General Archive

Playing real money online slots is great fun but as with most forms of gambling, the idea of fun is very closely linked to winning and it’s hard to have too much fun if you never win anything! As ever at USALegalsSlots, we’re totally honest and open and we have to say that there is no guaranteed way to win when playing real money slots.

That shouldn’t come as a surprise because if there was we’d all be living on a tropical island, whilst Vegas would become a wasteland and online casinos and slots sites would soon cease to exist. That said, many less scrupulous sites may try to claim they have a secret method the “casinos don’t want you to know” and some will even try and charge you said secret. Don’t waste your money – as said, there is no way to GUARANTEE winning in a casino, online or otherwise. As the old saying goes, the only sure way to walk out of a casino with a fortune is to walk in with a bigger one!

Such a negative tone may seem a strange way to start an article on slots tips but, as said, honesty is the best policy. Whilst there is no sure fire way to take the casino the cleaners, the following tips will give you the best chance of winning, the best chance of enjoying a decent session of slots play and, perhaps most importantly of all, allow you to appreciate playing slots and have fun.

The first tip, as with most of what follows, applies pretty well to all gambling, not just slots and that is not to play when you are drunk, tired or less than 100% emotionally. Playing when drunk might seem fun but your judgement is impaired and you’ll probably take risks you wouldn’t normally take, perhaps losing cash you can’t afford to lose.

Second, know when to stop. That might be when you’ve won “enough” or it might be when you’ve lost “enough”. Get greedy and try and win too much and you’re sure to lose, whilst chasing losses invariably only leads to bigger losses.

Third, pick a good slot at a good casino. All of the slots sites we feature here are trustworthy and reputable so that’s a great start. Choosing a good slot is somewhat subjective but knowing the style, gameplay, RTP and maximum payout are good places to start.

Finally choosing and using a good casino bonus is a great way to extend your game time and enjoyment. Note that all bonuses have wagering requirements though so don’t leap in until you’ve checked the terms of the offer.

Anyone who plays USA legal casinos and real money slots sites should have an interest in the house edge of the game they are playing. Whether you play online slots or offline table games, knowing the basics about the house edge is crucial to deciding what games and which slots to play and so here we take a closer look at the house edge of slots.

The house edge of any casino game, including slots, is effectively the advantage the casino holds over the player. Almost all (theoretically some variants of video poker are exceptions under certain circumstances) casino games favor the casino. Obviously the casino has a huge range of expenses to cover, from paying out winners to purchasing the land the casino is on and from heating and lighting to staff and entertainment and on top of all that they have to make a profit as well.

As such, all casino games, from slots to blackjack and roulette to craps, have a “house edge” which is the term given to the in-built profit margin of the game. For example, in (single zero) roulette a single number pays 35/1, not 36/1, creating a house edge of 2.7%, meaning the player can expect to lose 2.7% of their stake in the long term.

With many casino games the house edge is fixed, so a single zero roulette will always have an edge of 2.7%, whilst blackjack with four decks and the same rule variants will always deliver the same house edge no matter what casino you play at.

Slots are a little different however, as there are no “rules” as such and the house edge, called the Return to Player (RTP) rate with slots, is essentially just something that can be altered by the way the slot is programmed.

The RTP is expressed as a percentage, like the house edge, but it is expressed as the percentage of stakes that are paid out, so whilst the house edge of games varies from around 0.4% to 15%, with slots the RTP tends to be around 3% to 10%. However, as said, this can vary from one casino to another, with some software companies allowing the individual casinos to decide on the RTP, whilst with other slots it is fixed by the game manufacturers themselves.

Sadly it is not always possible to know the RTP of a given slot, especially where it is controlled by the casino. Some slots have it clearly labelled but for others you may have to ask the casino outright via the customer support team, although there is no guarantee they will reveal it.

Progressive slots are brilliant fun and they are hugely popular for one main reason: in a matter of seconds you could turn $1 into $1m! There are very few, if any, other casino games that give you the chance to win such a huge amount from such a small amount in such a short space of time and it’s the life changing potential of progressive slots that is unquestionably a large part of their appeal.

