Slots may be one of the newest forms of gambling, but it is by far the most popular. Although other casino games predate slot machines, a precursor to the reel games arrived on the scene in the 1890s and since then evolved from card machines to online animated wonders. Since the first Microgaming title hit the internet, a century after Sittman and Pitt’s card machine, a lot has changed and so have the players who enjoy reel action. We’ve seen amazing improvements, brilliantly unique titles, and exciting mechanics reach slots screens, but we’ve also lost some along the way. Some of the biggest hits disappeared instantly and behind the scenes, we’ve seen slot developers rise and fall, while top studios release a massive hit only to bomb out with their next release. Why is it so challenging and what does it take to be successful in the fiercely competitive slots industry? Also, where did our favourite slots disappear to? Now You See Them, Now You Don’t Few things are as disappointing as having a favourite product, and suddenly it is nowhere to be found. Strangely enough, many punters have experienced this with their favourite online slot and the titles that come to mind include superheroes. Truth be told, it’s mainly branded slots that vanish without sight or any warning from the creators, so there must be a reason for this. The Branded Slots Disappearing Act Whether you were a fan of Microgaming’s Lord of the Rings, Playtech’s Marvel collection or NetEnt’s South Park and Aliens hit slots, you would have experienced this disappointment in the last decade. How do slot developers decide on a theme? Why would they pull a slot game off the market if it is popular? To answer the first question, we must understand player behaviour better because this drives slot releases. Trends inspire demand for most products in the consumer market and the igaming industry is no exception to this. Punters want to see popular topics on their slot screen, and Hollywood content is usually a hot topic. It makes sense for slot developers to create titles inspired by blockbuster movies. This attracts players, creates fans of their brand, and brings in the dough. It is good business. As for the second question, the answer lies with distribution rights, known by many as royalties. Branded slots with genuine Marvel, DC, and Lord of the Rings imagery come at a high price and licensing agreements with the owners of the brand. This means providers must shave a bit off their profits to pay royalties for use and hope they renew the licensing deal once it expires. As you can probably tell, either of these reasons leads to branded titles being shelved. Therefore, software developers weigh the risks involved against the exposure and potential revenue injection they can gain from branded slots. License agreements are always subject to renewal and any successful business will remove a product if it is no longer viable to offer it. This is probably why there are fewer branded slots than universal themes and thankfully the most popular ones fall into the last-mentioned category. The Multiplayer Mini-Act As technology advanced and social media took the world by storm, the igaming world became social, although from a distance. It was only a matter of time before social gaming spilt over into the online gambling space and before we knew it, multiplayer slots appeared on the scene. The need was obvious and software developers, gambling operators, and players were thrilled. These community slot games disappeared as quickly as they appeared. Unbeknown to the creators of multiplayer slots, international regulators saw the games as high-risk areas for fraud and money laundering, which led to the cancellation. Some industry experts still believe multiplayer slots are the next thing on the list of innovations and with the metaverse on the rise, they may be right. But until operators, developers, and regulators can agree on how to find the golden midway and eliminate money laundering concerns, the idea remains idle. Hitting the Slot Content Jackpot Finding that sweet spot in the igaming market is not as straightforward as some may think. The sheer amount of Game developers present in the current market proves that some oversimplify the art of successful slot-making. Those that withstand the treacherous waters of changing consumer behaviour, technology innovating at the speed of light, and regulators constantly raising the bar, enjoy the fruits of their labour. Although it isn’t an easy feat, some have conquered the highly competitive market and stayed on top of their game. So, what is their secret and how do they push forward through the sea of developers and create fan-favourite slot games? Brand Identity The trick with slots is that most players do not see the name of the software developer behind the game, because titles rarely display it. Players rarely know which studio developed their favourite game; they only know where to find it in the casino lobby. This is because creating compelling slot content is as much an art as it is designing luxury cars. Any genuine Ferrari fan could spot one from a distance in the dark by recognising its taillights, just like Pragmatic Play fans spot one of their games through a unique spin button. Developers must be very creative and position their brand in players’ subconscious through intentional design work. When they get this right, slot magic happens. Some of the software developers who differentiated themselves from the crowd are NetEnt, Nolimit City, Evoplay, Relax Gaming, and Peter& sons. Players know their games by the look and experience. Something specific sets them apart. Creative Talent: The Wow Factor Some believe lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same spot, and maybe this is why most established studios have specific games that catapulted them to success while the rest of their library attain average popularity ratings. Examples of releases that changed the igaming industry include titles like Starburst and Gonzo’s Quest, mechanics like Megaways, and jackpots like Mega Moolah. While some studios behind these iconic releases make a habit of creating excellent gambling content, others continue with a hit-and-miss trend seen all over the market. Experts from the developer industry ascribe these successes to the individuals who dreamed up the ideas. Although their teams helped to realise the dream, their creative spark started the fire and led to the explosive release. Balancing Reliability with Excitement Earlier slots used to provide punters with a rather predictable gameplay experience of low to medium variance in payouts, which kept gamblers playing for longer. There is a sense of satisfaction with consistent wins, regardless of the size. For a few reasons, this gradually changed and today, most Online Slots have medium to high volatility. The thrill of possibly hitting it big in the base game excites players and developers seem to feed into this need for adrenaline-pumping igaming. Whether this is sustainable is debatable and some argue that high volatility has concerning effects. The effect of high payout variance shows in gaming sessions and wager amounts. Experts advise studios must find a balance on the volatility scale. Collaborate The gambling industry is rife with merger and acquisition news where larger developers buy small studios and land-based operators take over igaming businesses. It is an age-old business strategy, and some might find it bizarre, but when approached with the right mindset, two heads are better than one. The best example that comes to mind is Evolution, the leading live casino games developer. It is the holding company for top brands in igaming, including legendary studios like NetEnt, Red Tiger, Big Time Gaming, and recently NoLimit City. Their partnership and the continuous excellent content from the subsidiaries pay testament to the power of collaboration. The smaller studios have the freedom to create authentic games, while the holding company provides the advantage of global exposure and resources. Collaboration also allows fresh talent to meet with experienced market veterans, presenting more sustainable business outcomes. Smart Technology and Personalisation Once developers have a clear brand goal and marry this with creative talent, it paves their way into the slot world. Many of the bigger providers are also one-stop shops for operators and provide full business suites to power gambling platforms and drive player satisfaction. B2B suppliers and slot aggregators help streamline the data processes for operators and, through technological advances, enable online casinos to stay ahead of their competitors. With proper backend support and processes that allow essential data analytics, providers can offer highly personalised experiences. The Big R Gambling regulators are focusing more on B2B providers, and developers must create content with regulatory compliance as part of the goal. Although most have a role to play in getting a casino platform recognised as a fan favourite, regulatory compliance has not always been a focal point. This is one reason smaller studios benefit from partnerships with bigger companies. Soon, every part of the igaming process will play a vital role in licensing regimes and maintaining healthy levels of player safety protocols. Those agile enough to adapt to changing demands will stay at the top, and those who can’t will disappear along with those missing branded slots.

