The worldwide online gambling industry is growing each year. As it spreads into new territories, many players who may have never considered gambling online are seeing what the attraction of playing real money slots is about.
However, these players are also weighing the pros and cons of playing such slots online. For that reason, we’ve prepared the guide below. We’ll examine all the positives and negatives of playing real money slots and why we recommend that everyone who enjoys traditional forms of gambling should give it a try.
Real Money Slots
Before delving into the specifics, mentioning the distinction between real money slots and other online slots is essential. Many slot games from the top providers offer demo versions. These are available on slot and online casino review websites like SlotsOnlineCanada.com and the many social casinos that exist nowadays.
While these slots offer the same entertainment value real money slots do, they are free to play; however, they don’t provide any chance for players to win money. Inversely, real money slots cost you something to play, but the money you win can be withdrawn as winnings to be enjoyed. And if luck is on your side, the money you win will be much more than the money you spend.
Benefits of Real Money Slots
Playing a demo (or free-to-play) slot is fine if you want to see how a game works and whether or not you like it. However, if you’re looking to cash in on a big win, you’ll need to opt for real money slots. These slots come with several unique benefits.
Tangible Payouts
One of the most evident benefits of these slots is that you will be playing for real money. Unlike demo or social casino slots, the winnings you receive while playing these games can be withdrawn from your online casino player account into your bank account.
As such, you’ll have more reason to celebrate if you’re lucky enough to hit a big win or jackpot.
Bonuses and Promotions
Although social casinos can offer promotions and free slots can provide bonuses, they are not tangible rewards. Real money slots, however, are known for their incredible bonuses.
From free spins to pick-and-click bonuses, real money slots offer unique rewards that can help boost your winnings or allow you to play longer without spending any cash. Additionally, real money slots are often featured in promotions run by online casinos and are the benefactor of some incredible incentives that make playing more worthwhile.
Jackpots
One of the most considerable benefits of playing real money slots is the jackpots these slots feature. Particularly, progressive jackpot slots can offer incredible sums by pooling money from all players playing a particular game into a central fund.
As such, playing real money slots gives you spectacular chances at total financial freedom. How big, you ask? The biggest online slot win ever, which occurred in September 2018, paid almost $20 million to a lucky Mega Moolah player.
Game Library
While many slots offer demo versions that allow you to play for free, not all do. To gain access to the entire library of games provided by a developer, you may need to part with some cash. Therefore, it is beneficial to play real money games if you’ve got a particular title you want to try out.
Thrill
One of the defining aspects of real money slots is the thrill they give players. The rush of adrenaline as you watch the reels spin and get a preview of a big win can satiate the appetite of even the most intense thrill-seekers.
This feeling is lacking in free-to-play slots because, while the entertainment value and desire to hit a significant jackpot are still there, the knowledge that nothing is on the line dulls the thrill of the gamble.
VIP Programs
Less common on social casinos or free-to-play slot websites, most online casinos offer extensive and worthwhile VIP or reward programs. As you play slots on the site, you’ll rack up points that you can later redeem for special promotions, bonuses, or even free spins. Depending on your reward level, you could even get cashback—giving you the thrill of real money slots at a lower cost.
Risks of Real Money Slots
Like everything in life, real money slots have benefits and risks. The risk posed by these slots can have detrimental effects that neither new nor experienced gamblers should ever overlook.
Privacy
Although it may sound strange, one of the most prominent risks to playing real money slots is the risk posed to your privacy. Because online casinos operate using real money, they usually have strict KYC (know your customer) and AML (anti-money laundering) policies. As a result, the sites require you to provide all your personal information when registering an account to play.
Many social casinos or free-to-play slot websites don’t require this, as there is no need to know who is playing if they win. Alternatively, crypto casinos allow anonymity when playing despite many governments trying to change this.
Financial Loss
The most significant risk to real money slot gambling is, of course, the risk of losing actual money. When playing with a social casino, running out of money simply means resetting your balance so that you can continue gambling. With real money slots, however, things aren’t that easy.
Should you lose more than you’ve bargained for, you might be tempted to spend a little extra in an attempt to win back your losses. This is almost always a terrible idea—one that has been proven time and time again not to work—and can easily lead to more financial loss than you might be prepared to handle.
Scams
With the online gambling industry in almost every country becoming heavily regulated, being scammed by a false online casino offering real money slots is becoming less likely. However, for new players who don’t have experience gambling online, the possibility remains.
Therefore, care should always be taken to ensure that an online casino is properly licensed and has past users who testify to its validity. Doing this mitigates the risk of being scammed by a site posing as an online casino just to take your money and run.
So, how can you avoid being scammed? For starters, we always recommend you look for gaming sites that are approved by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) or Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). These regulatory sites provide license numbers as proof that the gaming brand is indeed approved to operate.
We also suggest you avoid using forums to identify potential scam sites, as forums can be easily manipulated by the scammers themselves.