Slots Terminology Guide
Confused by slot jargon? Here’s a breakdown of the most common terms you’ll encounter.
RTP (Return to Player)
The theoretical percentage of all wagered money a slot will pay back to players over time. An RTP of 96% means that for every £100 wagered, the slot is programmed to return £96. A higher RTP is generally better for the player.
Volatility (or Variance)
Describes the risk level of a slot. Low volatility slots pay out small wins frequently. High volatility slots pay out large wins less often, offering bigger potential payouts but with higher risk. Medium volatility is a balance between the two.
Paylines
The lines on which winning combinations of symbols must land for you to win. These can be straight, diagonal, or zig-zag. Modern slots can have anywhere from 1 to over 100,000 paylines (in the case of Megaways).
Wilds
Symbols that substitute for other symbols (except usually Scatters and bonus symbols) to help form winning combinations. They can have special properties like expanding to cover a whole reel (Expanding Wilds) or staying in place for multiple spins (Sticky Wilds).
Scatters
Special symbols that can trigger bonus features, like free spins or a bonus game, typically when you land three or more anywhere on the reels. They don’t need to be on a payline to be effective.
Free Spins
A bonus round where you get to spin the reels for free a certain number of times. These rounds often come with added features like multipliers, extra wilds, or special symbols to increase your winning potential.
Megaways
A popular game engine created by Big Time Gaming. On each spin, the number of symbols on each reel changes, creating a dynamic number of ways to win that can reach over 117,649.
Cluster Pays
A mechanic where wins are formed by landing groups (clusters) of matching symbols that are adjacent to each other, either horizontally or vertically. There are no traditional paylines.
Tumbling / Avalanche Reels
After a win, the winning symbols are removed from the reels, and new symbols fall or ‘tumble’ into their place. This creates the opportunity for multiple consecutive wins from a single paid spin.
Progressive Jackpot
A jackpot that increases in value every time the game is played by anyone on the network but is not won. These jackpots can grow to life-changing amounts, often in the millions.
Bonus Buy
A feature available in some slots that allows players to pay a premium (e.g., 100x their stake) to instantly trigger the main bonus round, such as free spins, instead of waiting to land the required scatter symbols.
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