Progressive slots are more or less identical to standard slots but as well as the main jackpot that is available solely on that individual machine, there is also a shared jackpot that is available to all players on other linked machines. Progressive slots are sometimes linked to other slots made by the same software company (for example RTG have a range of brilliant progressive slots) or sometimes to other games in the same casino or at a sister casino.

Each time you spin, or anyone on a linked game does, a small proportion of your stake goes towards the progressive jackpot. With hundreds or even thousands of slots contributing to the shared jackpot, this soon adds up and so whilst the main jackpot might be worth, say, $5,000, the progressive could be worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars!

At the end of 2015 a UK player won a progressive jackpot online worth more than $20m, whilst RTG favorites such as Shopping Spree II or Aztec’s Millions regularly have top prizes of almost $2m!

Playing progressive slots couldn’t be easier and is basically just like playing a normal slot. The main thing to note is that it’s quite normal for a progressive slot to have a fixed spin value. So, whilst a non-progressive game might allow you to play just one line with a coin value of just 1c, the progressive version of that same slight might be fixed at all 25 lines and, for example, 4c per line, for a total cost of $1.

Some progressives even have a fixed spin as high as $5, so they aren’t great for smaller-stakes players, but with $2m up for grabs they are still excellent value. Where the spin isn’t fixed it may be worth checking that you are still eligible for the progressive, even if you don’t play all lines and maximum coins. The only other thing to note is that some casino bonuses and promotions exclude progressive slots from their bonus wagering. This varies from site to site but is worth checking, not that you’ll care about your bonus rollover if you win a seven figure sum!

2015 is now in the past and 2016 is here, a year full of promise and one that is sure to see great changes, in the White House if nothing else. However, of more concern to us are the changes we’d like to see in the world of online slots. 2015 was a great year for us – we made a small profit, had lots and lots of fun and even learnt a thing or too. We’re hoping for an even better 2016 and if the following slots wishes could be granted this year, we’re convinced that things can only get better!

We love playing USA legal online slots and the sites we recommend here are the best of the best, with little room for improvement. That said, there are lots more far-from-perfect slots sites out there and it’s mainly, though not exclusively, to them that we address our two biggest slots wishes for the year ahead.

Pay Up and do it Quickly!

Thankfully we’ve never not been paid by an online casino but some of the newer sites, often those that offer bonuses that sound just a little too good to be true, have been known to avoid paying their customers. They take your cash quick enough but when it comes to making a withdrawal they have a variety of different methods to avoid paying you, with some casinos going bust and therefore, unfortunately, players never seeing their cash.

Slow payment is, of course, nowhere near as bad, but still very annoying and this year we’d love it if casinos and regulators could clean up their acts to ensure that players get a fair deal.

Fair Bonuses

Talking of fair deals, how about some fair bonuses? When online casinos first sprung up it’s true that bonuses were possibly a little too generous and as clever players realized they could GUARANTEE a profit from certain promotions, some casinos saw their profits hit, some critically.

However, in fixing that problem, many, though not all, online casinos have gone too far the other way. Not only do you need a doctorate from Harvard Law School to understand some of the terms and conditions, if you do manage to decipher them you may wish you hadn’t, with crazy restrictions on valid games, bonus wagering and staking methods that make clearing a profit virtually impossible. No more we say!

Playing slots is great fun and with some huge progressive jackpots around, it can also be life-changing. And the best thing is that it is now more convenient than ever to play slots, thanks to the advent of mobile slots.

The best USA legal online casinos and slots sites have featured mobile slots for some time now and they are far from a new invention. However, in the last five years or so improvements in cell phone technology and software, and data connectivity, have made mobile slots easier and easier to play whilst simultaneously allowing better and better games to be developed and delivered.

Playing mobile slots is really easy and most of the great online casinos we work with either have a mobile product right now or will have one in the near future. You don’t need a separate account to play and for most mobile casinos you don’t need an app. Simply head to the casino in a browser on your cell and you’ll automatically be taken to the instant play mobile version of the casino.

