Online slot games have higher payout percentages than their brick and mortar counterparts, thanks to lower overhead. This makes it easier to win big. It’s important to find a casino with a solid reputation for fair play and responsible gambling. Reputable sites use random number generators (RNGs) to ensure unbiased results, and they’re audited regularly to prevent rigging.

While there are many different types of online slots, the majority of them have similar core mechanics. You’ll want to choose a game with a high payout percentage and a reasonable jackpot size. You should also look for a game with a low variance to reduce your chance of a long dry spell between wins.

Payouts are determined by a machine’s microprocessor, which assigns a specific probability to each symbol on the reels. That’s why it might seem like a winning symbol is so close to landing on the reels. In reality, it’s not.

Test a machine’s payouts by inserting a few dollars and seeing how much you get back. If you spend about twenty dollars on a machine and only break even after half an hour, it’s probably not a loose machine. You can also check the machine’s help menu or ask an employee for a hunch about which machines are loose.

In addition to payouts, many players look for a variety of bonuses when choosing an online slots site. These can be in the form of free spins, deposit matching, or other promotions. Some casinos offer tournaments, which pit players against each other in a race to top the leaderboard and win real cash.