How We Rate and Review Online Slots
Software providers are constantly pushing out new online slots. This means the library of games you can play at online Canadian casinos continues to grow. While this is exciting and gives you a chance to discover new titles, it also makes it harder to know which slots you should bet real money on.
Some slots come with a greater risk than others, even though they all remain games of luck and chance. Knowing what to look for when you play slots is a great way to give yourself an edge. This can help ensure you pick games that are fair and fun. On this page, we’ll tell you more about the process we use to review online slots for Canadians.
Our Review Process
We’ve created reviews for thousands of slots over the years. And we’ve seen how some can provide a much fairer experience for gamblers than others. This is why we’ve developed a complete review process.
Every slot review you can find on our website has gone through this process. It ensures there are specific criteria we use to rate online slots. The key is to ensure the games are fair, secure, and keep gambling fun for Canadian players. Let’s take a closer look at this process and the specific elements we look at during the review.
User Experience
We generally start with the user experience. From the moment the slot loads it should feel entertaining. Many games feature an intro animation, which can really help to create an immersive start before you spin the reels.
When it comes to user experience, the layout of the control panel also matters. It should be simple to use. Setting your bet shouldn’t require opening multiple pages or windows. A plus and minus button or a dropdown helps to keep things straightforward.
Volatility
When it comes to the slot’s technical stats, the first thing we look at is the volatility. This tells you how volatile a slot is. The higher the volatility, the less frequently you’re likely to see symbols match when you spin the reels.
With that said, some people do go after high volatility. There are experts who agree that high volatility may sometimes lead to bigger early wins. If you prefer to keep things safe, then go with medium volatility slots. This is a good spot as it balances win frequency and size.
Most software providers will give you an overview of the volatility. It’s important to note that there are cases where a slot has more than one variance level. For example, the base game may have medium volatility, but during the bonus rounds, it increases.
Return to Player
The next technical stat is the return to player, often simply referred to as the RTP. This is also an important stat as it gives you an idea of the slot’s payout rate.
We generally prefer games with an RTP of 96% or higher. However, just because a slot’s RTP goes a little under 96% doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad choice. Many slots with progressive jackpots, for example, have a lower return to player rate.
One thing to keep in mind is that the RTP doesn’t refer to your play session. If you play a 96% RTP slot and bet $100 in total, you’re not guaranteed to win back $96. Instead, this figure represents the payout rate of the game over a large number of spins, sometimes counting over periods like six months.
Bonus Features
Most online slots come with bonus features. It’s not available in every single game, but a common feature you’ll see at Canadian online casinos.
There are lots of different bonus features you may find in online slots. One of the most common ones is free spins. You get a certain number of scatter symbols (usually three or more) to land on the grid. Once they land, you hit the bonus game, which gives you free spins. During the free spins round, you get to bet the amount you wagered when you hit the bonus round.
You’ll notice some games come with additional bonus features. There are also certain software providers that have developed unique bonus features they use in their games.
Paylines and Win Mechanics
The paylines and win mechanics of a slot essentially tell you how many “chances” you have to win every time you hit the spin button. Paylines are the most common type of win mechanic that these games use. Some slots have just a few paylines, while others can have hundreds, sometimes even thousands.
There are also unique win mechanics. For example, Cluster Pays focuses on getting the same symbols to land next to each other and form a cluster. This usually requires more than just three symbols to match up in the cluster. Megaways is also a popular win mechanic. It pushes the paylines to over 200,000 in some cases. This gives you plenty of chances to hit a win when you play online slots.
Jackpots
Jackpots aren’t present in every single slot game, but they can be a very handy feature for big wins. There are two main types of jackpots: fixed and progressive. With a fixed jackpot, you have a specific amount that the slot can pay out as a maximum. For example, if the max win is 5,000x, then the biggest jackpot is usually fixed at this multiplier. Progressive jackpots continue to grow as more players play the game. These jackpots can sometimes reach into the millions.
Mobile Play
We’ve covered how we test the user experience of online slots. Another part of our testing process is to open the game up on a mobile phone. This gives us a chance to see how well it works on smartphone browsers. Since mobile phone usage is extremely high in Canada, many locals prefer to play on their phones. This is why it’s important to ensure slots work great on mobile devices.
Free vs Real Money Testing
When it comes to reviewing slots, there are two important steps we take in order to bring you a transparent overview. It starts with free testing. This means playing the game in demo mode. There’s nothing to lose and nothing to gain, but it’s a great way to get a feel for what the game has to offer. If the game seems to provide a fair chance for players, we’ll continue with real money options.
One of the main reasons we focus on testing both of these is to ensure the real money version of the slot remains similar in fairness to the free version. This ensures the software provider doesn’t make adjustments to things like the volatility and RTP between the demo and real money options.
Why Trust Us For Online Slot Reviews in Canada?
With so many online websites reviewing slots, it’s hard to know which of these you should trust. There are several reasons why Canadians trust us. We don’t deliver random or generic reviews. Our team of gambling experts spends time playing through both the free and real money versions of slots. We give you all the details you need to make an informed decision, and tell you when there’s something lacking with an online slot game. Years of experience are also something that makes us stand out. We put our expertise and experience to full use when we review casino games.