Online slots have somewhat surprisingly eclipsed table games to be the biggest generator of revenue for online casinos.  Partly due to the economic crash in 2008 and partly due to television and film tie-ins, online slot developers have managed to take the addictive qualities of live slots and fuse it with the capabilities of playing slots online.

This post looks at how and why online slots keep us coming back with our small change.

Slot machines engage the pleasure centres of the brain

Like sex, good food, and doing the other things you enjoy, slot machines engage the pleasure centres of our minds.  So much so, that the gambling industry thinks of slots as the crack cocaine of the industry.  The psychology is in the design of slot machines and is completely deliberate.  To give you an idea of how provocative slot machines are, most US-based casinos make 80% of their revenue from slot machines, and this is generated by 20% of their customers.

Slots lure us with the thrill of anticipation; make us believe we can win.  Designers have made the lights flash, and the bells ring at the right times and at the right frequency to precisely engage us.  It is in many ways a work of genius.

Recognising matching patterns

As well giving us sights and sounds to please our eyes and ears, they engage you through giving you recognisable patterns.  So every time you win a pattern emerges which we automatically associate with winning money.  This is powerful stuff.  So much so that it is one of the many reasons we play online slots even though we know the machines favour the house.

The name’s Bond, James Bond

Online slots have taken this winning formula one step further by using popular film and television shows to wet our appetites.

This bond has not gone unnoticed with online slot developers.  As such popular and in vogue television and film franchises have been integrated into online slots – a perfect example are the slots on Mr Smith Casino.  Some of these slots feature TV programmes such as Game of Thrones or animated shows like South Park, and historical and mythological figures such as Sinbad, as well as the iconic like Bruce Lee.  Developers have been quick to capitalise on film successes such as superheroes and zombies.  As such the Dark Knight and Iron Man 3 online slots games are there if you want them.

It’s always personal

Another aspect of slot machine psychology is that players often talk to their machines like it’s a real person.  Psychologists noticed that players would plead, beg, hit and laugh with their machines during a gaming session.  They would form a relationship with their slot machine of choice.

Promise of a big win

Of course the important factor about online slots is they promise a big win.  One coin of a throwaway amount could yield a life changing jackpot.   This addictive promise is at the heart of all gaming, and every so often the online slot player’s dreams come true.

With online slots being so popular and developers the world over coming up with new ways to engage the right parts of our minds, online slot machines will be promising us riches for years to come.