Online Slots: Free Spins with Extras

The growth of online gambling has drastically changed the way we play slots. When you were stuck in your local brick-and-mortar casino, you played whatever was on hand! And then the internet swooped in, and gave us so many games that we have a hard time picking what to play! The extra competition has driven both operators and software providers to improve their offering drastically.

Slots are the easiest way to track that progress. As they are the most mechanically diverse out of all popular casino games, the difference is plain to see. With experience and practice, developers were able to create amazing special features. Today, we’ll take a look at the most interesting bonus of them all: free spins!

Free Spins with Multipliers

This was the first ‘big’ upgrade to traditional free spins. Rather than getting the usual ten free spins, the software provider would spice it up with a multiplier. So while the extra turns were spinning, all wins would be increased by 2x or 3x. This was, and continues to be a popular addition to free spins to this day!

A more recent version of multiplier free spins is the inclusion of a progressive multiplier. Rather than giving you a fixed multiplier value outright, you start out low, with a chance to improve. If you want to see this system in action, we recommend checking out NetEnt’s Reel Rush 2.

Choose Your Free Spins

Gambling isn’t a pass-time you choose if you like being fully in control. Especially not when you play slots! Even blackjack, hailed as a game of wits and strategy, still has an element of luck involved. But its popularity proves that players enjoy being able to apply a strategy. To weigh the pros and cons, and make a decision that will impact the future of their wallet.

Releases which have multiple free spins while allowing you to pick one tap into this desire to excellent effect. Most of the time, the decision boils down to how volatile you want the bonus to be. Game of Thrones illustrates this perfectly! In this game, Microgaming gives punters a choice between four free spin options. They can choose more free spins and a lower multiplier, or a higher multiplier but less free spins.

Stacked/Expanding Symbols

Just the idea behind this type of free spin is exciting! When the special feature is inevitably activated, one or more icons can expand to cover their entire reels! The bonus is so strong, developers often use it stand-alone, without attaching it to free spins. But when the two special features are combined, it creates something truly magical!

If you’re not convinced, Play’n Go has the perfect release to change your mind! In Book of Dead, activating free spins will select one symbol to expand to cover the entire reel it’s on. This improves your odds of creating a full-screen win. Unsurprisingly, the slot is high volatility as a result. But if you’re willing to stick through the rough spots, the special feature could reward you with a 5000x jackpot.

Re-spins

Admittedly, these technically aren’t free spins. Rather than giving you a fixed number of games where you don’t pay for anything, you’re given a single free round. Having said that, a good re-spins bonus can repeat multiple times. So while you’ve only paid for a single spin, you’ve managed to get five or six spins for free thanks to this special feature. And unlike proper free spins, re-spins are usually much easier to unlock.

Players hoping for some excellent re-spins action should look no further than Playtech’s Kingdoms Rise: Reign of Ice! The way you activate re-spins in this game is rather unorthodox. Rather than triggering it, you buy the re-spins after earning enough tokens playing in the release. It comes packed with multipliers and sticky icons, for even more winning potential! An excellent slot, all around.

Closing Thoughts

Free spins have always been at the forefront of online slot innovation. They were the first true bonus. So, any software provider hoping to offer something different will try and tamper with free spins. It doesn’t always work out perfectly, mind you. But that’s why you have Indian Casino Club, to filter the good from the bad, and deliver the very best to the convenience of your screen.