If you’re a fan of online gambling, you’ll know by now that online slots are some of the most popular games around. Although most people understand the mechanics of these games, one question we’re frequently asked is what the best time to play online slots is. If you’re looking for the answer to this all-important question, we suggest reading on.
The reason so many of you ask what the best time to play these games are is because you all want to boost your chances of making wins. However, to be completely honest with you, there is no best time to play online slots. The reason for this is due to the way online slots operate and their unpredictability, meaning that you cannot know when wins will be triggered.
If you don’t already know, online slots use random number generators (RNGs) to determine the outcome of each spin. Whenever you hit the spin button on an online slot, the RNG will create a random sequence that is then translated to the symbols you see on the video slot’s reels. You then either lose or win money based on the symbols since most online slots require you to create a winning combination of three or more matching symbols.
The RNG mechanic ensures that everything is completely randomised and that you will not land similar outcomes every time you spin the reels. This effectively means that there is no best time to play online slots. However, just because there’s no best time to play them doesn’t mean you can’t work out how likely you are to win at a game.
If you’re new to online slots or would like to know more about the game including details on slot terminology and paylines, you should check out our beginner’s guide to online slots.
RTP (Return to Player) is a term used frequently within the gambling industry and it generally refers to the percentage rate of wagered money that is paid back to a player over a long period of time. All casino games have RTP rates including online slots, table games, and even live casino titles. The RTP rate will tell you how likely you are to make a win but these rates cannot be used to predict when you’ll make a win due to the unpredictability of slots, as explained above.
It’s important to note that every game has its own RTP rate. The best online slots have an RTP rate of between 95% and 96% but some can go as low as 88%, which isn’t great. Casino table games like blackjack, poker, baccarat, and roulette all tend to have higher RTP rates with some titles going as high as 99% – this suggests you’re incredibly likely to make a win when playing. If you’d like to know more about RTP rates and how they work, take a look at our in-depth RTP guide here.
Although there isn’t a definitive time to play online slots, most online casinos run promotions and bonuses which you can claim or opt-in to which can boost your chances of making wins or offer you exclusive bonuses. Many of these promotions are timed, however, which means you’ll have to check for them regularly and make sure you claim them as soon as possible. Take a look at some of the promotions below.
If the above no deposit bonus promotion doesn’t excite you, we have something else that might; casino happy hour. These are timed promotions which are held on specific days each week which offer customers a chance to claim additional bonuses or spins for playing a specific online slot during a specified window.
This is as close as you’ll get to finding the best time to play online slots but the drawback is that most online casino websites don’t actually offer this type of promotion. It’s rare, but it’s definitely a fun promotion to enjoy if available.
Many online casinos also offer cashback bonuses where you can claim money back on losses made while playing select casino games. Cashback bonuses aren’t available at all online casinos but the sites that do offer them will tend to only offer you a small percentage of your lost money. So don’t expect to be receiving huge bonuses through these promotions, even if they’re available at an online casino you like.
Another common promotion that you can enjoy at an online casino is tournaments, sometimes known as spinoffs. These promotions generally involve you playing select slots against other users and attempting to achieve the highest score possible. Like most other promotions, these tournaments and spinoffs can award some great prizes but they are only available for a short period of time. This means you’ll need to keep an eye out for these fun competitions and then jump in when you get the chance.
Although not usually timed, a great way of making wins is by playing for online slots for free. The way to do this is by finding an online casino that offers a no deposit bonus. This means you can register with an online casino and claim a bonus, usually in the form of free spins for online slots, without having to spend any money, although you will need to verify your account.
These free spins can then be used on online slots but there are conditions to these free spins no deposit bonuses that you must take note of. Firstly, most online casinos offering these free spins only allow you to use them on select slots determined by them. In addition, the free spins usually have a short validity period as well as other limitations including a low maximum win and/or a wagering requirement – the number of times you need to wager something before it can be withdrawn.
These limitations can make claiming these free spins no deposit bonuses a little pointless, but it’s still a great bonus to claim and it can be used to test out a brand new online casino or new online slot game. If you’d like to know more about free spins or no deposit bonuses and discover which sites offer these great promotions, take a look at our free spins no deposit UK bonus guide here.
Now, we’ve already explained that most of these promotions are actually quite difficult to find but they aren’t impossible. If you’re interested in any of the promotions we’ve mentioned, you can take a look below at some of the online casinos that run these unique promotions.
PlayOJO Casino, an online casino operated by SkillOnNet, is known for offering its users wager-free bonuses as well as for running frequent slot tournaments which anyone can participate in. These games usually offer great prices and users registered with the website will also be able to enjoy the daily promotions, a wide selection of casino games, and great customer support. Take a look at our PlayOJO review for more information.
Sloty is an online casino operated by Genesis Global Limited. The site is one of the few online casinos to run a Happy Hour promotion in which users who deposit and play through £20 on video slots between 4 PM and 6 PM every Tuesday to win 10 free spins on select slots. If that isn’t enough for you, Sloty provides customers with hundreds of casino games and it also accepts most major payment options too, allowing you to select how you want to deposit and withdraw funds. Want to know more? Check our Sloty Casino review!
The Sun Play is an online casino website operated by Nektan Limited. The site, which is based on The Sun newspaper, offers numerous promotions and bonuses to customers including a very special cashback bonus on Wednesdays. Users who deposit £10 and finish with a net loss on online slots will receive 10% of their losses back as a bonus within three business days. In addition, anyone who registers at The Sun Play will also be able to enjoy a gigantic portfolio of casino games from some of the industry’s top providers including NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, Big Time Gaming, Microgaming, Red Tiger Gaming, and so many others. Discover more about The Sun Play in our review.
Wink Slots is an online casino operated by 888 Holdings. The site is offering a special 30 free spins welcome bonus with no deposit needed. All you need to do is register with the website and then verify your account. After that, you can enjoy the website’s deposit bonus and have fun playing the hundreds of unique video slots available while also experiencing some of the best customer support around. It’s a no brainer! You can read our full Wink Slots review here.
If you don’t like any of the online casinos we’ve mentioned here, a couple more of our recommendations that offer a mixture of the promotions laid out above include Casino Joy, Mr Play, Genesis Casino, Kassu, The Grand Ivy, SlotsMillion, and more. If you don’t like any of those online slots, you can always take a look at our in-depth reviews for dozens of unique UK online casinos.
