Online Slot Games to Avoid

While much has been written about the best online slots, many readers don’t know that there are a number of online slot games to avoid. These titles are either wildly unpopular or make it too difficult to win cash prizes. In this guide, we’ve outlined individual titles and game categories to reconsider.

To kick off this guide about online slot to avoid, we’ve discussed why it’s important to cover this topic. We’ve then discussed what criteria we have used to determine what the worst online slot games actually are. From there, we’ve included our list of slots to avoid, including brief discussions on our selections.

Later, we’ve looked at different slot categories or game types that may seem appealing but that you may want to reconsider before investing money in them. Of course, we don’t want this guide to be too negative, so we’ve wrapped things up by discussing some of the best slots to play.

• Why Cover the Worst Online Slots?
• Criteria for Bad Slots
• List of Slots to Avoid
• Slots Options to Reconsider
• Good Slots to Play

Why Cover the Worst Online Slot Games?

It’s essential to know both the best and worst slots on the market so you don’t waste your time and money. By having a strong understanding of the online slot games to avoid, you can ensure that you’ll never invest in a game that is almost guaranteed to be unfair or boring.

In this guide, we have included some games that are actually incredibly popular. However, we have included them on our list because we don’t believe that they are worth the investment. With thousands of games to choose from, it doesn’t make sense to settle for anything less than great.

This guide is especially important for newcomers, as starting off at an online casino without prior knowledge can be very daunting. While you may be familiar with some titles from land-based casino floors, most will have been exclusively designed for online play and include unconventional features and payout mechanisms.

In addition to reading this guide, we strongly suggest that you always play free slot demos. Not only will this give you a strong understanding of the atmosphere, design, bonus features, and feels of games, but you can also experience the volatility and RTP rates in action.

Criteria for Online Slots to Avoid

We have considered a range of factors when creating our list of the worst online slot games. The most important of these is the return to player (RTP) rate. This is the theoretical amount that will be returned to individuals as winnings. Therefore, the lower this rate is, the lower your chances of winning.

The average RTP rate for online slots is 95%, though this can increase to almost 99%. We suggest that you avoid games with an RTP of 92% or lower. Another element that we have considered is player and critical feedback. There are some titles that have been banned by players, so we have listed these too.

Finally, we’ve included games that are poorly designed and lack any creativity. The best online slots should provide a moment of escapism and excitement, so why waste money on a game that is plain and boring? You’re much better off finding titles that suit your tastes and have been carefully and thoughtfully crafted.

List of Popular Slots to Avoid

In this section, we’ve listed some of the online slot games to avoid. Be mindful that this comes from our own research, and if your opinions differ, that is totally fine. We understand that some of the slots on the list are very popular. This is why we’ve given brief descriptions about why we’ve made our decisions.

Some slots to avoid include:

• Mega Moolah
• Adventures in Wonderland
• Wild Joker Stacks
• Mega Joker
• 7s on Fire
• China River
• 7 Monkeys
• A Night Out
• Plataea

Do you disagree? See why we’ve included some of these games on our list below.

Mega Moolah

Mega Moolah from Microgaming is one of the most popular online slots in the world. It also currently holds the record for awarding the largest online progressive slot payout in history. So why would we include it on this list? Because it only has an RTP of 88%. With the chances of winning the jackpot so small, we suggest you avoid this.

Adventures in Wonderland

Although the game shows a strong commitment to its Alice in Wonderland theme, its RTP rate is too low to ignore. The base game has a payout rate of 86.4%, which increases to 88% with the progressive jackpot included. This indicates that you’ll be spending a lot more time losing than you will win.

Wild Joker Stacks

Although this game offers a huge 28,200X payout, its unconventional design left players confused. Users have the option to customize the reels to their liking, though this means that you have to sacrifice fairness for a low price or spend big to improve the grid and RTP. To top it off, its aesthetic has been derided by players.