Walking into a casino with an intent to walk out with more than you walked in with provides a thrill experienced by mountaineers, skydivers, and other daredevils. Instinctively, you know that you face incredible odds and a competitor that, quite frankly, holds all the cards. That the house has an advantage isn't only a fact of the game, it amps up the thrill. Developing this type of mentality helps to contextualize the incredible odds of winning big at slots. When it comes to slot machine tips, knowing how to pierce the veil and see the mechanics behind the screen is everything. After all, it takes a certain kind of chutzpah to face a game of pure chance and hope to gain an edge. It's possible, though, because no chance is ever pure when variation exists. Read on to learn how to corner advantages, play smart, and increase your chances (and fun) at these iconic games. Slot Machine Tips Slots are not games of skill. No amount of pressing the button in a specific fashion, flicking your wrist just so, or keeping your face steady matters to the internal mechanisms. The only things that matter are how the machine is programmed and your approach to playing. The following tips break down the how of a slot machine to expose the subtle weaknesses that improve your strikes. It's not about winning every time (which is impossible) but winning more often than you otherwise would. Understand RTP First, you need to understand the way that the house advantage is calculated. Every game of chance has what is known as a Return to Player (RTP) rate. This is how much of the money put into a game comes back out to players. No game has a perfect, 100% RTP, if it did, the casino wouldn't make any money and would stop existing. If it is too low, no player would bother playing and things would fall apart again. The house advantage is important for casinos to succeed financially and for you to have a fair understanding of the chance incorporated into a game. Han Solo may not be big on knowing the odds, but gaming commissions are adamant that they be verifiable. Slots list their RTP either on the machine or within the scrolling text of attract screens. Even within the same machine family, machines of the same type and branding, RTP varies. This is done to allow the casino to strategically place machines with better odds for winning in places of their choosing. Look Out for Volatility While the RTP provides an insight into the overall payouts of a machine, volatility presents you with a sense of how often, and how much, it pays out on a given play. Volatility is something of an open slot machine secret. A low volatility slot machine hits a pay more often but each pay is lower. A high-volatility machine pays less often but can pay far more. The gap between the potential for a pay and the range of a pay contribute to the concept. The math plays out in models. The closer a game is to even money, the less volatile it is. Incorporating multilevel prizes and taking into account concepts such as multiple pay lines makes understanding volatility crucial to gaining an edge. The more complex a machine, the higher the range of volatility. A single line pay machine has fewer possible combinations than a multiline machine. Studies suggest that prior learning is the best predictor of volatility. Embrace RNG With some grasp of volatility and RTP, the only factor remaining is RNG. Computers, and almost all slot machines are computers now, don't have true randomness. They use random number generators (RNG) to determine outcomes. Programers power-weight RNG through a variety of means. This gives the gaming companies control of the numbers reflected both in the volatility and the RTP of a given machine. Machines are neither programmed to pay out at a specific time nor are they made to not payout at any given moment. The way the systems work is to leverage the odds of hitting a specific combination of symbols. There are more lower-paying combinations than there are higher paying. The symbols needed for a jackpot may only appear once per wheel in comparison to dozens of blank spaces or a handful of low-tier pays. Winning at slots isn't about a single spin but the average of spins over a period of time. Play for Fun So the way to play slots and win is to enjoy every spin. The numbers don't come out to you winning money every spin but they do come out to you walking away with most of your money on a long enough timeline. While any given machine will pay out 80+ percent of what is put in, that doesn't mean you will be the one collecting each time. If you're having fun playing, you get something out of the experience. Pick a Budget When it comes to winning money and walking out with more, you need to set a limit on what you are willing to walk in with. This keeps you in the fun mindset and avoids the game becoming a job, or a hole. Mix it Up Since all the random factors affect every machine differently, and no machine is programmed to hit some pre-determined number of spins before a pay, moving around is your best option. You want to play the machines with the highest RTP that covers the volatility you prefer. Think like a floor manager and pick machines you think offer the best and thickest traffic and residual glow when they pay. Those are the machines that are kept looser to draw in more players. Make It Yours Notice that these are slot machine tips, not tricks. There are no tricks because the machines aren't swayed by outside influence. To corner the odds and improve your chances of winning, you have to find the better machines. The more you learn about odds, and how large probabilities play out in discrete moments, the better you will understand the flow fo play and enjoy being a participant. For more information about casino games and playing tips, keep coming here.