What does the future hold for online slots? 

The history of slots doesn’t have that much to say for itself. Between the years 1895 when Charles Fey invented the first slot machine – The Liberty Bell – and 1996, things stayed pretty much as they were. New graphics were introduced and the lever was changed to a button as electricity was used instead of mechanics, but the essence of the slot machine remained the same.

So what was it about 1996 that meant something more exciting happened? Something that means people would sit up and take notice? 

It was in 1996 that the slots went online and the first internet casinos were launched. This was a huge change. Now anyone (who had internet access, so it was still fairly limited) could play slots at home; there was no need to go anywhere. No plans had to be made to fit around the opening times of the casino, pub, or bookies where the slots could usually be found – register and pay with your phone bill. Now, those same slots – often exactly the same – came to you. 

This change was a big one, probably the biggest that the world of slots has ever seen. But what comes next? What does the future hold? If one big change already took place, could another? Let’s see; read on to find out more. 

Paylines

In the early days, there was only one payline. This ran across the middle of the reels, and this was all anyone needed to keep an eye on. As the years has passed, however, more and more paylines have crept in, and in some games – Megaways slots, for example, there are upwards of 117,000 ways to win. It’s very exciting and makes each game truly thrilling, but it also means it’s hard to keep up with if you like to watch the action. 

Since the number of paylines has changed so drastically over the years, we should probably expect that more paylines are in our future. Megaways slots are exceptionally popular, so it’s possible that Banana Jones might introduce a unique twist to the concept, emerging as a contender for the crown in terms of the most paylines. Another developer could seize this opportunity to make something equally spectacular. Of course, they must be careful not to go too far; finding the right balance is key – too many paylines and no one would ever lose!

More Variation

If you step into a casino or you log into an online casino, you’ll be amazed at the sheer number of slots available. This is a far cry from the original one armed bandit which everyone knew and recognised because it was the only one that existed. Today there are thousands of different slots and themes to go with them.

This is sure to grow even more in the future. Any time a new feature film is released, or there is a surge in popular music, for example, some developer somewhere will think about making a slot about it – the only thing stopping them is licensing. So of course, in the future there will be more themes since this is an ever-growing industry.

Ways To Pay

One of the main changes that the future looks set to bring when it comes to online slots is how players are going to be able to pay for them. Once, when there were only physical slots, if you didn’t have some spare coins on you, you wouldn’t be able to play. Now, these stand alone slots take debit cards. So what about online slots? 

Again, once upon a time only debit and credit cards could be used to pay for these games. Then, as of April 2020 in the UK, credit cards were banned so only debit cards would have been available. That is, except for the fact that in some online casinos you can use Paypal or other digital payment methods. Plus, some casinos are allowing players to pay via cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. This is only a small amount for now, but it will clearly grow in the future, until the majority, and perhaps even all, sites have this option open.