In March, we saw the release of “Ghost in the Shell” – a live action movie based on one of the most popular anime franchises of all time. Despite some incredibly dumb controversy regarding the main character’s skin color (spoilers: she was white in the comics as well, so everyone calling whitewashing was factually wrong), the movie still managed to make almost $200 million theatrically, making it a pretty decent success, even if it wasn’t anything groundbreaking. Why am I talking about “Ghost in the Shell” on a website about slots, you may ask? Well, did you know that there’s actually a “Ghost in the Shell” slot machine? It’s true – Random Logic developed one a few years ago, alongside several other slots based on popular anime series like “Neon Genesis Evangelion”. With the release of this highly anticipated major Hollywood movie based on the same property, you’d assume that an updated sequel would be the developer’s highest priority, but as far as I can tell, not only is it missing in action, the casinos that feature the old slot, like 888, have done very little to promote it.

This is in stark contrast to the slot environment just a few years ago, when everyone and their mother had a licensed slot whether or not it even made sense. We had slots based on gigantic blockbuster franchises like “Game of Thrones” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we had slots based on smaller, less famous films that the target demographic could still remember fondly, like “Gladiator”, and we also had slots that made absolutely no sense whatsoever on any conceivable level, like “Bridesmaids”. But the point is that every developer in the business wanted a piece of the license pie. And why wouldn’t they? Putting a highly recognizable name on your slot is a lucrative business! Sure, a licensing deal requires you to part with some of your winnings, but more often than not the recognition and advertisement you get from it is more than worth it. For example, if a licensed slot makes £100 and the developers need to give 30% of their winnings to the license holder, that leaves them with £70 – £20 more than a non-licensed slot which only made £50 in winnings because twice as few people played it due to its less recognizable name. Putting a name on the slot is a win no matter how you look at it!

But as we’ve seen, licensed slots are starting to decrease in both quantity and quality – you barely see them around anymore! Why is that, exactly? Well, there might be several reasons for this, honestly. One of the biggest ones, I’m guessing, is licensing issues. A few years ago, Disney famously pulled the license for both Marvel and Star Wars slots, leaving developers like Playtech without access to their most popular properties. Every single licensed slot shares this risk, and so it’s actually way better for creators to merely do their own, original slots and then spend a little extra on advertising rather than spend the same amount on a risky license. By extension, I’m guessing that many of the big corporations aren’t super thrilled about the idea of their properties being associated with casinos. We know loud and clear where Disney stand, but for all we know, other big movie studios like 20^th Century Fox might not be particularly fond of the casino business either, which makes acquiring their licenses for slots a bit harder. The only company I know of who are willing and open to work with slot developers today is Warner Bros, who are currently creating a series of DC-themed slots alongside Playtech, but that’s about it.

Truth be told, I don’t know exactly why the licensed slot market is dying. Like I mentioned, these are only my speculations – maybe I’m way off and there’s a completely different reason that I’m unaware of, or hell, maybe the market is fine and it’s more of an advertisement/visibility issue that’s keeping licensed slots away from the front page. But whatever the case, I don’t think anyone’s arguing that licensed slots just don’t have the same presence in online casinos as they once did, for better or for worse. Was their recent success an anomaly, a fluke that was never meant to last? Or are developers merely scared by Disney’s move against Playtech, and will soon return to form? I suppose only time can tell.

It’s funny to think that 30 years ago sequels – specifically movie sequels – were expected to cost twice as much and make two times less money. Oh, how times have changed! Today, sequels rule the entertainment industry! We no longer have movies, we have franchises. Everybody and their mother wants to have their own cinematic universe, every young adult novel is eyed for at least a four movie deal, and even movies that decided don’t need sequels because their storylines wrapped up and they didn’t do all that well in the box office are still getting sequels because that’s how Hollywood rolls (“Edge of Tomorrow”, anyone?). The videogame world is even worse – while in the realm of movies it’s relatively rare to see big franchises make it past 2-3 movies, in videogames huge series of 5+ games are the norm. Just for reference, in the next few months we’re expecting “Resident Evil VII” (technically “Resident Evil 15”, and that’s without counting all of the remakes and non-canonical side stories), “Metal Gear Survive” (“Metal Gear 8”, again, without counting remakes, special editions and non-canonical entries”) and “Final Fantasy XV” (which I’m not even going to count, because look at this mess).

