A Beginner’s Guide To Online Slot Sites in the UK
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A Beginner’s Guide To Online Slot Sites in the UK
Slots are the most popular games at any online casino in the UK. For the period April 2021 to March 2022 the UK Gambling Commission reported that online casino games generated £3.9 billion in Gross Gambling Yield, of which slots were the dominant product, generating £3.0 billion on their own.
Why are slots so popular? The are many reasons. For one, whilst they are very simple to play, the modern slots have increasingly sophisticated features and ways to win which make them far more compelling than their predecessors. Also, the size of the prizes has increased in recent years, with top games like Nolimit City’s Tombstone RIP offering massive payouts of £300,000 for just a £1 bet. And thirdly, the range of themes, designs and styles means that whatever a player’s tastes are, there is a game to suit them.
In fact, such is the popularity of slots that there are probably more than 10,000 available to play, and 1,000s more being produced every year.
But for anyone new to this form of online gambling, the journey doesn’t start with the game itself, but with the slot site you choose to play at. This guide is written to help you understand more about slot sites, how they operate, and which ones provide the best experience.
Is a Slot Site The Same as a Casino?
Slot site is a catch-all term for a website that hosts real money online slots. And in most cases these will be online casinos. However, you can also find slots at bingo sites like Mecca Bingo, betting sites like Betfred, and lottery sites like Lottomart. These are all referred to as slot sites as well.
A UK License Is Important
Wherever you choose to play your slots, be it a casino, betting site or bingo site, it must be licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. This is the industry regulator, and it is their job to ensure that licensees adhere to strict standards on safety, security and social responsibility. Licensed slot site operators will allow you to set limits on your play and spend, they will only offer games that have been fully tested for fairness, and they will only accept players who are 18 or over.
Licensed sites will publish their UK Gambling Commission account number on every page of their website, usually in the footer, so it’s worth checking those details are there before you sign up.
Game Selection
It may not come as some surprise to learn that when it comes to game selection, there are big differences from one slot site to the next. Every site will have at least 300 games to choose from, but some have many, many more. If you want a big choice its worth shopping around to find a site with a big catalogue. For example, comparison site, allslotsites.com reports that Play OJO, a slot site that operates on the Skill on Net license, has over 4,500 slots to try. That is one of the best selections in the UK right now. They also have sophisticated search and filter menu that allows you to search out games by your favourite features, by player ratings, by number of paylines, by jackpots and by providers.
Finding a slot site with games you like is probably the most important part of the journey so we recommend you take some time over this.
White Labels and Independent Slot Sites
You will probably come across the terms White Label and Independent when browsing through lists of casinos or slot sites and you might wonder what they mean and if they are important.
Independent slot sites are ones that run on a unique platform and under a license which is not shared with any other site. Whereas a white label is a slot site that shares a platform with many other sites, all operating under one license. White labels are very common in the UK and some white label operators like White Hat Gaming or Aspire Global have up to 100 casinos all running on the same platform. Often these sites will have a similar look and feel.
A good example of an independent slot site would be Casumo, which has been taking bets in the UK since 2012.
So, which is better? Well, that would depend on the experience you are looking for. Independent slot sites like Casumo offer something more unique because the platform is not shared. They may have better loyalty programs, websites, apps and game menus. On the other hand, white labels offer familiarity for those who like playing across many sites from one operator. For example, if you enjoy playing at one Aspire Global site, you may enjoy surfing all the others picking up bonuses along the way.
Bonuses and Loyalty Rewards
When browsing any list of slot sites you will notice that they all offer a sign up deal in one form or another. Most are a mix of free spins and match bonuses, but they will vary in value and its worth reading the small print to make sure you know what you are getting.
Firstly, look for a deal that suits your budget. If you are making a deposit of £100, don’t choose a 100% match deal that is capped at £50 for example. Or, if you are fan of NetEnt slots, don’t choose a free spins deal that exclusively gives you spins on Play n Go games. There are plenty of comparison sites to look at which publish the latest welcome bonuses from all the most popular slot sites so you can browse and find one that suits you.
You may also want to look beyond the sign-up bonus and find out what kind of loyalty rewards you can expect if you start to play slots on a regular basis at any casino. The best sites, like Casumo, have loyalty levels which players reach by wagering. The higher your level, the higher value the bonuses you receive.
Banking at Slot Sites
There are many options for deposits and withdrawals at your slot site, from debit cards to eWallets. Whilst debit cards are the most common and you can deposit with a Visa or Mastercard pretty much anywhere, its worth considering alternatives too.
For example, most sites now accept Paypal which is super-convenient if you already have a Paypal account. Its free, and faster for withdrawals than any debit card, as funds are transferred to your eWallet on the day the transaction is processed by your slot site. Other useful alternatives include Apple Pay, which is available to anyone playing on an Apple device, Trustly, a payment processing service that requires no initial account set up, and mobile services like BOKU which charge deposits to your mobile phone bill and are verified by SMS.
You should always check the payment fees and minimum deposits before choosing which payment service you want to use at your slot site.
In Conclusion
The great news is that for anyone new to the slots experience, there are 100s of licensed slot sites in the UK to choose from. We recommend you take some time shopping around before deciding where to play as there are lots of differences between them all. First and foremost, look for a site that provides a wide choice of your favourite games, but don’t overlook other features like the cashier options and loyalty programs. And above all, remember to play responsibly.
Have fun!
