Can video slots become more innovative?

There are multiple reasons for the popularity of online video slot games. It may be due to payouts being bigger by factors compared to other games. A look at a winners list of any online casino will prove this. It obviously does not matter that the percentage payout of the slot games is the lowest of all casino games. It is generally very tempting to play slots when you read every now and then that someone wagered $0.50 and won $5 million. It's a pity that the winners list of a casino says that a person X won $5000 on game Y, but nothing about how much he wagered to win that amount. Anyway, since the charm of gambling does not lie in counting the certified payout percentages, but in risking a few bucks hoping to win big, video slots are and will remain irresistible to many gamblers.

Another reason for the popularity of this genre of casino games is also the combination of the dazzling graphics and sounds together with the huge variety of number of paylines, free spins, wilds, scatters and bonus rounds. There is always a huge temptation to try all that by wagering till one wins free spins and bonus rounds, and maybe also to risk whatever one has won by activating the gambling feature, if it is there.


Undoubtedly, the slot game has gone through an impressive process of innovation since Charles Fey invented the first slot machine in 1887. This is an ongoing process with the invention of various new features. Microgaming has brought out two interesting innovations, one of them being the replacement of paylines by Ways which always remain active, thus increasing significantly the pay outs because the winning combinations require to be left-to-right, but not along any special line. The 5 reel Dolphin Coast has, for instantace, 3125 Ways. Another new feature introduced by Microgaming is the Respin Feature. After the reels come to a stop and the payouts, if any, are credited to the player's account, he can choose to Respin individual reels by placing an additional bet for a particular reel according to the value displayed under the reel. Since each reel has a different wagering amount, the player has to decide which reel to spin if he wants to use the feature. Reel Gems is such a game. The interesting characteristic of this game is that it is no more absolutely deterministic, as far as the actions of the player are concerned. In other slot games, a player has no possibility of influencing the course of action of the game after starting a spin. When the spin has ended, he can use in some cases the gamble feature to prolong the game. If not, because either he did not win anything or because the feature is not offered, he has to start a new game. This is different in case of the Respin feature. Here the player can prolong the game and produce different outcomes depending on the reel he chooses to respin (provided he uses this option). Each reel has a different wagering amount with different winning chances. Hence the further progress of the spin will depend on what action was taken by the player. This can be called a mini decision making process by the player influencing the final outcome of a spin.

The scope of decision making is bigger in Rival Gaming's I-Slots (Interactive Slots). They are also termed skill-based because the outcome of these games depend to a large extent on the physical skill of the player, on the quickness of his reaction or on his dexterity. For example, in Cosmic Quest the Asteroid Blasteroid Bonus is skill-based and includes 5 stages. Each stage has a unique rocket ship and background. The player is awarded coins based on the number of asteroids blasted away. In As the Reels Turn, the player must hit STOP at correct time to pick the best costume.

 All these innovations are quite remarkable, but I feel time has come for the game providers to go a step further where the outcome of a game will depend on the mental skill of the player.

Why not bring out a game where a player will have to play in the bonus game a round of TEXAS HOLD' EM or LET THEM RIDE or VEGAS STRIP BLACKJACK or any other game where besides pure luck some strategical thinking will also matter?

That will be a real innovation!