Naturally, slots also feel the need to follow in this tradition. In the past we’ve had stuff like “Thunderstruck II”, “Avalon II” and “Jack Hammer 2”, recently we got “South Park: Reel Chaos”, and in the very near future we’re getting “Jurassic World” (a sequel to Microgaming’s excellent “Jurassic Park”), as well as a whole bunch of DC slots by Playtech which will act as sequels to their Marvel slots. Sure, sequel culture hasn’t engulfed slots in the same way as it has other media, but we’re seeing more and more sequels popping up all over the board. Like always, some sequels are good, some sequels ae bad, and that begs the question – what exactly do we expect from a good slot sequel? I mean, despite the fact that we’re seeing them more and more often, slot sequels are pretty much uncharted territory for the most part. What should developers do to make them great?

Well, the cold, hard truth is that slots aren’t like videogames and movies. With those, more of the same is typically enough – if the original worked, all the fans want is more content featuring the characters they’ve grown to love. However, with slots, “more of the same” won’t really cut it, because, well, why make the same exact slot with just different graphics if you can just play the old slot? Sometimes this work really well when an older slot needs to be updated, but for the most part, “more of the same” isn’t the right approach. At the same time, though, developers should watch out not to make the sequel too different, because then what’s the point of making a sequel at all? It just seems like they’re trying to capitalize on the name, which isn’t really going to go well with the fans. The right result is somewhere in the middle – the feel of the slot should be preserved, but additional features should be added to distinguish it from its original. I feel like “South Park: Reel Chaos” and “Jack Hammer 2” did that pretty great, overall, and are the go-to examples on how you should do a slot sequel. I honestly wouldn’t mind seeing more sequels to slots in the future, especially to those that are a bit outdated now, as long as the example set by the titles I listed is followed. Now, who’s rooting for “Mega Moolah 2”?

If you ever needed a reminder to stay safe, this is it, people. Bingo has often been regarded as a gambling activity enjoyed primarily by old women, and while it’s debatable whether there’s a lot of truth to that or not, a group of criminals still decided to take advantage of it by robbing a place that is less likely to be able to defend itself. On May 10^th, at around 11:30 PM, four men walked into Daye 2 Daye Beach Bingo in the 3700 block of Wake Forest Highway in North Carolina, activating the duress alarm immediately. Despite the fact that the suspects threatened the staff with their weapons, fortunately nobody was injured during the robbery, but the criminals still managed to get away in an unknown vehicle driven by a fifth individual. An unknown amount of cash was stolen from the bingo hall, and there is currently a reward for any information that leads to the arrest of the suspects.

Fortunately, there were numerous security cameras which took photos and footage of the criminals. All of them appear to be of African-American descent, and one of them was confirmed to have a tattoo of a dollar sign on his face. If you live in the region and have any information that could lead to their capture, please contact the local sheriff’s department by following the instructions listed here. I doubt that many of you will have any kind of information, though – most of you aren’t living anywhere near North Carolina, anyway. That’s not the reason why I’m reporting on this. The reason is to warn people to stay vigilant. I often hear of the dangers of online gambling, but you rarely, if ever hear of the dangers that physical casinos and bingo halls pose as well. Robberies and other criminal acts happen regularly, especially after sunset, so even when you believe there’s no danger where you’re going, always try to stay safe. As the current example has shown us, even something as innocent as a bingo hall can be robbed.

So, what can you do if you want to scratch that bingo itch, but it’s too late to go out and be safe? Well, you can do the same you’d do for literally any other form of gambling and transition online. Sites like bestbingoapp.net offer plenty of suggestions for new players, so all you need to do is take a couple of minutes to browse them and see what will catch your eye and what won’t. I’d personally recommend this review of the 888 Ladies mobile app, which showcases its features quite well in my humble opinion. Keep in mind that this is coming from an outsider – I’m not too well-versed in the world of bingo, but so far, I really like what I see here. Check it out, and I’ll say this once again – stay safe!

Quick! Name your favorite slots ever! Come on, I’ll give you, like, 30 seconds to think about it and make a mental list in your mind! Imagine the Jeopardy music if that helps. You ready? Alright, let’s take a look at our lists, compare and contrast! Mine are “The Avengers”, “South Park”, “Jurassic Park” and “Spider-Man”! Well, okay, I obviously can’t see yours, since, you know, this is a pre-written message and we’re not actually talking (if you think that this is a real conversation, then please see a mental health professional), but I’m willing to bet that your list has one thing in common with mine – most of the slots listed on them are based on movies and TV shows. Have you ever wondered why that is? No need to respond, as I said, this isn’t actually a real conversation. The important part is that so have I, and I think I came up with a few good ideas.

