Slot machines are also colloquially referred to as one armed bandits, owing to their recognizable levers and their notoriety for cleaning out their players of money. The physical machines have existed in some form or another since the 1800s as a more convenient way to gamble than other options offered at a casino. No skills or staff were required, making it very enjoyable for and addictive for players and very convenient and profitable for casinos. 

Nowadays, with the rise of technology, slot machines have become even more convenient by becoming readily available online, able to be played on computers, laptop, tablets and mobile phones any time, anywhere. But with the online slot game industry valued at approximately $134.9 billion, the burning question is, what makes online slot games so attractive?

Why are they so popular?

It is undeniable that slot online machines are incredibly popular. They show up in regular advertising much more often than most other forms of betting, and they are one of the most recognizable features of gambling both online and off. That said, there are a few elements of online slots that 

• Try it for free – unlike many other gambling games available, online slot machines offer free trials and demos where you can play with fake online credits and simulate the experience before you choose to bet real money. Especially when it comes to beginners, this provides a very accessible and stress-free entry into gambling, making it more popular even than other online alternatives such as sports betting or online card games  

• Diversity – in spite of the fact that the basic mechanics behind online slot machines are largely the same, they do provide a wide variety of different themes and settings with interesting visuals and music to keep people interested. And, even where basic mechanics may be very similar, different slot games may have different kinds of win conditions, keeping things more interesting in comparison to other gambling games.

• Accessibility – Not only are payables and rules for each game readily available, taking any guesswork out of how the game operates or what your chances of winning are, it also provides accessible entry bets of, often, under $1. This means that anyone can start playing and creates the general sense that anyone could potentially win big.  

• Flexibility – as mentioned in the introduction most online slot games can be played on any platform, from a laptop to a mobile phone and many have account saving capabilities so that you can easily transfer and continue playing on a different device from where you left off. It’s incredibly convenient and draws in a much wider audience than other types of gambling as a result.

• Bonuses and incentives – arguably the most attractive feature however are the bonuses and incentives that you can be provided by playing the games such as extra wins or extra multipliers on wins, creating the potential to win very big prises for not much money at all.

Ultimately, whatever the exact reasons or motives behind it are, it remains a fact that online slot machines are growing in popularity exponentially and will likely not go anywhere any time soon.