CasinoWizard tackles an important question: which type of slot machine is better for the player, online slots or land-based slots?

Now, don’t get us wrong. We love playing land-based slots.

Our annual trips to Las Vegas are the highlight of every year, and we can’t get enough of playing slots at those wonderfully extravagant Strip and Downtown Casinos.

Whenever we are in London, we hit the Hippodrome Casino hard.

The bells, the whistles, exciting animations, and outrageous slot themes never fail to scratch our gambling itches.

We will take some Aristocrat (The Walking Dead, Buffalo Gold, 50 Lions), Konami, IGT, and older WMS (Kronos, Bier Haus, Raging Rhino) slots over a mediocre online slot, any time.

Why online slots are better than land-based slots

That said, CasinoWizard still feels online slots are better for the player than slots found at a brick-and-mortar casino.

There are several significant reasons why it is better to play online slots.

We have selected the top 5 reasons online slots are better for casino players than their land-based counterparts.

1. Online slots pay out significantly more than land-based slots

Online slots have far better theoretical payout percentages than land-based slots.

The average online slot will have a theoretical return to player of around 96%.

When you look at our list of best-paying online slots, you will even find slots that pay up to 99%.

Slots in an old-fashioned casino will pay anything between 80% and 92%, depending on where you play it.

As brick-and-mortar casinos have a way higher overhead (rent, energy, personnel costs, security, maintenance), they have to earn more on every euro or dollar that is staked.

It’s a simple maths exercise that is disadvantageous to the player pressing the spin button.

2. Online slots offer bigger wins

The emphasis on land-based slots is to provide entertainment for the player.

A casino wants to keep the player behind the slot for as long as possible, giving him many smaller wins paired with big-win animations.

The player is led to believe he is constantly beating the slot, while in reality, he is slowly losing his bankroll.

Most land-based slots are low to medium variance to increase the time-on-machine. Wins of 100 x the bet are considered big, and a win of over 1,000 x the stake is exceptional.

While online slots are also designed for players to lose their money, there has been a big shift in variance over the past ten years.

Online slots can pay players tens of thousands of times the stake. Some slots even take it several steps further.

High variance slots such as the Dead or Alive 2 slot by Netent and Tombstone RIP by Nolimit City can pay 111,000 x and 300,000 x the stake, respectively.

3. The selection of online slots is larger

An average top Top 10 rated online casino will offer anywhere between 1,000 and 5,000 different online slots from numerous slot providers, such as NetEnt, Play’n GO, Nolimit City, Quickspin, Relax Gaming, Elk Studios, Thunderkick, Big Time Gaming, and many more.

New online slots are released daily, leading to an ever-increasing array of kick-ass online slots.

As land-based slots take much longer to develop and need to go through more legislative hoops, fewer new slots are released.

However, nothing can beat some of the land-based slots’ screen, audio, and chair setup. Bigger is always better.

4. Online slots are available 24/7, and there is never a wait

How often have you gone to your preferred brick-and-mortar casino and sought out your all-time favourite video slot, only to find it has already been taken? And to make matters worse, the person playing it seems to have taken a permanent residence at the slot’s chair, feeding it with one twenty after another. If only they would get up, you could get your shot, too.

Online slots have a massive advantage over land-based slots in this aspect. There is never a wait and online casinos are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

5. Online casinos give out bonuses to new players

Online casinos give out big casino welcome bonuses to new (and existing) players.

Depending on how the welcome package is structured, you can use an online slot’s RTP to your advantage and beat the casino.

Most online casinos will also throw in free spins on popular slots such as Starburst or Book of Dead.

By playing at online casinos, you will get bonus money to play with, extend your playing time, and increase your chances of landing a big win.

6. Online slots have lower minimum bets

The days of real penny slots in land-based casinos are long gone, with minimum bets often starting at €/$/£0.75 per spin. In online casinos, you will find plenty of low stake slots, with minimum bets ranging from €/$/£0.01 to €/$/£0.10 per spin.

Then why are land-based slots so popular?

In terms of long-term entertainment, game selection, payout percentages, and win potential, there is no doubt online slots are better.

That doesn’t mean there is no place for offline slots. They still are, and always will be, the most-played games in land-based casinos.

They provide entertainment, fun, and excitement – as long as you don’t expect to make money off them.