Random Number Generator, or RNG, is the software (a mathematical algorithm program that produces random outcomes with no discernible patterns) that produces the outcomes for online slot machines. The RTP (Return to Player) payout percentage rate is the average amount a slot pays out over a certain period of time, say four weeks.

RNGs and the way in which the reels of an online slot spin are both designed to give you the illusion of a reel slot producing a random outcome, that’s all. However, RNGs produce results that are about as realistic as can be, which means there’s nothing to worry about. Better still, the odds of winning at online slots are greater than winning at some of the traditional slots.

For example, most online slots today tend to have an average Return to Player (RTP%) percentage payout rate of around 93.00% to 98.00% or higher. Let’s just say that a hundred players spent exactly $/€/£1,000,000.00 on the famous Immortal Romance online slot from Microgaming at ComeOn Casino and that those same players received back, on average, $/€/£967,800.00 in winnings. It means that the Immortal Romance slot had an average 96.78 RTP% payout rate for that period. The remaining $/€/£32,00 would have been kept by the casino as revenue. The payout rates are monitored and frequently tested by trusted third-party organisations, such as TST (Technical Systems Testing) and eCOGRA (eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance).

Can online slots be trusted?

Yes, especially online slots that have been developed by leading online casino software providers that are licensed to develop these games, such as Pragmatic Play, Playtech, NetEnt, Play’n GO, IGT, Red Tiger Gaming, Yggdrasil Gaming, Thunderkick, Blueprint Gaming, ELK Studios, Relax Gaming, iSoftBet, and, as mentioned, Microgaming, to name just a few industry leaders.

Don’t forget that you are not always guaranteed to win, and always make sure that you select your preferred stake by using the player controls prior to hitting the spin button. For example, the default stake could be set to $/€/£2.00 per spin, and you may only be able to afford to spend $/€/£0.20 per spin, especially if you deposited just $/€/£10.00. You would only get five spins at $/€/£2.00 per spin as opposed to 50 spins at $/€/£0.20 per spin.

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