Nowadays, no online casino is conceivable without a wide range of online slots. When we say a wide range, we mean hundreds of different online slots that you can find in the best Latvian casinos that work with world-renowned game developers like NetEnt, Novomatic, Microgaming, Play’n Go and others.
Read on to find out why online slots have become so popular in Latvia and around the world, and take a look at the history of slots. You’ll also find explanations of online slots terms (like payline or payout ratio), tips for choosing your game, and an explanation of online slots feature games and bonuses. We will conclude the article with tips to help you play without unnecessary stress and incidents.
The popularity of slots in online casinos
Slot machines are often referred to simply as slots, and some of you may have heard the term slots or one-handed. What is the reason for their popularity in online casinos?
Wide selection of games
While a regular casino in Latvia will give you a choice of a dozen different slots, online casinos offer hundreds of slot games, with the best online casinos adding new games to their slots line-up every month.
Slots online – always up to date and available
New games are released worldwide every week. Many of them are in the context of current events in pop culture (for example, if you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you’ll be able to find slots dedicated to that theme). And while the rules of slots or online slots are simple, the stakes range is very wide, even within the same game – you can play for a few cents, but you can also bet a hundred euros or more on a single spin.
Visual enjoyment and feature games
We can’t fail to mention how fast the technological possibilities in this field have evolved over the last decade. Now, in 202, online slots on the internet offer unprecedented graphics and animations, great sound effects and amazing ways to play additional games. And when it comes to bonus games, online casinos have more of them too.
Additional elements such as Scatter, Wild, Bonus, Free Spins, Multiplier and Win Multiplier, known in the gaming community, make the games more interesting, more exciting and full of unexpected twists. And you can access this exciting world anywhere – on your laptop from the comfort of your home sofa, on your phone on your commute to work, or on your tablet from the hammock of your farmhouse. All you need to do is find your favourite game, and that’s where we’re here at labakaiskazono.com to help.
The history of slot machines
Like many things around us, online slots didn’t come about overnight. Can you imagine that 125 years have passed since the first slot machine was invented? If you want to know how slots evolved from a simple machine with a few symbols to today’s dizzying online possibilities, read on!
The first slot machine
The world’s first slot machine is believed to be the Liberty Bell, created in San Francisco in 1895 by automobile mechanic Charles Fey. This mechanical machine had 3 reels and only one line. Five symbols could be found on the reels: the horseshoe, the spade, the crown, the bull and the bell. When the crank was pulled, the reels began to spin. If three of the same symbol landed, the prize was in hand (and the biggest prize was, of course, the bell symbol). The payout in coins was automatic. Interestingly, this machine can still be seen at the Liberty Bell restaurant in Reno, Nevada.
The invention proved extremely popular. Demand for the machines was so high that Fay was unable to produce the volume in his workshop. Several manufacturers appeared on the market with similar devices. One of them was Herbert Mills in Chicago. The reels of the Operator Bell, which he produced, bore for the first time the fruit symbols so familiar today – lemons, plums, apples and watermelons – as well as the BAR symbol. These symbols are now so popular in the industry that, in the UK for example, slot machines are affectionately known as fruit machines.
Electronic gaming machines
The next big leap in the slot machine industry came in the 1960s, with the advent of semi-electronic machines. Although the usual crank could now be dispensed with, it was still abandoned because it would have been too unusual for gamblers of the time to sit down at a machine that was not a “one-armed bandit”.
The first all-electric machine was the “Fortune Coin Co.” developed in 1976 under the name “Fortune Coin”. This machine had a 19-inch Sony television built into it, which acted as a display. It first appeared at the Las Vegas Hilton and became extremely popular throughout the USA and the world shortly afterwards.
Modern slot machines
The mid-1990s saw the arrival of the slot machine as we know it today. For example, the bonus round opened up a brand new screen where bonus games with great prizes were played. It was in the 1990s that slot machines dominated the traditional casinos most, taking up around 70% of the floor space and generating around 70% of the turnover.
Online Slots and the 21st Century
Like other industries, the slots sector has been completely transformed by the internet. At first, only classic casino games such as roulette and blackjack (also known as blackjack in Latvia) could be played, but it didn’t take long before slots were added to the mix. They quickly became hugely popular among internet casino enthusiasts.
At first, internet slots were similar to traditional slots. However, computer programmes made it possible to say goodbye to the restrictions imposed – nowadays it is not uncommon to see online slot machines with more than 5 reels and unusual payline layouts. The number of symbols is almost endless, and the same could be said for themes, bonus games and special slot features. Some slots are even more like a movie, animation or computer game than the usual slot experience.
Online slots are developed by more than 100 companies and it is estimated that there are currently more than 2000 different online slots worldwide. These include jackpots that pay millions. As you can see, you don’t have to worry about choosing slots at online casinos.
How to choose a slot machine online?
You don’t need any special knowledge to play online slots – everyone can join in the fun. With so many online casinos on offer, the question is how to choose the one you like. Quantity is of course a good thing, but we want to give you the chance to find the best and most exciting online slot machine for you. There are a number of criteria we could suggest for you to choose from, and we’ll look at them below.
Internet Slots Theme
One of the big advantages of online casinos is the wide range of slots, which means you can find your favourite theme and, thanks to the special effects of video slots, be “completely inside” it. Are you a western fan? Please, Wild Wild West, which tells the story of a train robbery in the spirit of the Wild West, will be right up your street.
Maybe you want to play the role of a hidden treasure hunter in ancient Egypt? Book of Ra and Book of Ra Deluxe will give you the chance. If you prefer a space theme, Starburst lets you travel between galaxies. A fan of Greek mythology? Lord of the Ocean lets you meet Poseidon. And so we can go on and on. As you can see, the choice of themes at the best Latvian online casinos today is almost endless.