10 Tips on How to Choose the Right Online Casino if You Play Slots Online

How to choose the right online casino is a question you might be asking yourself. After all, you don't want to get ripped off, you want to win. Before you deposit a dollar at any online casino, there are several important points to consider.

While online casinos are fun and offer the chance to win a hefty prize, there are also dangers. Some online casinos and gambling sites are scams. Looking into a casino's background and doing a little research before signing up can prevent falling for a scam. While the nature of gambling involves both winning and losing, that doesn't include being ripped off.

There are plenty of good, honest casinos out there, and it's really just a matter of deciding which one is best for you. So, let's go over some tips to first, find a good casino, and second, how to choose the best games.

Only play at licensed online casinos

The best way to avoid getting ripped off by a scam casino is to stick with ones that are licensed in your state. Licensed casinos must meet certain standards to get licensed, and are audited by the state. A casino's licensing information should not be hard to find. If you can't find it on site, contact your state's gambling commission. If your state doesn't have a gambling commission, check to see if the casino has been licensed in any jurisdiction.

Check to see how long the casino has been in business

A casino that has been operating for years, either in your state or elsewhere, is a good choice. For example, Bovada has been operating in the US for nearly a decade and is licensed in Costa Rica.

Find out about the casino’s payout system

Don't deposit a single dollar unless you know how and when players are paid. Don't trust a casino's claim that they offer instant payouts. Also, look at the deposit/withdrawal options; do they offer Skrill or PayPal? VISA and Mastercard? Do they accept BitCoin? Choose a casino with money options that work for you.

Look for awards

Look to see if the casino has won any awards. Next, check to see if the awards are legit. If the awards look legit, that's a good sign.

Check out the casino's user forums

Almost every online casino will have its own forums. If you want nothing but the truth, the forums are the place to look. Are the forums filled with friendly chit-chat about the games? Or, are the forums filled with complaints and accusations against the company? While there are complainers on every forum, if you see a lot of complaining, don't sign up or make a deposit.

Find out what software the casino is using

The software the casino uses can tell a lot. A casino that uses reputable and licensed software is a good choice. Software providers like Playtech, Gaming Realms, Rush Street, and Entain are among the top software developers. An online casino using high-end, reputable software is not a fly-by-night operation.

Customer service and support

This is one thing to look for as you're browsing through the forums; serious complaints about customer service. A good company will have good customer service and a support team. Try testing customer service before signing up, or before you make a deposit, by asking a few questions.

Choose an online casino that is fast

Make sure that the games load and run smoothly on your computer. If your internet connection is low, that can make playing some games nearly impossible. However, if the casino is using high-end, robust servers, that should help serve the games quickly, and help them run smoothly.

Find out about any progressive jackpots offered by the casino

While you're investigating, look into the progressive jackpots and see if anyone has recently won one. That is one way to get a sense if the online slots have been manipulated to benefit the House.

Look at the selection of games the online casino offers

Finally, you want to play at a casino that has the games that you want. If you like slots, pick a casino with lots of great slot games. If you like table games or poker, choose a casino that has a great selection of those games. After all, you want to play the games you know and love.

By choosing the right casino, you'll be able to enjoy your time playing while also protecting your money.

Choosing the right slot games to win

Once you've decided upon the right casino for you, next, step choose the right slot games. Playing the right games is a step towards making playing slots a winning venture. However, by choosing the best of all available casinos, you’ve already improved your odds of winning.

Whatever your reasons for playing at an online casino are, choosing slot games that will be most likely to payout is a smart move.

So, now that you've chosen the best casino, finding the slot games with the highest odds of winning is the next step. How do you choose a good slot game? Most people don’t, they just pick the ones with the prettiest graphics or most intriguing storyline. But, having a plan is a much better way to go about it.

Have a plan to choose the right slot games

Knowing how to pick a slot game takes more than simply picking the prettiest one. The best slot games to play are ones that have the right combination of volatility, limits, Return to Player (RTP), and bonuses. Finding the best slot games to play to improve your chances of winning is the goal.

The slots with the highest Return to Player have the best odds of winning. While you won't win every time, the games with the best RTP are the ones most likely to make you a winner.

The RTP is the percentage of the money that a slot game will pay out to the players. It's not the amount you'll win back when you play and it doesn't indicate you have a bonus round.

The Return to Player is a percentage of 100. Most online slot games have an RTP somewhere between 92-97%. For the best chances of winning, pick slot games with an RTP of 96% or more. 

When people talk about loose slots, they're talking about slots with an RTP above 96%. Everyone wants to play loose slots since there is a better chance of winning. 

How to find the RTP of a slot game

Usually, real money slot games post the RTP in the description, help section, or settings of the slot game. If you can't find it on the casino site, try using a search engine; type in RTP + the name of the game. That should turn up something. 

Determining a slot game's volatility

Another important thing to consider when picking an online slot with the best odds is the volatility. The volatility of a slot game is a measurement of risk; volatility determines how you can win at the game. 

The odds of winning at Low Volatility Slot Games are high. It's relatively easy to hit a winning combination of reels. But, low volatility slot games offer smaller jackpots. That means, your winning combinations won't be worth as much.

The odds of winning at High Volatility Slots are smaller, but they pay bigger jackpots. With enough money and a strategy, high volatility games can win you a lot more.

