7 Online Slots Terms That New Gamers Should Know

Online slots have exploded in popularity in recent years, with millions of people around the world now playing real-money slots at home, there remains a unique online slot culture that can be difficult to navigate for newcomers.

This is perhaps best exemplified by the huge and varied lexicology of online slots, where myriad terms, slang words, and abbreviations are used to describe the features of a game and dictate whether it is worth your time. If you are new to online slot games and want to get to grip with the lingo, read this guide to find out more.

Picture 1 of 7 Online Slots Terms That New Gamers Should Know

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1. Payline

This is a line or sequence on a slot machine interface that will pay out a prize if a certain number of matching or identical symbols appear on that line. An active payline describes a payline that is in-play for you during a specific round of online slots.

2. Scatter

When playing the best slots for free or real money, such as Gonzo's Quest and Book of the Dead, Scatter symbols will play a huge role in your success. Scatters are any symbols that do not need to appear in a specific sequence (or payline) to win. Rather, a certain number of those symbols just need to show up anywhere on the slot reels.

3. Wilds

These are symbols that can automatically be used to substitute another symbol on the reels, to create a winning combination, and unlock a jackpot payout. Wilds are an increasingly common feature of all of the top online slot games today.

4. Progressive Jackpot

In a nutshell, this is a jackpot that increases in size every time a game is played but the main jackpot is not won. Many of the best jackpot slots will include a regular jackpot and progressive jackpot, the latter of which is built up from a percentage of the wagers that every player around the world makes on that particular slot game.

Picture 2 of 7 Online Slots Terms That New Gamers Should Know

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5. Loose

A loose slot is, quite simply, one that is believed to have a high payout percentage. This can be used to describe a slot with a high RTP (see below), or it can be used to describe a slot that players believe is more likely than others to give jackpot payouts.

6. RTP

The acronym stands for Return-to-Player and is used to describe the average percentage of your stake that you can expect to win back on a slot over time. For example, if a slot has an advertised RTP of 95%, then a player that made one hundred one-dollar bets on that slot would receive back, on average, $95. This term is also increasingly used in the biggest Las Vegas casinos.

7. Coin Size

The term denotes how valuable each wager that you make on an online slot is. Before you play an online slot, you will be able to set the value of your coin (for example, 1 coin = $2). The coin size is, therefore, a way of determining the value of each bet.

With the next generation of consoles out in stores, it's important to stay up to date. These are the most important online slots terms that you need to know before you start playing. Good luck!

Micah Soto

Update 22 February 2021