Penny Slots Explained
When you play slot games, you’re betting on whether a winning combination of symbols will appear on the reels across a recognized payline. Traditional slots might have around five paylines, while video slots can have hundreds of thousands or even millions.
The more paylines in play, the more ways there are to win with each spin of the reels; at the same time, an increased number of paylines means the game costs more for players to spin. Imagine a slot that has three active paylines with a $1 stake on each — that’s $3 per spin.
Penny slots are named as such because the minimum stake per payline is only 1¢. If you’re new to penny slots, you might be thinking this means you can play for 1¢ per spin, but that’s not always the case.
It all comes down to the number of paylines in place. Penny slot machines might have hundreds of paylines on their reels and a minimum or fixed number that are active. Let’s say that number is 50 — suddenly, you’re betting $0.50 per spin, since every payline requires a 1¢ wager behind it. It’s easy to get caught out because of the name, especially if you’re new to slots.
So, does this mean penny slots are a scam? No — but players should always read the rules of any slot before they start spinning. Keeping track of your budget is an essential component of responsible gambling, and the smaller stakes games can give a false sense of how much money is being spent.