From here things should look quite familiar, with game functionality essentially the same whether you’re playing on your cell, tablet, laptop or desktop. As with most mobile websites, things are slightly simpler, you will usually find a smaller choice of games and certain account functionality may not be possible. That said, the range of slots is usually very good (its variants of other games that tend to be reduced, although you’ll still usually have all the classics present) and crucial account options such as depositing and withdrawing will always be possible.

Playing slots on your cell is so convenient and just as online casinos are so much easier to play than ones in the real world, mobile casinos offer that same leap in convenience when compared to standard online slots sites. If you have a spare minute or two all you need to do is reach into your pocket and a great choice of slots and other casino games is almost instantly in your palm.

All you need is either a decent Wi-Fi connection or access to a good data connection and away you go. With some casinos even offering special mobile-only bonuses and promotions, why not try playing mobile slots today?

Aladdin’s Gold is one of the very best USA legal slots sites around and this excellent online casino doesn’t let new customers down with it comes to the welcome bonus they offer. Read on for all the details as we outline the main terms and conditions and give details of what else Aladdin’s Gold has to entice you in.

New customers who venture to Aladdin’s Gold can claim a 200% slots bonus that is effectively unlimited as there is no maximum limit detailed in the terms and conditions. And the exceptionally good news is that you don’t just get the bonus on your first deposit, you will be given the 200% bonus on each of the first seven days from when you join the online casino. That could stack you up with a seriously sizeable bonus pot, giving you a great chance of turning in a handsome profit if the spinning reels get lucky for you.

As with all casino bonuses, there are wagering requirements to contend with, and you’ll have to bet through 30 times the combined value of your deposit and bonus in each case before withdrawing any winnings, but that is better than at many slots sites and if you hit a large win early on you should have no problem turning it over.

Note that the slots bonus is valid for play on slots (obviously!), keno and scratch cards only, but there are other bonuses available if you prefer to try your hand at table games.

Aladdin’s Gold is powered by software provided by the renowned and reliable Realtime Gaming (RTG). This means you will be given a fine array of top-class slots to choose from covering a whole range of themes from sports to fantasy adventure, history to comedy. There are a good number of progressive jackpot slots available too, meaning that there are cash prizes running into the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars up for grabs.

With solid customer services and reliable banking systems, Aladdin’s Gold is a great all-rounder and ticks all the right boxes for online slots fans. So if you fancy grabbing a chunk of one of the best slots bonuses around, get yourself over to Aladdin’s Gold today and fill your boots!

If you like to play online slots and live in the United States, play at the best online casinos for USA online slots. USA players have a lot of choices when it comes to an online casino but you want to make sure you are playing at a reputable and trustworthy online casino. There are not many protections for online players and you are at the mercy of the casino if things go bad. Make sure the online casino you choose to play at has a good reputation among other players has does not have a history of slow pay or even worse no-pay. The easiest way to make sure you choose such a casino is by using the online casinos we recommend here at USA Legal Slots. We have played at every casino listed ourselves and have researched each casino extensively to make sure your money is safe.

When browsing our website you may notice we do not recommend many online casinos. The reason for that is pretty simple in that we only recommend online casinos we have played at ourselves. We have played extensively at every online casino listed and have made multiple deposits and withdraws without ever having a problem. We have also researched each casino in player forums to make sure there are no outstanding issues with other players and to make sure there is not a history of bad practices. While we cannot guarantee you will never have a problem playing online, by using the casinos listed here the chances of having a problem is very low.

Our top online casinos for playing online slots include the Planet 7 Casino, Aladdins Gold, Slot Madness, Lucky Red and BetOnline. Each casino is licensed in a reputable gaming jurisdiction and must undergo mandatory third party audits to ensure game fairness. Every online casino listed welcomes USA players and you should have no problems getting a deposit approved at any casino. USA credit card deposits are available at each casino and the acceptance rates at these casinos are some of the best on the industry.

Once you decide which online casino you will play at, be sure to use one of links to visit the casino. By doing so you will be eligible for the best bonuses available and can increase your bankroll dramatically. Slots bonuses are free money and should be taken advantage of every chance you get.

