Online gambling is a global phenomenon with billions of dollars wagered every year on sports, lottery, table games and, of course, slots. These reel-based games are by far the most popular of all the gambling products available online thanks to their compelling gameplay, ace graphics and animations, and huge payout potential. Canadian gamblers have a massive range of casinos to choose from and all of them are packed with online slots so you have a lot of choice. In this guide we will explain what real money slots are, which are the most popular, and how to play. When you are done reading you can take your pick from any of the casinos on this page, claim a bonus and start playing for real money prizes.
UNDERSTANDING REAL MONEY SLOTS
Before you get started on your slots adventure, here are some important facts about real money slot games that you should understand:
Return to Player – The RTP of a game tells you the average payout you can expect during your session. Typically, a games RTP will sit at around 96% which means for every $100 you wager, you will get $96 back. Remember, this is just an average – sometimes you will get back more, and other times less. Always look for games with a high RTP is they are better value.
Variance – The variance refers to how far from the RTP a game will drift in a session. A higher variance game will drift further with potentially long periods with only very small payouts followed by a short windfall where the RTP sky rockets. Classic high variance games like Dead or Alive are seen as high risk because you can lose a lot of money very quickly and should be treated with caution.
Jackpots – Real money slots offer different payout mechanisms. There will always be a paytable accessible from within the game that shows how much each combination of identical icons is worth. The highest value icons trigger the biggest wins when they align. There may also be fixed jackpots triggered by specific in-game events, or progressive jackpots which are potentially much higher in value and are built on contributions from all stakes wagered on the slot over time.
Game Features – Alongside the basic gameplay, every online slot will have a selection of features that enhance the experience and trigger events and extra payouts. Here are a few of the most common features in real money slots:
- Wilds – these are special symbols that substitute for standard ones to create winning lines.
- Symbol Stacks – when icons appear in stacks on one reel they can enhance your chances of winning on any spin
- Multipliers – look out for multipliers which are applied to your wins. They may be as low as 2x or as high as 100x and often attached to a symbol like a wild or applied to every win during a particular feature like free spins.
- Free Spins – these are common in all slots. You get a number of free plays, hands free! The reels spin and prizes stack up. Sometimes free spins can be re-triggered.
These are just a few of the most common features – check out our slot game reviews to find out more.
BEST REAL MONEY SLOTS
There are literally thousands of real money online slots to try at any casino in the list on this page. They come in many different shapes and sizes and what appeals to one gambler may not appeal to another. From our team of experts, this is a list of 5 of the very best.
BOOK OF DEAD BY PLAY N GO
Play n Go’s Book of Dead slot is one of the most popular high-risk slots of all time and has been the template for many copycat games over the years. It uses a clever free spins round feature in which one chosen icon expands to full reel height whenever it lands. It is possible to land this icon on ALL reels at once and fill the screen with identical icons for the biggest payout.
DEAD OR ALIVE BY NETENT
Another high variance slot with a massive following is NetEnt’s Dead or Alive, based on a Wild West storyline. It comes with a free spins round where re-triggers can land you up to 29 free spins with EVERY win doubled with a 2x multiplier. The amazing graphics and 12,000x top payout make this a very enticing game to test your luck on.
MEGA MOOLAH BY MICROGAMING
Microgaming’s famous Progressive Jackpot slot is one of the most popular of all time thanks to its regular mind-boggling multi-million-dollar payouts. This Savannah-based slot game has been going since 2006 and thanks to its 1c smallest stake is accessible to those with lower bankrolls too! There are FOUR random jackpots available as well as good wins triggered by multipliers and wild icon combinations.
MEGA FORTUNE BY NETENT
If you want to win big then your other option is to try for a big real money prize on NetEnt’s famously aspirational progressive jackpot, Mega Fortune. With a reel set emblazoned with bling-type icons and a backdrop of a luxury cruise liner, there is no question what this game is offering. There are lost of free spins and multipliers as well as a three-tiered progressive jackpot wheel feature round.
RED BARON BY ARISTOCRAT
Aristocrat’s Red Baron slot is very popular in Canada and has a classic slot machine vibe to it. The game is based on the story of a German fighter pilot who famously won many battles in the air in World War One. The icons are old skool and the action is very much high risk, but for those brave enough to take on the baron there are big money prizes to be won thanks to multipliers, free spins and wilds.
FREE SLOTS THAT PAY REAL MONEY
Everyone wants the chance to play real money slots for free. And you can … by claiming a free spins bonus at any of the casinos on this page that offer one. Free Spins are one of the most common ways for online casinos to entice new players through their doors. They are usually dished out as part of your welcome package and will typically be available to use on classic slots like Starburst from NetEnt, Book of Dead by Play n Go, and Mega Moolah from Microgaming.
Just remember that when you do play slots for free in this way your payouts will usually be in bonus funds which means that they will have some terms and conditions. Typically, you will need to wager the winnings several times over before they can be withdrawn. So always check the terms of any free spins offer before you claim so that you know what you are getting. Some casinos now offer free spins with no wagering requirements – keep what you win. Try Play OJO if you want to play for unconditional real money prizes.
REAL MONEY SLOTS BONUS
Aside from free spins you can also pick up a bonus to play real money slots at any of the casinos listed on this page. Slots bonuses are usually credited when you make a deposit and will be calculated as a percentage match against the value of that deposit. For example, if you deposit $10 and get a 100% match bonus then you will get $10 extra to play slots. Sometimes you can claim up to 200% or even 500% extra, whilst other times the match may be as low as 25%.
Just as with free spins, bonus funds come with restrictions that you should be aware of too. These include a minimum deposit to qualify for the bonus (usually $10), a maximum value of the bonus, and wagering requirements that must be met before the bonus, or any winnings generated, can be withdrawn. Always read the terms carefully so that you know what you are getting before you deposit.
REAL MONEY SLOTS ON MOBILE
Of course, all real money slots are now available to play on your mobile as well as a desktop computers. Thanks to better broadband and WiFi technologies, better hardware and HTML5 technologies that create responsive game designs, mobile casinos have flourished in the last 10 years. Every game supplier now create slots that work on both Android and iPhone devices and every casino site you play at is conveniently built to work on your mobile too. So if you are reading this on your cell phone then just choose any slot site from those in our list, sign up, and you could be playing your favourite slot games with free spins in just a few minutes.
All slots at Canadian casinos can be played for real money. In some cases that means the chance to spin for huge cash prizes of millions of dollars in progressive jackpot games from Microgaming and NetEnt. Other slots have smaller prizes but can still pay out $1,000s from one spin if you get lucky. Most slots start at a stake value of around 10c, though some can be as low as 1c. In most cases you will be able to stake up to $100 per spin though of course you should only stake this amount if you can afford to lose it.
