Slot machines were invented over a century ago, gradually featuring more intricate mechanisms, flashy looks, and compelling play options, but it was the net that took online slots to a totally new level. How have slot games changed since they entered cyberspace, why were those innovations required, and what other changes can players and casino owners expect?

Online slot games made their debut nearly a hundred years after the original Liberty Bell slot that started it all. At first those web slots were the clones of Las Vegas slots. The creators of the very first web slots were so resolved to maintain the original format and feel that they practically copy-pasted the boxy look to our monitor. The pragmatic design limitations derived from mechanical necessity of non-virtual casino slots surpassingly impinged on the artistic freedom and flair that web design tools could have provided for anyone pioneering slots online.

Granted, perhaps too ingenious designs might have alienated the traditional players, however it really is bold creative approach that sets internet casinos far aside from land based casinos in relation to slot machines. After a somewhat dull start it seemed that casino designers were ready to march the new market of players to the twenty first century. The one-arm bandit lost its famous limb for stylized buttons as well as the traditional box frame made way for interesting 3D settings with unconventional inventions. Illustrations of exciting slots that demonstrate what it means to think outside the box are CasinoLux.com’s funny Eureka! designed as a mad scientist’s lab or the picturesque Faerie Tale slot themed as a magical forest where the symbols burst out of petals in charming animation. More good examples can be found at Money-Casino.com such as the nostalgic Drive In Slots where the symbols are projected on movie screens, or perhaps the horror film inspired Haunted Slots set in a grim cemetery and rising specters from the grave instead of spinning the old fruit reels.

A designer with a more traditional approach may wonder what is so great about slot games that at a first glance do not look like slots at all? Well, the human eye is hungry for surprise and novelty. That is how it was back in 1895 when the first slot was the very last scream, and it is the same now. So, just how can we expect the twenty first century player – so used to fast computer games and constantly bombarded with fascinating visual stimulation- to be satisfied with the old routine? The web had injected new blood to the industry – it created the biggest market ever by reaching those that never had access to land based casinos before. On the contrary, you will find a lot of online casinos available. Table games can not be visually modified too much, and as a consequence look quite similar in different casino softwares. Imaginative slots will keep a casino remembered. Fresh look and approach are worth a thousand banner ads.

The visuals must accompany profitable rewards. Twenty first century slot games, or video slots as they are sometimes called to distinguish them from classic slots, sport a remarkable array of bonus features that leave the monotony of their ancestors light years behind: along with wild symbols and scatter pay, computer technology enables to create games within games, double-your-win bets, bonus rounds, and more. Variation options are practically infinite, as well as the visual effect combined with play experience is astonishing.

Other than superior visuals and engaging play features the thing that produce online slot games better than land based casino slot machines is that they offer the capability to play for practice at the comfort of the player’s home – free slots allow players to study the slot machine of their choice and find out for themselves if it’s loose or tight. A large selection of slots, or fruit machines as the British call them, guarantees longer play time as players will often be eager to try out the different games and designs, always trying to find innovative ideas.

A reliable indicator to the growing popularity of online slots among old-timers and novice gamers alike is that the computerization of slots has also spurred the creation of niche literature. The players preoccupation with slots is evident from numerous Google searches for slots rules and basic online slots guides as may be found at the increasing number of best-selling gambling strategy books as well as online ebooks and ezines exclusively dedicated to slot games. Of-course we must not forget the liveliest features of the net – forums, message boards, and communities – featuring vivid discussions of the-latest and greatest slots online, updates on new slot machines, slot recommendations and warnings.

What does the future hold for this engaging game? My guess is that slots will keep on sub-dividing to genres. Casino’s game suites shall have to cater to the customer’s thirst for diversity. Traditional classic slots (usually refers to single-reel slots, or 3-reel 1-line slots) will always be here, but we shall see new takes on the 1-liners in forms of bonus features. Multiline slots will keep on breeding new lines – they even make 100-line slots now with an enormous five thousand max bet. As skill games becoming quite a riot I believe that casino software developers will offer a brand new sort of slots which will feature more intricate inner games and gambling options that leave room for selection, aesthetically inspired by quest games, and even combat games. Whichever new face this game may take it shall undoubtedly remain one the most common safe gambling games on this planet.