The fact of the matter is that it’s a bit of a closed circle, really. Why? Well, allow me to explain. Licensed slots generally attract a whole lot of attention. If you made an average person who has absolutely no knowledge of slots whatsoever choose between “Mega Moolah”, “Thunderstruck” and “Game of Thrones”, they’d most likely go with “Game of Thrones” literally just because of the name. When you have no other point of reference, you need to judge the book by its cover. And since the majority of people who play online slots don’t really know too much about them (sure, YOU are doing your research by reading blogs such as mine, but I assure you, you’re in the minority), slots bearing easily recognizable names tend to be a lot more popular.

But wait! That’s not where the mystery ends, not by a long shot! You see, the people developing the slots take good care to watch their numbers. It’s not hard for them to see that the most profitable slots are the licensed ones. So place yourself in the position of a CEO – if you could allocate the budget you have to spare between several slots that your company is currently developing, where would you place your bet? On the licensed slots, of course! As a result, licensed slots generally have better graphics, music, bonus games and payouts, which in turn makes them popular even among more experienced gamblers. And since they’re so popular, they get pushed to the front page of their casino, where new people can see them, recognize their name and give them a shot. Do you realize now how the typically high quality of licensed slots is a perpetual, closed circle? It’s pretty fascinating to think about, but honestly, I don’t really mind at all. As long as it keeps bringing us awesome slots based on our favorite movies and TV shows, long live the circle!

If you’re here, that means you must have played a whole ton of slots! Maybe you liked some, but not others, or maybe most slots you play are enjoyable to you. Either way, I’m sure you’ve noticed that a lot of them tend to be very different. Sure, there’s some which are just carbon copies of each other (looking straight at you, IGT), but most have at least one small thing which makes them unique, like a special minigame or a bonus feature. It’s not uncommon at all for slots these days to have at least one element which is a bit more interactive – a game that you activate by getting special symbols (usually called “scatters”) which provides a nice change of pace and a decent reward following it. But not every slot has a bonus game – some, such as “Mega Moolah” or a lot of IGT slots, prefer to stick to the basics and still manage to remain popular. So the question is, how important are bonus games, really?

I think that, to answer the question lies in the games themselves, and in what people expect from them when playing slots. First, let’s take a look at the slots which have bonus games and try to discover what they have in common. “South Park”, for example, is famous for having tons of very fun bonus games and bonus rounds. These range from interactive (spraying hippies with a fire extinguisher in the park or leading Kenny through a street without getting him run over by a car) to passive (playing ‘kick the baby’ and getting bonuses to your free spins)… But then again, if you know anything about “South Park”, you’d know that this is all par for the course. The franchise has always had the potential for wacky and fun games, so it’s really no surprise that the slot was designed in this way. As a matter of fact, if you look at all slots that have bonus games, a good chunk of them have been based on something – “King Kong”, “The Avengers”, “Jurassic Park”, “Aliens” and so on and so forth.

Meanwhile, slots that don’t have bonus games are seldom based on an actual property. “Mega Moolah”, for example, is based on the theme of animals being fifty shades of crazy in an African savannah. But have you noticed something interesting about the slots which don’t feature bonus games? They all have something else that’s drawing the players in, most often a jackpot. Since people will be playing these slots for the jackpots anyway, a bonus game simply isn’t necessary. But for non-jackpot slots, especially those based on a license, the presence or lack of a bonus game can make or break it. But most importantly, a bonus game can bring a slot that much closer to its license, and as a result appeal that much more to the fans of the license.

With an online gambling market flooded with casino sites, finding a decent brand to play at is not as easy as it looks on the surface. Furthermore, finding an online casino where the best of everything you need is being offered is sometimes an overwhelming task. There are certain criteria that should be considered when deciding whether to join a casino site or not. Therefore, you should be careful when choosing a gambling site and read some expert reviews first. You should consider the below 5 factors when choosing a brand. I recommend you to stop and take the time to evaluate what aspects are most relevant to your needs as a player. If you want to skip the reading part and find your perfect match, you can check some of the best online casino sites in the UK rated by topcasinos.org.uk. The experts in this site will help you find the best brands with the best offers.

1. Sign-Up Bonuses & Rules

If you want to earn bonuses that will help you get enhanced winning opportunities, it is important to check the promotions list. Most online casino sites will offer you a deposit bonus and VIP benefits but there are certain brands that will treat you with a cash-free gift on sign-up. Also, before taking to the trial, make sure you get info about the imposed bonus wagering rules – that’s one of the things the casino won’t tell you about.

2. Game Variety

Another factor you should consider when selecting an online casino is how varied is the list of games and how it suits your personality. For this purpose, explore the available game options before signing up. Some casino brands will offer you just casino while other more established gambling brands offer a full portfolio of gaming services, including live-dealer games, a bingo department, poker, sports betting, exchange and arcade games.

