Slot machines have been around from the end of the 19th century, and we can say they have carved the casino industry as a whole. From the very beginning, long before the Las Vegas strip and its neon lights, slot machines were around in every major saloon, and people were gambling relentlessly, for nickels, hoping for a cha-ching sound and the metallic river going their way. Throughout the years, slots changed, but some of them made a huge mark in the history of gambling. In this article, we will talk about the best UK online casinos, especially slots and slot machines.
Lion’s Share
At the first glance, and without knowing its history, nobody understands why this 3-reel slot, with only one payline, gained so much attention. This is one of the classic slots from Microgaming, and it gained attention because of its progressive jackpot. The word was spread that the progressive jackpot hasn’t been hit for 20 years! People went crazy thinking that out of all gamblers they will be the ones who will get that progressive jackpot. It became so popular that gamblers stood in a line just to get a chance to play this slot in Las Vegas! Eventually, one couple hit the $2.4 million progressive jackpot. Soon after, the game was retired because it required a lot of maintenance, and after the news of the progressive jackpot awarded, the interest plummeted.
Liberty Bell
Of course, the first slot machine ever found the way to our list. It was invented and designed by the mechanic Charles Fey, at the very end of the 19th century 1895. The symbols in this slot machine became the most influential in the industry, and we’ve seen them in thousands of slots that were made after this – stars, diamonds, spades, hearts, and bells, among others, were all seen here. The Liberty Bell was the main symbol – when all three bells align, the machine pays 50 cents. Compare that to modern online slots! Slots went on a long road before they became what we know and play today.
Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune slot owes its popularity to the real show luck game everyone watched in the 90s. There are different variations of this slot, but the most popular is the machine with three reels, with the colorful wheel at the top. Probably the most interesting, although not the most popular version of this slot, is the multiplier game where every player gets their screen and play a bonus round together.
Mega Moolah
Mega Moolah is the prototype of the modern progressive jackpot video slot. It is the Safari theme slot, with 25 paylines, and Microgaming had the idea to rival the first progressive jackpots created and make it bigger and more popular. They completely succeeded and today Mega Moolah is one of the first associations to the word slot with a progressive jackpot. There are four of them, within randomly triggered bonus rounds.
Five years ago, the status of this slot was confirmed, when one British soldier won over $20 million!
Starburst
Starburst is one of the most popular, if not the most popular slot in the past several years. Many gamblers will tell you that if there is something like a perfect slot, that’s Starburst. Nothing in this slot is over the top or never seen before. The secret of this slot is simple, but every element is going well together with another. The music, we usually turn off, is futuristic, and not irritating. Shiny gemstones are looking great and expensive on the dark background, and of course, this slot pays well! You can earn up to $100000 per spin, but since Starburst has a huge betting range, this slot is suitable for both beginners and experienced players. Every gambler who ever played an online slot, probably played Starburst at least once, which is why this slot is among the top slots on our list.
Gonzo’s Quest
Gonzo’s Quest is a bit older, but still a modern-looking video slot. This NetEnt slot features five reels and 20 paylines, and it is based on a historic character – conquistador Gonzalo Pizzaro. The secret behind the popularity of this slot is its unique features, especially Avalanche Multiplier. In a nutshell, the reels on this slot move like cascades, that resembles avalanche a lot. As you activating every new avalanche, you will win multipliers, that is displayed over the reels and it can go up to 5x.
Age of Gods
The last, but certainly not the least popular slot on our list compared to other candidates is Age of Gods. This slot is inspired by Greek mythology and has five reels and 20 paylines. The popularity of this slot is owed to the symbols, all the most famous Greek gods and goddesses – Zeus, Hercules, Athena, and Poseidon. These characters trigger four free game modes with extra wilds and multipliers. Also, if you manage to win five God symbols in any order on a payline, you get 200x your line bet, which is something like a jackpot.
But, this slot features real progressive jackpots as well, which can be won during the Age of the Gods bonus game. In this mini bonus game, you can win up to four progressive jackpots!
Summary
All these iconic slot machines and online video slots were, and some of them still are, an important part of the slots industry, and the gambling industry as a whole. From the first slot created in the 19th century, Liberty Bell, to the most popular in 2020, Starburst, every slot on this list brought something new to the industry and the slots that came after it had to use it and elevate it on the whole new level. That is why the evolution of slots was fast, and it is still accelerating. Who knows what we will get from the online slots industry only a few years from now. If this steady development continues, we are heading for a wild ride!
