Aztec’s Millions is a slot that many will be familiar with and is one of RTG’s classic and iconic games that is available to all USA-based players. Although it’s been around a long time, it remains technologically advanced, with very solid graphics and sound complementing the retro gameplay that, whilst relatively simple, is incredibly fun and keeps you coming back for more.

Themed on the Aztecs, unsurprisingly, the game features five reels and 25 paylines. It is quite a fast-paced slot so it is ideal for those who don’t like long delays, especially after wins. The game recreates ancient Aztec times and offers wilds, scatters and a brilliant bonus round where 25 free spins can be played.

In order to access the bonus free spins round you need to get three, four or five scattered Idol symbols, earning the maximum 25 free spins for getting five. Three Idols gets you five free spins, with four serving up 15 and, best of all, there is a 3x multiplier attached to virtually all wins (the bonus and progressive are excluded), allowing you to quickly rack up some huge wins.

Of course, whilst the great theme and adventures of your Aztec King in the bonus round are all well and good, the main reason that many players head for Aztec’s Millions is the big money – the clue perhaps being in the name of the slot.

This game is one of RTG’s progressive jackpot slots, meaning it is a linked slot that pools jackpots across a number of online casinos to create a huge progressive jackpot that will be won by one lucky player. At the time of writing the jackpot stands at a very impressive $1.6m and the last huge win on the game was more than $1.2m. To land the big one and change your life for ever you’ll need to get five Aztec’s Millions symbols in a row and if you do… just imagine the excitement!

Of course, there are plenty of other big wins available too, through the bonus round, by using the Aztec King wilds or by landing one of the top wins, with the biggest offering up 5000 times your stake!

If you haven’t played Aztec’s Millions yet where have you been for the last 10 years?!

Gambling in general is becoming ever more popular and with several states legalizing gambling in some form or other more and more people are visiting casinos and playing slots. Traditionally the only real option for US citizens was a trip to Vegas or one of the other few legal casinos dotted around the country. However, with the advent of online gambling there is now a good range of online casinos and dedicated slots sites at which to play and here we take a look at the main differences between playing slots online and playing in a casino.

The Games

The games and the gameplay itself will largely be the same, with almost all slots in bricks and mortar casinos being of the video variety. That means the actual activity is more or less identical, with the same high quality graphics and sound found whether you play online or in a casino.

The Experience

This is the one area where online slots and casino games can’t really seek to compete with big casinos of the real world. Visiting a Vegas mega resort offers so much more than just playing slots and other casino classics and there is also undoubtedly a bigger buzz to be gained from winning real cash you can see, touch and smell, as opposed to simply withdrawing winnings into your bank or credit card account. Whilst live dealer casinos go some way to adding atmosphere they still fall well short of the old-fashioned method of playing slots.

Convenience

Of course, convenience is an area where playing online is unbeatable. You don’t need to leave the house and can play whenever you like. You can also play at your own leisure, rather than feel you have to be at the tables/slots all the time because you only have a limited period at the casino. Moreover, thanks to the advent of mobile slots you can now play more or less whenever you want and wherever you want.

Value for Money

The clincher that gives playing online overall victory is value for money. Online casinos and slots sites offer huge bonuses to new customers, as well as great loyalty schemes. In contrast, visiting a real casino costs a lot of money, unless you happen to live nearby, and there will be no generous bonuses to help you on your way.

Playing online and mobile slots can be lots of fun and is actually very simple. However, like with most new things, many people are put off because they feel they don’t know what to do. Our guide to slots is aimed at total beginners and so if you’ve always wanted to play online slots but didn’t know where or how to start, we’ll help you on your way.

Choosing a Slots Site

The first thing you’ll need to do is pick a site and the key things to note are that you need one that accepts US players, can be trusted, offers great games and has a generous bonus with fair wagering requirements.

Having done that, just take the plunge and join up. It’s really easy – just like buying something from any regular online store. You’ll need to add personal and payment details to the site but the best online casinos use high quality encryption methods so this is as safe and secure as undertaking online banking transactions, if not safer!

Choosing a Game

Most sites have tens, if not hundreds of slots to choose from, as well as an array of other great casino games. Many online slots sites allow you to play the game in demo (also called free play) mode and this is a great way to explore the slot without risking money. Have a look around and see if any take your fancy and have a go, either in demo mode or for small stakes.