3. Online Payment System

Having a bunch of safe and flexible e-wallets in the banking section provides you with the opportunity to make instant, fee-free and easy deposits. Those players who don’t like using their cards for online payment can check if the site accepts PayPal. Still, there are few online casinos where this method is not supported, so check the list of available banking options, prior to playing with real money.

4. Mobile Compatibility

If you don’t want to be tied to the PC and still want to play exciting casino games, then you’re in luck. These days the online gambling market is all about mobile gaming! Both Android and iOS users are provided with the chance to enjoy their favourite games from the mobile browsers of their phones and tablets. Players with Apple-powered devices may check if a downloadable version of their favourite casino is available in the App store.

5. Security and Customer Support

In the world of online gambling, it’s really better to be careful when playing with real money. While many casino operators appear safe on the outside, the appearance might be deceiving. Make sure the online casino that you choose is safe and secure and check if the site’s connection is using an SSL protocol to encrypt any information that you share on the site. Make sure that the software platform that is used for providing the games has been verified via an independent testing company.

In 1993, Steven Spielberg released “Jurassic Park” – a movie about an island full of genetically recreated dinosaurs meant to be a theme park, but suffering a catastrophic computer failure shortly before its opening, which results in all the dinosaurs breaking out and wreaking havoc over the people who, ironically enough, were there to test the security. The movie became a massive hit whose size rivaled even that of its biggest star – the T-Rex. It earned over $400 million dollars at the box office (over $650 million in today’s money) and revolutionized the way we look at special effects, forever proving that CGI is the next step in effects evolution. But you already knew all of this, didn’t you?

What you may not have known is that popular casino games provider Microgaming released its own take on “Jurassic Park” in the form of a slot. Released in August 2014, the slot immediately became incredibly popular due to its colorful graphics and numerous interesting bonus games. Not only was it very profitable, but it also rated very highly among reviewers, who unanimously placed it among the top slots of that year. It was made popular thanks to a deal between Microgaming and Universal Studios, which also brought forth slots based on “Terminator 2”, “Battlestar Galactica” and “Bridesmaids”. Sadly, the deal ended in 2015, which prevented Microgaming from adapting more Universal movies. But good news – after their unbelievably successful partnership, Universal and Microgaming have teamed up once again! The new deal will allow the provider to create several more games based on Universal properties, the first of which is going to be based on “Jurassic World”.

“Jurassic World” is the fourth entry of the “Jurassic Park” franchise, a soft reboot taking place over 20 years after the original. The world has forgotten about the Jurassic Park disaster, which has allowed a new park to open on the island – Jurassic World. While initially spiking, the park’s revenues are dropping, which prompts its management to create the Indominus Rex – a brand new dinosaur born from genetic splicing. The Indominus proves to be completely sociopathic and much more intelligent than other dinosaurs, tricking the guards into escaping in order to wreak havoc on the island. While critics were split on the quality of the movie, audiences loved it, making it the fourth highest grossing movie of all time (only recently dethroned from the number 3 spot by “Star Wars Episode VII”). It is unknown exactly how Microgaming will choose to go about adapting the movie into a slot form, but I’m calling it – “Indominus Feature” or “Indominus Bonus” will definitely be a thing! The slot has no release date, but is expected to drop on the Quickfire platform sometime this year, likely in the next few months.

This article may come as a surprise to all you slot fans out there, but it is about something that I have been contemplating for some time now – what else is there after slots? I mean once you get tired of chasing one jackpot or the other, but still want to hit that good run and add a serious win to your bankroll, what do you turn to?
I have tried all kinds of casino games, from blackjack and other card games all the way to video poker and, of course, roulette. And although I have to admit that Texas Hold’em truly fascinates me, roulette is preferred by most high rollers and I can’t really argue with that. When you look at some of the biggest online casinos, there are special roulette tables with really high betting limits and with the right strategy, this could be your golden goose, no doubt about it.

The highest payout on roulette tables is usually 35 to 1, unless it features a special bonus or jackpot, and if you play at the VIP tables, the maximum allowed bet per straight up could be as high as £1,000 or more. Once you do the math, it will become clear as day that a payout of over £35,000 is a more than impressive win and your chance of winning is a lot higher than hitting a jackpot even remotely close to this amount.

