Online slot games are quick, easy to learn and great fun. Players can play them on their computer, tablet or mobile phone. Some casinos even offer bonus money just to sign up and play. Some people even think that they can forecast when a win will occur by looking at the patterns on the reels. However, this is incorrect. Each spin is independent of the previous ones and is determined by random number generators (RNG).

One of the main reasons that online slots are so popular is that they require no skill or complicated strategy. This means that they are accessible to a much wider audience than other casino games. In addition, they can pay out huge amounts of money, sometimes more than a player’s initial bet. This is especially true if a player triggers a bonus feature, such as free spins or pick and click.

The operation of an online slot game is quite simple: the player simply has to select the coin size and the number of coins per payline, then press the “Spin” button. Once the reels stop spinning, the software checks whether there are matching symbols on active paylines and awards payouts accordingly. In some of the older online slots, this was done manually; in newer games it is handled automatically.

The payouts are often expressed as a percentage of the total bet, and the maximum possible payout is displayed in the paytable. Depending on the game, it is also possible to win multiple prizes at once. These include scatter symbols, wild symbols, multipliers and free spins.