New Slot Sites For 2024

Let’s face it every single online casino and even bingo site now offer slot games of some sort.  Most games are developed by third party software providers and are licensed out to 100’s of different sites, therefore, you might think what’s the point in choosing a different site if they all have the same products?

Well, when it comes to slot sites there is a huge variation in quality.  Some sites license 1000’s of games from dozens of providers, whereas others use just one or a few developers to deliver a more focused experience.  The brand you play with is also important as this defines the offers and promotions available as well as the banking options and withdrawal limits, pending periods, VIP schemes and more.

It’s important to play with the right site that suits what you want, both in terms of games and user experience.  As we know our slots very well and have fully tested every site we list we therefore can recommend the best slot sites for a range of customers.  Below you can find our favourite new slots sites and further down a list of all brands we recommend.   Beneath this we tell you about new and popular slot features and how slots came to be what they are today.

New & Popular Features For Online Slots

Online slots have increased considerably in popularity over the last couple of decades, especially since online gambling essentially created a whole new niche for itself.

As the industry has developed over time, there have been a number of progressions regarding online slots, with many developing newer initiatives over the years as a way to improve gameplay and even increase sign up rate among players.

Online slots have come a long way since they were first introduced to the market in the late 1990s when gambling companies diversified their business offering and moved online, or indeed, new businesses started up, which were solely online.

At the time, online gambling software was a completely new niche; there wasn’t necessarily a precise set of rules and most of it was based around trial and error in connection with developing a number of different algorithms and seeing which ones created the most effective and popular slot games.

As a consequence, it led to the establishment of specialist software houses which focused specifically on the online gambling industry and because of this, they were able to put time and dedicated research into improving slots, particularly new ones.

New Features

Some slots have features which are unique and, as a result aren’t typically found on other slots, often due to the nature of the game itself or in line with the particular theme.

Effectively, these are almost variations of the traditional features, though have certain tweaks which differentiate themselves. Such features might include Mega Wilds, which were bigger and better than normal wilds and often yielded better rewards. These can be found on such slots as Cabaret Magic.

Then there are customised features, which are prevalent on the slot; Robocop and as a result are given names such as ‘Shootout Spin’ which marks random positions on the reels to target wild symbols. Or, ‘Robot Attack Spin’, whereby a 3×3 Robot wild symbol could land on reels 2,3 or 4. We’ve explored these in a little more detail, to illustrate exactly the kind of novel features which have started to trend in slot games recently.

Daily/Timed Jackpots

These are a relatively new feature which are associated to certain slots and work in a way that means a jackpot has to be won every single day. There are a couple of variations of these; the first one being where if the jackpot reaches a certain amount, it will payout at random, or it will automatically payout at random anytime before a particular time.

Players can win huge amounts of money playing on daily/timed jackpots and they have surged in popularity in recent years.

Megaways

Another recent development in the world of slots, this has been created by Big Time Gaming which relates to the fact that Megaways slot games offer a large number of winning combinations than what is considered ‘the norm’. The key mechanical function of Megaways slots in terms of how they work is based around the reels. Megaways are essentially changeable reels and as such relates to the symbol height varying on each reel with every spin. Because of this, the number of ways in which players can win is constantly changing and can produce huge winning combinations.

Many of the current Megaways slots usually show six reels ranging anything from two up to seven or eight maximum symbols for each reel, while if multipliers are added as well as other reel modifiers it is obvious to understand why Megaways slots are so enticing.

Furthermore, many new Megaways slots include cascading reels, which means that you can continue creating winning combinations and with highly exciting Megways slots such as Bonanza, Dragon Born, Genie Jackpots and Queen of Riches, you can be sure that there are enough to enjoy!

Cascading Reels

These are where symbols which complete a winning combination drop out of the ‘game screen’ and as such are replaced by new symbols. Following this, new sets of reel combinations are then created and if the new configuration sets up a winning combination, then the winning symbols subsequently fall out of the screen to be replaced by new symbols.

This process carries on until you have no longer have a successful combination. It is easy to see why cascading reel slots are popular with players, because they create a mindset that is almost ‘all or nothing’ and you can produce many simultaneous wins. Popular slots which feature cascading reels include NetEnt slots such as Cosmic Fortune and Pyramid, while Cricket Star and Jungle Jim El Dorado from Microgaming are other good examples.

Tumbling Reels

Similar to cascading reel slots, however, with tumbling reel slots, there are more opportunities for winning combinations. Each winning symbol tumbles off the bottom of the screen and as a result, the next symbols appear from the top of the screen in order to replace them. However, tumbling reels usually feature on slot machines which have more paylines and as a result, these need to be played so that they can trigger the maximum jackpot so due to this, the odds of losing a considerable amount of money are even greater.

There are a number of well known slot titles which feature tumbling reels and these include games developed by IGT, such as Da Vinci Diamonds as well as Dungeons and Dragons, meanwhile, the hugely popular Gonzo’s Quest, which is developed by NetEnt is also a beneficiary of tumbling reels.