Playing high stake games can be the perfect way to be quids in, without losing too much time, just as long as you know the rules and how to use them to your advantage. Take for example the La Partage rule on the French Roulette, where you get half of your even chances wager back, if the winning number is 0. I know, I am not a huge fan of red/black bets either, but many players wager big on them and use progressive strategies like Fibonacci or Martingale, so this rule alone can save them a lot of money. If you are unfamiliar with this rule, let me explain shortly why this rule is important to this type of gameplay. First of all, you should know that such betting strategies imply raising the wager progressively and when playing for high stakes, the bet can reach pretty high values. Having said that, you can understand that it can be a great advantage to have half of your losing bet returned.

If you ask me, I think live-dealer tables are the best to play at, as they actually allow the highest wagers and when I say high, I mean just that. There are tables with a maximum of £500,000, which is an excellent choice to have, especially for high rollers. So, my friends, if you like to dream big, you should bet big and my advice is: hit the roulette tables!

Hey there! I’m happy to say that I’ve finally written my first real article for my slots magazine! Pretty amazing, huh? I actually thought pretty hard about what subject would interest people – best cartoon-themed slots, best bonuses when playing for slots, best bonus games, best jackpots… But then I realized that maybe those would be a bit too specific for a first article, you know? A magazine’s first list should be a bit more broad and give information about the intents and tastes of its writer and editor, right? That’s why I decided to start from the top and just give you my top 3 best online slots ever! Now, sure, there’s plenty of sites out there, such as www.bestonlineslots.co.uk, which give you some pretty solid and detailed information about what the best online slots are, but I thought I’d give you my own two cents. So, without further ado, let’s get into my list! Keep in mind that it’s in no particular order, these are just the three slots that I really love.

1. South Park

I already spoke about how much I adore this slot, but I can always say it again! “South Park” is GREAT! NetEnt are probably the masters of the slot genre (by a narrow margin, but still), and “South Park” is definitely among their finest creations. Not only does it stick to the spirit of the show, with its political and social satire (the slot is essentially one huge parody of gambling, which is actually pretty brave), but it also pays a lot of respect to its source material by referencing characters and events from it all without using a single clip like so many other licensed slots do. And on top of that, it’s also got some really amazing bonus games inspired by episodes on the show which are actually really fun to play and provide a decent challenge!

2. The Avengers

“The Avengers” is currently the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time (though I have a feeling that might change soon enough, either with “Captain America: Civil War” or with “Avengers: Infinity War”), and considering the fact that Playtech already had a deal with Marvel to produce slots based on their properties, it was a no-brainer that we’d see a slot version of Earth’s mightiest heroes soon enough. Though what was surprising was that it also turned out to be one of the best slots ever! With some AWESOME music and visuals, and also 4 completely different bonus games and features (more than that if you count the game where you pick your bonus and also the smaller features), “The Avengers” is most definitely a sight to behold! It is SO much fun to play!

3. Thunderstruck II

Influenced by the upcoming release of the first “Thor” movie, Microgaming decided to release a sequel to their kinda-good-but-not-really-all-that-special Norse mythology-inspired slot Thunderstruck, and I have to say that the update is stunning! Four bonus games that you can pick from depending on how much you progress through it, awesome bonus features that are guaranteed to give you huge winnings (I don’t generally do all that well in bonus rounds, and even I won quite a lot in Thunderstruck II) and some really awesome art that gives almost any other slot a run for its money! While its bonus games aren’t particularly entertaining (especially when compared to the other two slots on this list), the slot overall is so good that I can easily overlook this!

I just started working on my slots magazine and I am really excited about it and anxious to wish you a warm welcome. Needless to say I am what you would call a ‘slots freak’ and I have been playing for so long now, that I have the feeling that not only do I know all the slots, but they seem to know me too. I am so happy with the variation of slots that online casinos offer, that I haven’t sat in front of the old one-armed bandit for many years now. Having said that, you should know that I used to play and study all kinds of slots in the land-based casinos, but I never got the same good results that I get online, nor the same level of satisfaction. But enough about me, let’s talk about what is going to be your favourite slots magazine.

Here, I will cover all that is of interest to us slots fans, from software providers, to progressive jackpots to play for and the newest creations to try out. I myself am a sucker for video slots with bonus rounds, such as Piggies and the Wolf. I mean, have you tried it? It’s a lot of fun, the bonus round consists of 3 attempts from the wolf to blow down the houses of the 3 piglets, with the help of special effects, that you have to choose. Another favourite of mine – although a bit rude, is South Park, inspired by the famous animation picture. This NetEnt slot will strap you tight in front of the computer or mobile and will not let go for hours on end. Or at least, that’s what happened to me, anyway.

So, friends, I hope I got your attention and I expect to be entertaining you with fantastic slot articles for many years to come, so stay tuned.