Playing an Online Slot

Playing the slots is actually really easy and most slots require no skill or prior knowledge. One thing to note is that you can often change the amount you bet on each spin, usually in two, or even three ways. Slots usually have between three and 25 win lines, although some have many more and you can sometimes choose how many lines you want to bet on, how many coins you want to stake on each line and what each coin is worth.

Collecting Winnings From Online Slots

Generally all you have to do is press spin (or you can use auto spin too) and the slot does the rest. The reels will spin and any winnings will be automatically calculated and added to your account. To withdraw funds just go to “My Account”, “Bank” or “Cashier” and withdraw your winnings – they should be back with you in a couple of days.

When looking to try to “beat the casino” through playing slots, one of the most obvious places to start is by asking if the spins are random or if any pattern can be discerned. Many people, especially those accustomed to playing slots in the real world (that is to say in a bricks and mortar casino) will have watched someone pour a small fortune into a slot whilst waiting to get on the machine themselves.

The theory is that because so much money has gone in, some will soon be due out and the machine is “ready to pay out”. It is this theory that keeps many players playing the same slot even when enduring a long losing run. Whilst there is, in one sense, some truth in this theory, in reality slots payout at random. Clearly no slot will go on without paying out forever and so if you stay playing the same slot you will, eventually at least, get some form of win.

However, with many online slots featuring huge jackpots and lots of other very significant wins and high-paying bonus rounds, in reality a long winless run – or one with only very minor wins – is highly likely at some stage as the slot seeks to recoup previous winnings. These long runs without a large payout are likely to be far larger and far longer than almost all players can (or will) endure, so never get sucked into the trap of believing that a slot – either online or offline – is “due”.

Slots have a set payout percentage, sometimes almost as high as 99% and sometimes as low as just 75% (that latter figure is the minimum legally allowed in Nevada). In as much as they work to those parameters there is some predictability but because those payout percentages are ongoing and measured over an infinite period of time, in practice slots are totally random and therefore cannot be observed in order to increase your chances of winning.

If you do want to win playing online slots then clearly picking games with high payout percentages is a good idea, whilst taking advantage of the many available casino and slots bonuses is also advised – all of the best casinos will offer bonuses, promotions and perhaps loyalty schemes. And then, in reality, you are simply reliant on good old fashioned luck.

Progressive slots, which are also sometimes called jackpot slots, are one of the many reasons that people love playing slots so much. Progressive slots can be played both online or at bricks and mortar casinos in Vegas or wherever else, but the beauty of playing progressive slots online is that you can access a much greater number and variety and do so without even leaving the house, let alone the state!

A progressive slot is a slot that is linked to other slots with a small portion of the money from every spin being allocated to a special jackpot prize. So, whilst many slots may have a top prize of tens, hundreds or even thousands of dollars, the biggest and best progressive slots have life-changing jackpot prizes in the hundreds of thousands, millions and even TENS of millions of dollars!

These games are almost like lotteries in the sense that they really can change your life forever, with just one spin making all your dreams become possible. That excitement is what makes progressive slots so popular and whilst your odds of winning are low, progressive jackpots are hit every single day somewhere in the USA so who knows, it could be you?

For US players, progressive jackpots on RTG’s casino software generally offer the biggest prizes, with five at the time of writing worth $1m or more, although the highest currently available globally stands at an amazing $4.4m! The biggest win ever on an online progressive slot came in 2013 when a Finnish player won an amazing €18m (that’s around $23m!) playing a slot called Mega Fortune. What’s even more amazing is that the bet that won him the cash was just €0.25 – about 30c!

When you play a progressive slot you should be aware of a few things and the first, which may be obvious to many but is worth pointing out, is that the progressive slot jackpots are being played for simultaneously over hundreds or even thousands of slots across a linked network. Secondly, and related to our lucky Finnish winner mentioned above, is that you should always check what coin/stake qualifies for the progressive jackpot. Whilst he got lucky for little more than a quarter a spin, some progressives require maximum stakes for the full jackpot.

Ultimately though progressive slots are THE most exciting games you can play at an online casino. Why not give them a try – you’ve got to spin it to win it!