Casino websites make it harder to find a slot game's volatility, compared to RTP. The best way to accomplish this is to use your favorite search engine and type in the game's name + volatility. Or, the game's name + variance (variance is another term for volatility).

To win at high volatility slots, you need patience, and enough money to play for a long time. High volatility slots are risky. You simply can't tell how much time and money you'll need to win. If you have a small bankroll, and are short on time, sticking with low volatility slots might be better for you.

Playing progressive slots

While the big cash prizes offered by progressive slots look very tempting, hold back a minute. Progressive slots have the lowest RTPs on average. That means, your odds of winning aren't that great. Furthermore, you must always wager the maximum for a chance at the big jackpots. That could mean you'll end up spending more than you can afford before you even get close to winning.

If you are on a limited budget and want to increase your chances of winning, avoiding a progressive slot machine might be the smart move. Before you start dumping money into a slot with a progressive jackpot, compare its RTP with the non-progressive slots. You'll understand why playing for a life-changing jackpot isn't always the best option.

Don't always go with the top games

The Top Games listed on the front page of the casino could be player favorites. Or, they could also be the slots with the lowest RTP and volatility that favors the House. While you have made the effort to choose a reputable casino, that doesn't mean they're not in it for the money. High RTP slots mean less profit for the casino.

Also, the “branded” games, featuring characters from your favorite TV shows, video games or movies are not as likely to payout. Game developers and casinos count on fans going straight to the branded games; thus, they can count on a lot of players. Also, buying the rights to use a popular brand isn't cheap, and both the game developer and the casino need to make that profitable. Consequently, branded games have some of the lowest RTP numbers around.

Instead of choosing from the top games, try scrolling to the bottom. Look at the “least favorite” games. You might find one with a combination of RTP and volatility that favors the players. Not only that, the “least favorite” games are probably just as fun as the Top Games. By giving the underdogs a chance, you might just come out a winner!

Listen to other players

If your casino has a user forum, see what other players have to say about certain slot games. Also, many of the online slot games are the same as the slot machine games found in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Also, see what live casino players have to say about each game. You can find slot player groups on Facebook and Reddit, so take advantage of that knowledge.

Take advantage of free spins

Using your casino bonuses to the fullest is vital to playing slots online; it does give you a small advantage. The most common bonus is free spins, as well as bonus money to match your deposit.

However, most free slot bonuses only let you play certain games. Those slot games will be highlighted in the bonus terms and conditions. However, the wagering requirements attached to a bonus can be cumbersome, making them hard to meet.

However, there are free spin bonuses that can be worthwhile. Sometimes, you can win free spins, with no strings attached.

Bet more money

A lot of players try to win their fortune playing penny slots; if that describes you, listen up, especially if you think your pot of gold can be won with one penny slot with a progressive jackpot.

To improve your chances to win free spins on a penny slot means betting more than $0.01. This is because $0.01 bets usually don't unlock free bonus rounds. If you want to get close to the jackpot, you'll likely need bets on every payline. That will bring the total amount to much more than $0.01.

The bottom line is, you can't hit a progressive jackpot on just a penny. Top progressive jackpots are always tied to the maximum bet. You're not going to become a millionaire by betting just a penny. The more you bet, the more you can win. Likewise, the smaller the bet, the smaller the win.

However, betting more also puts your bankroll at greater risk. Never gamble more than you can risk losing.

Roll with small bets

While betting more to win more is one strategy, another is “bankroll cycling”. This involves winning many small jackpots, which add up to big money. This is a good strategy if you are on a budget.

You’re still winning with small jackpots, which is satisfying, and your bankroll won't be shrinking as fast. Even if your bankroll is slowly depleting, it will last longer, giving you more time to win.

It can take 100-120 spins to know if you’re playing a breakeven or a winning slot game. You could know in as few as 20 spins if it's a “bad” game. Trust your instincts, and don't drop a lot of cash on a game, if you can't afford it.

But, always play the maximum credits for the best odds of winning. Filling out all of the pay lines will result in the biggest payouts, even on a penny slot.

Autoplay or stop?

You have the option of stopping the reels yourself or letting it roll on autoplay. While some players place a great deal of faith in their intuition, stopping the reels is actually counterintuitive.

While you may see a winning combination flash on the screen, by the time your trigger finger hits STOP, it's already past.

A slot game can take around 10 seconds to complete a spin. If you stop the game, you can reduce that time to just three seconds. Depending on the average spin time for a game, playing for 30-minutes can range from 180 spins to 600 spins. The fewer spins can equate to fewer chances of winning.

It depends on you; if you have strong, psychic abilities that often come true, trying hitting STOP. If that works, keep going. If not, try letting it fly on autoplay. In the end, you need to see what works for you.

Let's summarize: Improving your chances to win at slots

There are no simple hacks, the best way to improve your chances is to do your homework before you start playing. You need to look for the right numbers and ask a few questions. There are no slot game tips and tricks to guarantee to win.

If you want to give yourself better odds at winning, you need to:

1. Choose slot games with high payouts
2. Pick the slot games with the right level of volatility for you
3. Choose the slot games with the highest RTP
4. Read through the reviews of the slot games from real players on casino sites and social media
5. Sign up for bonuses with low or no wagering requirements
6. Play only with a licensed casino using quality software

While these suggestions might not be enough to beat the slots every time you play, they will help you win more often. The nature of gambling is, you win some and you lose some. However, no matter how the chips fall, maintain your budget, and have fun!