Facts about Online Slot Machines
Online slots are not only slot machine games that have been programmed with the intention of being played on the Internet. Almost any kind of gambling machine that you find in a land-based casino or online casino has an analogy on the Internet now. Let’s dig more into the online slot machines and their type and functioning. Here we will talk about some facts about Online Slot Machines.
No Download Slots versus Downloadable Slots
There are multiple ways to segregate online slots at casinos, but one of the easiest is to drop them into one of 2 buckets:
- No download slots
- Downloadable slots
Earlier the downloadable slots were in the practice. When you signed up for an online casino, you need to download a software client and played the games through that client. It works that way at a lot of online casinos still.
But no download slots are not gaining a lot of popularity. These are games you can play from within your browser window. These are often powered by Java, Flash, or HTML 5.0. They work just like the games in a downloadable client, and you can still play for real money—right from your browser window.
No download slot machines have some disadvantages to the games you play with a complete download of casino software. One is that the graphics and sound effects are usually not as strong with these games. But in some cases, no download games are every bit as good as the games that you play from within the software.
You can always try the casino software for free in “practice mode” or “play money mode”. That’s not contingent upon downloading the software, either. You can try the games for free with or without downloading them from the casino’s software package.
Are Online Slots Legal?
This question you see pretty often – whether or not online slots are legal. The answer isn’t as cut and dried as a simple yes or no. A lot of it depends on where you live.
As long as you’re not playing for real money, online slots are probably legal anywhere in the world. It might exclude some strict Middle Eastern countries.
Free slots are pretty tame, for the most part, though. After all, what’s the point? You watch the reels spin, you win or you lose, but you have nothing to cash out when you’re done.
In the United States, there are no set laws stopping you from playing online slots for real money—at least not at the Federal level. The 2 laws which are most likely to apply are The Federal Wire Act and The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. Here’s how each of those work:
The Wire Act makes it illegal to transmit bets over phone lines. Because of this law, the Internet counts as a kind of phone line, too. But this law applies specifically to sports betting. It does not necessarily apply to casino games.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act doesn’t forbid any specific kind of gambling activity. Of course, it is illegal to transfer money from one place to another for the purpose of placing illegal wagers. That’s a far cry from outlawing Internet gambling altogether.
But the United States has more laws than just Federal ones. Each state has its own laws, too. But none of them specifically apply to Internet slot machines. But some of them are specific enough about Internet gambling that it’s fair to say that online slots ARE illegal in certain states.
Some states have now legalized and regulated online gambling, too. These include Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey. The fact in those states is that you can only play from within those states at a site addressing specifically to the individual state. And in order to have an online casino site in one of those states, you have to have an existing brick and mortar casino.
Slot machines in the United Kingdom
The situation with online slots in other countries is different. In the United Kingdom, for example, online gambling has been legal and regulated for years. No one worries about whether or not they can play online “fruit machines” legally or not. It’s just part of the culture.
But it’s not as big a part of the European culture as it is a part of Australian culture. This country has the most thriving and robust online casino industry in the world.
There they call these games “online slots”. But the games aren’t legal there. The country just never prosecutes any of the countries providing these games. And it’s not illegal for a player to play the games; it’s just illegal for the casinos to offer them.
When you are planning to play online slots, it’s also good to think about the risk factors involved for the average player. Throughout the world, enforcement activities almost always emphasize the company providing gambling—not the gambler. You can count on the fingers of one hand the number of individual gamblers in the United States who have gotten in trouble for placing bets on the Internet. And each one of them was engaged in sports betting activities, not online casino games like slots.
So the risk factor is big if you think you want to open an online casino. Don’t do it.
Synopsis
Online slots are not going to go anywhere. They’re available in as wide a variety as land-based slots. You can play for any denomination you can think of, for a penny spin or for a few hundred dollars per spin. Play for free, even. You can play for huge progressive jackpots or go after smaller prize pools.
The only drawback to online slot machines is the legality is not clear in some jurisdictions. This is a major glitch for some players but a minor concern for others. A lot of this has to do with your tolerance for risk. These are the Facts about Online Slot Machines.