Best UK Online Casinos

Online Slots in the UK

The slot machine was invented in the 19th-century USA. It was manufactured by Charles Fey and it was called the Liberty Bell; it featured 3 reels with symbols that would line up to create winning combinations. The design of the original one-armed bandit was soon copied by others which led to the existence of fruit machines in most pubs, seashore arcades and gambling halls in the UK and their great popularity during the 80s and 90s. These were, of course, based on the electro-mechanical slot machine called Money Honey, created by Bally in 1964.

The first online slots remained true to their land-based designs. They had three reels and the same recognisable symbols, including liberty bells, cherries, BARs and plums. Because of the fruits, the slots acquired the name fruit machines or fruities in the UK and are still fondly called like that throughout the country. As technology advanced, the graphics improved and allowed new styles and themes to get incorporated into fruit machines.

The game format expanded from 3 reels to 5 (and more) and now features all sorts of wacky designs and unexpected themes, boasting bonus rounds and gameplay modifiers that elevate the experience and bring larger payouts. Fruit machines present the biggest variety out of all gambling games available in online casinos and UK casino sites stock them more than anything else. Online slots are provided by both established companies such as Microgaming, Playtech, Scientific Games and IGT as well as NetEnt, Quickspin, Yggdrasil, Big Time Gaming, Thunderkick and Play’n GO.

Classic Slots

Usually, under the term “classic slots” online casino reviewers would list all those traditional fruit machines with 3 reels and only one paying line. They typically feature the original slot symbols, from BARs and lucky sevens to bells, cherries, grapes and lemons. These types of online slot games do not cover a specific theme. They are simply fruit machines. When activated, they put the reels in motion and play a fanfare sound when the same symbol line up down the middle.

By today’s standards, classic slots may be outdated, but they aren’t abandoned. They are still popular among online gamblers who are into that retro feel and like to feel the nostalgia while they play. It is also not uncommon to find classic slots with 5 reels and extra features, but there are usually kept at a minimum to preserve the traditional straightforward charm of the machine.

Video Slots

Video slots constitute the majority of the entire slot universe online. These feature advanced graphics, 5 reels (sometimes more), multiple paying lines or special ways-to-win systems, can contain characters as symbols and cover a variety of different themes. Video slot machines online can have one or more bonus rounds and also include multipliers and special symbols to modify the gameplay and improve the player’s chance to win.

Although video slots look marvellous in 2D, many software providers have incorporated 3D elements into their products to make them more visually appealing, more live videogames. Every high-rated UK online casino will offer its players hundreds of video slots to choose from.

Progressive Jackpot Slots

Slot machines with progressive jackpots can be either traditional or modern, but they require a pooled prize which gets won randomly. Sometimes you will load a penny slot and obtain a chance to win over a million pounds because a small portion of your every bet will contribute to the prize pot.

Depending on the specific game, the progressive jackpot may be awarded in special bonus rounds that need to be unlocked by landing a special pattern of symbols or they can happen on any random spin of the reels, but most of the time you will need to set the stakes to the maximum bet value and enable all the paying lines. There are individual slots that pay prizes of £1 million+ almost every two weeks.

Here are some of the biggest progressive jackpot wins in the UK:

• A librarian from Glasgow, Scotland, won £4.5 million playing Playtech’s Jackpot Giant on mobile.

• Wellzyc from England won £6.2 million Mega Fortune jackpot in December 2016 and took his family on a trip to Disneyland for Christmas.

• A lucky player from Aberdeen won over £6.3 million on the NetEnt slot Hall of Gods in 2017. He placed a bet of £4 on the game after depositing only £30.

• A punter known as D.P won a £7.1 million jackpot on Mega Moolah, a slot developed by Microgaming, playing on a mobile phone in August 2016. This is the largest UK casino slot payout of all time to be won on a smartphone.

• A 26-year-old soldier Jonathan Heywood of Crewe won £13,209,300 also on Mega Moolah in October 2015. He was serving in the British Armed Forces, subsequently completing tours in Afghanistan, at the time he netted this life-changing amount. The best thing about it was that he only spent 25p on the winning spin!