Mega Joker

While this slot is in one way considered to be the world’s highest payout game with a 99% RTP, this is only the case if you play in the Super Meter mode. Otherwise, the RTP hovers at a meager 85.28%. This is a huge variance that will see players experience low payouts until they eventually trigger this mode.

7s on Fire

This title from Barcrest and SG Digital is a classic-style game that is considered by many players to be one of the few online slots to avoid. Many have a problem with the offering of a High Roller Spins setting, which requires users pay extra to land more Wilds. In addition to this, many have criticized its boring gameplay and stale graphics.

Slot Options to Reconsider

Now that we’ve covered individual titles that you should avoid, we want to discuss certain game categories that may not always be the best option to try. Although we wouldn’t say that you explicitly avoid these online slots types at all times, it’s important to understand how they operate before you invest in them. If you want to find an alternative to these types of games, then consider checking the best online roulette sites in New Jersey.

Progressive Jackpots

We suggest you always approach progressive jackpot games with caution. Although their huge jackpot prizes are undoubtedly appealing, often these games will sacrifice the base game RTP in favor of providing larger prizes. It’s important to remember that the odds to win these prizes are very low, so most players will be penalized in their pursuit of the jackpot.

Furthermore, you’ll also want to avoid these online slot games if the major jackpot prize has just been awarded. These highly volatile games won’t offer the largest payouts, so you’ll have a low RTP experience in pursuit of a small prize. You’re better off playing high RTP slots with no jackpots in this instance.

Megaways Games

Although Big Time Gaming’s Megaways feature has completely revolutionized the online slot market over the past five years, the payout mechanism can result in some pretty low success rates. This is because the reels will shift in size with every spin and the maximum 117,649 ways to win won’t always apply.

Instead, you’ll often be playing on reduced reel sizes with pretty unconventional and unrewarding paylines. And in the case that more reels are included, you still may be confused by the payout structure. We don’t suggest that you completely ignore these games, but be wary that you’ll have trouble tracking wins more than a regular slot.

Classic-Style Slots

Classic slots are some of the most divisive gaming options when it comes to online slots. These games replicate old-school slots that you’d find at land-based casinos. Usually, there are only three reels and three rows, which limits the paylines. Some games only have one row and one payline.

One of the other downsides to playing these games is that there are rarely any free spins rounds. This means that you’ll have to spend for every spin. We acknowledge that some players like the simplicity of these games, but there is just as vocal an audience that finds them to be too boring.

No-Features Slots

Modern video slots continue to push the limits in terms of graphics, sound effects, designs, and payout structures. Over the last decade, we’ve seen a number of great bonus rounds become the norm. In addition to free spins, it’s common to find spin-the-wheel features, random bonus pickers, and boosted multipliers.

For many players, these have become expected. However, some games have bucked this trend and offer very few if any features. This can make gameplay seem very straightforward and boring, with no ability to diversify the gameplay experience. If you prefer feature-rich games, always try free demos of slots.

High Volatility Games

Slot volatility refers to how frequently the game awards payouts. Low volatility games will award payouts frequently, but they will be smaller valued. Conversely, high volatility games pay rarely but theoretically, payouts should be large. The volatility is independent of the RTP. Consider this if you are too impatient to wait for wins and don’t want to invest more time.

Play These Good Slots

Now that we’ve covered the slot titles and game types that may be wise to avoid, we want to highlight a few options that have been universally celebrated for their graphics and overall gameplay experience. These titles have been developed by some of the world’s best software providers such as NetEnt and Playtech.

In most cases, the games provide cinematic visuals, immersive effects, and innovative bonus rounds. Some may even offer progressive jackpots with high RTP base games. They have all been independently audited and verified to be fair and trustworthy. You should certainly not avoid these online slot games.

• Starburst (NetEnt)
• Gonzo’s Quest (NetEnt)
• Dead or Alive (NetEnt)
• Cleopatra (IGT)
• Wheel of Fortune Megaways (Big Time Gaming)
• Orient Express (Yggdrasil)
• Bonanza Megaways (Big Time Gaming)
• Divine Fortune (NetEnt)