‘Ways Win’ Slots

These slots are usually presented and or marketed as offering 243, 1024 or 3125 ways to win. With these, combinations are created from a ‘left to right’ perspective, regardless of where a certain symbol might be placed on a reel, compared to using paylines where you are restricted to the 20, 50 and 100 paylines format.

As a result, this means that you can have a symbol at the top which could combine with a symbol at the bottom on the following reel. Due to this, it does not matter whether it is lined up with your traditional payline, as long as it forms a winning combination while they are moving from left to right.

Features of Online Slots

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular and even obscure features that have been used over the years and those which continue to be used to this day across a range of different slots!

Scatter Symbols

These are known to be some of the most adored features in online slots because they act as a trigger for unlocking the fun bonus rounds from which players can really capitalise on and potentially yield great value from.

Acting almost as a booster, these essentially help players to increase their chances of winning more due to the fact that they build up and combine with winning combinations on the paylines, which function as part of the normal gameplay.

Now in virtually every slot, scatter symbols are set to be a mainstay, especially as the industry continues to innovate, with more and more variations of slots developed on a consistent basis and a number of software companies entering the market.

The way to distinguish whether a slot has scatter symbols is to check the pay table; in a slot’s pay table you can find all of the information about all of the signs, including all of the scatter symbols that are available.

Each scatter symbol is particularly unique to each game and will often be aligned with the theme of that game, such as in the slot game, Lucky Leprechaun’s Loot, the scatter symbol is classified as a Lucky Leprechaun

Wilds

These have existed ever since the physical one armed bandits and have made a seamless and popular transition into online slots. Essentially, these can be compared to the Joker that you often find in a deck of cards and can be utilised alongside any symbol on the reels in order to create winning combinations.

Ultimately, the wild symbol is able to substitute for all of the other symbols on the reels and as such, complete winning paylines, which normally wouldn’t yield a win. In some slots, the wild is the highest paying symbol, while in others, it doesn’t carry any value of its own.

As with scatter symbols, the wild symbols are also symbolic of the game’s theme; for example, in the Lara Croft Tomb Raider franchise slot, the wild symbol is presented as a TR symbol.

Multipliers

These usually are commonplace in bonus rounds of online slots as a result of wilds and multiple paylines combining to create winning combinations. There are different types of multipliers; some which increase the line bet, while others increase the total bet and with online slots featuring pay tables, which show the winning combination possibilities, it is easy to find which ones apply to your choice of slot.

One slot where multipliers are particularly popular is Thunderkick’s Esqueleto Explosivo, where the multiplier doubles each time that it appears on a payline going right up to the numerical value of 32X. For some slots, a bonus multiplier is only offered when a player deposits the maximum number of coins that are allowed per spin.

Freefalls/Collapsing Stacks

These can be very lucrative in the world of online slots and these occur when the reel stops on a winning combination and the symbols vanish to be substituted with new ones, which cascade from above. In slots such as Bejewelled or Candy Crush, this concept is particularly common.

New initiatives for Features

Some slots have features which are unique and, as a result aren’t typically found on other slots, often due to the nature of the game itself or in line with the particular theme.

Effectively, these are almost variations of the traditional features, though have certain tweaks which differentiate themselves. Such features might include Mega Wilds, which were bigger and better than normal wilds and often yielded better rewards. These can be found on such slots as Cabaret Magic.

Then there are customised features, which are prevalent on the slot; Robocop and as a result are given names such as ‘Shootout Spin’ which marks random positions on the reels to target wild symbols. Or, ‘Robot Attack Spin’, whereby a 3×3 Robot wild symbol could land on reels 2,3 or 4.

Earliest Slot Machines

The first slot machines were understood to have surfaced in America, during the 1880s, however, these could be classified as more of a novelty such as two toy horses which would race with each other after a coin was inserted. These were often found on bar tops in saloons and as a result, this encouraged gambling between punters who would bet with each other on the outcome.

With most of the machines though, the proprietor (saloon owner) would pay winning customers in drinks or cigars and in some instances, trade cheques, which could be exchanged for refreshments. As early as 1888, machines which paid out in coins were introduced to the market and as a result, these soared in popularity, however, many became addicted.

In the earliest paying slot machines, the coins that were inserted then fell onto a balance scale inside the machine, which would then cause it to tip and spill other coins out. Progressions included a circular display as well as a spinning indicator which subsequently came to rest on, or would be pointing at a number, colour or picture.

The slot machines that the mass market came to know were invented by a man called Charles August Fey, who was a Bavarian-born American inventor, working as a mechanic in San Francisco. In 1894, he put his engineering skills to effective use when he built his first coin operated gambling machine and everything took off from there.

