Why Players Love Betting on Video Slots?

Ever since slot machines were invented in the 1890s, people have been falling in love with them. The flashing lights, the jingling of coins, the triumphant music when you land a big win – it’s intoxicating to some. But let’s see what are the main reasons slot players love this form of entertainment so much.

Slots Are for Fun

There’s a common misconception that slots players flock to the machines for one reason only: to make real money. In reality, that’s almost never true. Most players understand that they will lose money at slots in the long run. After all, no slot machine out there has an RTP of 100% or above. 

RTP Explained

Slot enthusiasts are willing to pay that small price, though, for the countless hours of high-tension gameplay that these machines provide. In other words, they are playing for fun first and foremost – the money is just a vehicle for that fun.

Online casinos do occasionally offer bonuses that enable savvy players to make a few bucks. But the fact remains that slot machines are a form of paid entertainment, not a sound financial investment.

Why are Slot Machines The Most Popular Casino Games?

Both in land-based casinos and online, there are more players spinning the slot reels than there are of any other casino game. It’s no wonder, either; as slot machines offer a completely unique experience than other casino games do. Several notable factors that make slots so popular as opposed to other casino games include:

• They don’t require great intellectual investment while most casino games do. Even simple games like roulette require planning. Slot machines, on the other hand, allow players to relax and zone out after a hard day.
• The audiovisual stimulation they provide to players creates a great entertaining experience.
• The interval between wins is shorter. It is true that the slots RTP is lower than in most casino games, but the actual amount of time between wins is much smaller since a single “round” of slots is so short. This near-constant stream of wins keeps players invested.
• Players know what their odds are. Unlike most casino games, slot machines work on random number generators (RNG) let players know exactly what the RTP, volatility, and individual win combinations for each game are. This fact is even more pronounced for online video slots – the numbers are usually neatly listed right next to the reels!
• They don’t involve human interaction. Sometimes, players just don’t want to deal with other people (or AI in the case of some online casino games). Slots are the only casino games that really achieve this goal for the player.

Psychology of Slot Machines

Slot machines tap into human psychology in a way few other games do to make people love playing them.

The Skinner Box

In the 1960s, a scientist named B.F. Skinner put pigeons inside a box with a lever on the wall. Whenever the pigeons pressed the lever, they would be rewarded with a treat. After some time, Skinner modified the box so it would only dispense a treat sporadically. After the modification, the pigeons began pressing the lever far more often. They knew that if they did, a treat would be dispensed eventually.

People are like pigeons when it comes to intermittent rewards. They of course enjoy getting rewarded, but the gamification process adds a whole new dimension of excitement. Slot machine players love spinning the reels again and again because they know that sooner or later (usually sooner), it will result in a reward in the form of a big win.

Being “In the Zone”

When someone is “in the zone”, it means they have lost themselves in what they’re doing and hours seem to pass like minutes in this state. Slots enthusiasts love getting in the zone during playing sessions, and slot machines are designed to bring it on. Four factors that help people get in the zone are:

1. Every moment of activity must have a little goal. Slot machines accomplish that by making the spins so fast.
2. The rules must be clear. The rules of slot games could not be simpler. Per spin combinations have a clear pay table and even the bonus rounds that are often present in modern slots are extremely easy to understand.
3. There is a feeling of control. This is why slots added the lever, and why most land-based slots kept the lever even after video slots took over the industry. Online slots cannot include an actual lever but make sure the “spin” button feels tactile and satisfying to click.
4. The activity must provide near-instant gratification. Slots achieve this criterion with their fast-paced gameplay. The shift during the past decade to lower volatility slots has helped to emphasize this property even more.

How Video Slots Changed the Game

Players generally prefer video slots to traditional analog slot machines because they are more versatile and more graphically pleasing. In specific:

• They make bonus rounds possible. The biggest innovation in slots during the past few decades is the invention of the bonus round. Taking a break from spinning the reels every now and then to engage in a simple bonus game with completely free spins is a welcome addition to the game. Bonuses break the monotony and keep things exciting. Bonus rounds are only possible with a video slot machine, which can totally wipe the reels off the screen and display something else.
• They allow for theming. Whereas 3 reel analog slot machines have to constrain the action to the same old vertically spinning reels, video machines can radically alter the playing field. This allows for new game formats like megacluster slots and expanding reels or more visually interesting takes on the classics.
• Higher RTP. Since video slots are less expensive to maintain than an analog slot machine, payback percentage rates tend to be much higher.
• They are connected to the internet. Since video slot machines are basically computers, they can connect to the internet. That allows them to display real-time data on other people’s performance on the same slots game. This capability has led to the advent of social casinos. Players love keeping apprised of their fellow gamblers’ activities, so this is a welcome addition to the world of slots.
• They allow for customization. On a video screen, players can easily interact with the screen. They can usually change settings like bet size per line and the number of paylines. This gives the user more control over the game. It can also help with slots bankroll management.

The Most Popular Video Slots of All Time

The table below lists a few of the most popular video slots of all time and why people love them. Notice that ALL of the reasons listed are only possible because the game is a video slot.

For the past 35 years, video slots have proven themselves to be what online and offline gamblers prefer. Whether they will persist or give way to VR slots as technology develops is yet to be seen. For right now, though, they still reign supreme.