Slot machines in online casinos offer an average return of around 95% for the player. Blackjack and video poker games offer an average return of more than 99%. However, slot machines are by far the most popular online casino games. Around 70% of the games offered at online casinos are slot machines. Over 90% of the new game additions are in online slots. Naturally, the question arises as to why online slots are so popular despite the lower average performance.
The highest average performance of blackjack and video poker games comes with a rating. To achieve these returns, the player has to acquire the necessary skill. Players who bet on blackjack and video poker games without using the optimal strategy will have to be satisfied with much lower returns. In the worst case, this can even drop below 95%. Online slots, on the other hand, don’t require any skills. The long-term 95% average return is assured for each and every player. Many online casino players do not have the time and inclination to learn optimal blackjack and video poker strategies. Therefore, they do not find an advantage in playing these games compared to online slots.
The most important reason for the popularity of online slots is the payouts they offer. In blackjack games, the maximum payout is 3 to 2. In online roulette, the payouts range from even money to 35 to 1. In video poker games, the maximum payout can be 1,000 to 1. In online slots, even the lowest payouts usually over 50 to 1. The highest payouts can go from 10,000 to 1. And this doesn’t take into account progressive jackpot payouts, which can be truly life changing . Most of the online casino players are there for entertainment. They are willing to sacrifice the potential loss in average performance for the potentially huge payouts.
Most other online casino games can get boring and repetitive after a while. But with online slots there is so much variety that this problem does not arise. Even online slot machines that are structured identically when it comes to game parameters and payouts can be a completely different visual experience. The entertainment quotient of online slots comes from the audiovisual features and animations, which cannot be incorporated into other casino games.