A year later, Fey built the 4-11-44 in his basement and this became so successful in saloons that he was then able to quit his job and work on the venture full time. Perhaps the most notable of his machines was the Liberty Bell, which came to the market in 1899 and used horseshoes and bells as well as playing card suit images on the reels. If three bells aligned in a row, this meant that this was the highest possible payout.

How And Why Slots Progressed

Such was the popularity of the Liberty Bell in San Francisco, that it was soon replicated by competitors in the market, such as the Mills Novelty Company of Chicago.

Effectively, savvy individuals had began to realise that this was a great chance to really capitalise on an opportunity which had the potential to reap the rewards commercially.

While companies were soon established, there was increased opposition to the activity of gambling, with elements of the clergy questioning the morality of their existence and as a result of this, Fey and other companies came up with the solution of building machines with no coin slots in and based it around payouts of cigarettes and drink vouchers, especially in saloons.

Due to the opposition, slot machine factories were quickly moved to Chicago, where there was much less friction and also because of the fact, that as of 1909 San Francisco had banned them.

The next big progression was the introduction of the fruit symbols which became a mainstay and which are still present even today. This was introduced by the Novelty Company and in an attempt to bypass the legal restrictions, they called their machines chewing gum dispensers; subsequently replacing the card suit images with the fruit symbols, which lent the premise that these represented different flavours of chewing gum.

This idea was replicated one year later in 2010 by the Mills Novelty Company, which added pictures of chewing gum onto their reels which would later become known as the ‘bar’ symbol that we all know so well in the industry today. In 2016, the company followed this up with the ‘jackpot’ initiative in 1916, where various winning combinations of symbols dispensed all of the coins in that were in the machine at the time.

Throughout the 1920s, slot machines were booming, particularly in holiday resorts and this continued, even throughout the Wall Street Crash period, however, they soon began to attract murky connotations when it became known that the supply of slot machines were orchestrated by the Mafia and, as such led to increased and tighter legislation.

In the aftermath of the second world war, when countries needed to rebuild economically, slot machines took off around the globe as governments recognised an avenue where they could substantially build up their revenue after realising the tax potential.

However, nowhere was as attractive as the resort of Las Vegas, which over the decades which followed grew into one of the largest and most popular entertainment hotspots in the world. In 1986, electronic systems were introduced, which effectively streamlined slot machines, making them infinitely more accurate and as such were able to connect numerous slot machines in different locations, allowing a percentage of coins inserted into each slot to pool into a ‘super jackpot’. These subsequently yielded huge payouts – there was one in Las Vegas in 2003 which recorded a payout of almost $40 million.

How Slot Machines Transitioned Online

Following the emergence of the world wide web, after its creation by Tim Berners Lee in 1989, numerous more possibilities opened up, however, it wasn’t until the late 1990s when the gambling industry recognised the unlimited amount of potential that now existed in the industry.

While many existing gambling companies diversified and created online versions of their business with a website, there were other completely new companies starting up with the aim of operating exclusively online.

It is perhaps these which were ahead of the curve, due to the fact that they had a sole focus; bringing well developed and innovative slots to the marketplace purely via a website. Trends were already starting to show that online gambling was becoming popular, even attracting new customers, who wouldn’t usually have made the effort to go to casinos or bookmakers, though found that they could conveniently gamble from their computers.

This huge growth trend also led to the creation of software companies, exclusively focused towards the online gambling industry and companies such as Playtech became the brains behind the bookie (so to speak).

Effectively, they were able to hire talented developers and sophisticated technologists (who could essentially quote their price) and begin developing numerous slots, but also different kinds of slots.

These varied in terms of different themes, based around movie and video game franchises, which cleverly targeted a completely new market segment, while others were improvements of popular classic games.

From 2006 onwards, slots started to change and improve dramatically as technological possibilities opened up and as a result, we saw much improved graphics, slots with interactive sounds and a combination of attractive colours.

As the use of mobile phones increased and phone companies dramatically increased the user experience, especially for internet browsing, the online gambling industry recognised a substantial gap in the market to take advantage and really capitalise on the fact that players would prefer to play slots via their mobiles.

Because of this, gambling companies began building specialist slot sites which worked particularly well on mobile, while some slots even had features that were only available if played via a mobile phone.

Future of Online Slots

Based on the last century, one thing that we have learned is that technology keeps developing and opening up new possibilities. It is believed that the surface has barely been scratched when it comes to the potential surrounding online slots and what the future may hold. With the advancements in virtual reality, we are already starting to see online gambling companies experimenting with new initiatives, while machine learning and artificial intelligence is understood to have a major influence on the direction of the industry, particularly over the next couple of decades.

Based on how far online slot machines have come in the last two decades, since the birth of the internet, it really is intriguing as to how much they can progress.

Indeed, certain gambling companies have even started doing their own research into this; dedicating a lot of investment towards stealing a march on their competition and even creating their own licenseable technology, rather than relying on external software companies to keep supplying them. It is certainly a case of watch this space over the next couple of decades, as far as new features in online slots are concerned.