Enjoy playing online slots at any of our recommended online slots casinos and know your money is safe. When you are ready to make a withdraw you can choose from several different withdraw methods, with our recommended method being a bank wire. Bank wires are placed directly into your personal bank account and are available for withdraw immediately. Have fun and good luck!

I’m always running into novice gamblers who want me to explain how online slots work. Are they rigged? Do the machines really get hot and cold? Are they better than land-based games?

Since I’ve become weary of fielding these endless questions, I’ve decided to turn the information into an article and call it “Online Slots Explained.” The next time someone starts prodding me for details, I can just refer them to this URL and go get a cup of coffee instead.

How an Online Slot Works

Just like its land-based counterpart, the main component of an online slot machine is the random number generator (or “RNG”). This function starts working as soon as a virtual slot is activated , and it constantly generates random digits at the rate of several hundred per second. Since all results are random, your chances of hitting a jackpot are the same on every spin (even if the previous spin yielded a jackpot win).

When a player pushes the “spin” button, the RNG selects the most recent group of random numbers and applies them to the reels. The first number determines which symbol shows up on the first reel, the second number for the second reel, and so on. The game is over the moment the spin button is pressed, and the virtual reels are just there to show you which symbols were selected.

Most of the random numbers generated by the RNG correspond to symbols with lower payouts, which is why jackpots aren’t commonplace. This means the reels are “weighed,” or greater preference is given to some symbols over others. This can increase down the reels, which is why players often get two bonus symbols only to have the all-important third one elude them.

Par Sheets

If you want to know the probabilities for a slot, you need to get your hands on its Par sheet. This document details the specifics for a particular machine, and they’re closely guarded by designers of both land-based and virtual games. A few have made their way into circulation, but these tend to be for games found in real-life casinos.

Machine Payback Percentage

If you did manage to obtain the Par sheet for a slot, you could then figure up the payback percentage. This is the amount the customer can expect to win back if they play a machine for an infinite amount of time, and it’s calculated by multiplying the payout for a hit by its probability.

For example, let’s look at a machine with a payback percentage of 94%. That means, over an infinite number of spins, the player could expect to win back 94 cents for every dollar wagered. This percentage fluctuates over the short term, of course; otherwise, there would never be any jackpot winners.

Assuring Fairness in Internet Slots

The first step in assuring the fairness of a slot is the software company that makes the game. This is why firms such as IGT, Microgaming, and Realtime Gaming have such solid reputations within the industry.

That’s not always enough for customers or regulatory authorities, however, which is where independent testing houses such as eCOGRA and TST come into play. For a fee, they run compliance testing to make sure the slots and other casino games operate in a fair and efficient manner. Some of their testing methods include the following:

• Evaluate Random Number Generator
• Audit poker systems
• Evaluate game and mathematics
• Perform full security audit and penetration testing
• Verify and report on game payout or ongoing RNG
• Evaluate systems for pari-mutuel and lottery systems
• Evaluate betting exchanges, live dealers, and sportsbooks
• Perform quality assurance testing for technology and gaming systems

Advantages of Online Slots

Now that we’ve looked at how an online slot machine works, let’s touch upon some of the advantages they have over their land-based counterparts.

Anonymity – When you play in the privacy of your home, nobody has any idea how much you won or lost (unless you tell them).

No Extra Expenses – You don’t have to spend money to travel to a casino. Instead, the casino comes to you.

Fewer Distractions – Land-based casinos can provide lots of distractions. When you play online, it’s much easier to block out the rest of the world.

No Lines – Your favorite online slot is always available, and there’s no standing in line at the cashier.

Practice Games – There are no free practice games in Las Vegas or Macau. At online casinos, however, you can play for free and then graduate to real-money games.

No Smoking – If you’re a non-smoker, there are few things worse than going to a land-based casino and getting stuck next to a nicotine addict for hours. That’s not an issue when you play online, unless you happen to live with a smoker.

That concludes the article that we’ve dubbed “Online Slots Explained.” Now that you know how the virtual games work, you should be able to play with confidence and stop worrying about being cheated by “rigged” machines. You’ll also be able to sound like a seasoned pro, so go ahead and hit a few gambling forums and show off your knowledge.