It certainly isn’t strange to imagine that if you’d wager larger sums of cash, would it be easier to win playing slots? It’s a thought that most of us have at some point or another. Is there any truth to it, though? After all, not everybody is made of cash. Does it really matter whether you sign up to no-limit online casinos and wager the big bucks on slots?
I’m going to settle your nerves, answer your queries and put this topic to rest. The short answer is, for the most part – no, it doesn’t matter. However, there are occasions when splashing a little extra dough could be worthwhile. Allow me to explain in today’s blog.
Having Bigger Balances for Highly Volatile Slots
Having a bigger balance can questionably improve your chances of landing big wins, at least when playing highly volatile slots. You see, those games pay out big wins infrequently, so you’ll likely have to wager for a considerable amount of time before you can get your hands on a top prize.
However, when it does pay out, it’s usually a whopper. For this reason, having a big balance will help you play slots, just like having a big chip stack when playing at online poker sites helps – it keeps you in the game. However, having a big balance isn’t the same as splashing the cash on big bets, so this isn’t going to answer the question. It helps – but it isn’t definitive.
Prizes Should Still Be Proportional
The basic principle at play in slots is if you wager larger sums, you should win larger sums, right? Well, this is obviously true, but perhaps not in the way that you think. Prizes should still be proportional to whatever you stake.
While you will win more cash if you wager larger sums, proportionally, the amount you bet should still be equivalent to what someone wins if they wager small stakes. Here’s why:
Paytable Payouts
Every slot machine has a paytable, and it is this paytable that determines your prizes based on the amount you’ve wagered and the symbols that appear on the reels. For instance, three instances of Symbol A should equate to pay out of, let’s say, 10x your bet, while three matching instances of Symbol B should result in a payout worth 25x.
If you wager £1 and land three A Symbols, you should win £10 (10x your bet). If you bet £100 and land the same symbols, you should win £1,000, which is also 10x your bet.
The same would be true for Symbol B and so on. This is how a slot should work, so while if you wager money, you’ll land bigger wins, the payout still be proportional no matter what you stake.
Put It to the Test
If you don’t feel like this is the case, you can always put it to the test. Most online slots, even progressive jackpot slot machines, can be played for free. What I like to do before I play any game is try these games in a free-to-play demo mode.
I’ll practise with different stakes so I can see for myself if the payouts are proportional to what I wager. I recommend doing this so you can see for yourself whether big-money stakes matter. If the slot is fair, they shouldn’t.
Wagering Big on Jackpot Slots
Does wagering big money on progressive jackpot slots make a difference? This is where there is some truth to the matter. For instance, many progressive jackpot slots, including Games Global’s top-paying jackpot slot, Mega Moolah, have multiple jackpot prizes to be won.
It is a fact that when you only wager small sums, you’re more likely to trigger the smaller jackpot prizes. If you wager larger sums, you’re given an increased chance of landing the biggest progressive prizes. However, don’t let that dishearten you. There are plenty of cases where players have won epic cash prizes with the smallest stakes.
There have been numerous winners pocketing £15 million, even £20 million-plus cash prizes with stakes as little as 25p on some NetEnt slots, such as Mega Fortune.
Buying Bonuses Outright
There may also be a case for wagering on buy-a-bonus modes. Whenever you pre-buy bonuses or additional features, your chances of landing a win will increase. There is no correlation between buying bonuses (and thus, wagering big) and landing increased cash prizes.
However, you’ll certainly stand more of a chance of landing a win in general, as you’re automatically triggering bonuses and win-enhancing features in a pay-to-win manner. Here are some of the key takeaways:
- Buying bonuses outright can be ruinously expensive.
- You clearly improve your chances of winning by triggering bonuses outright.
- You may be able to buy wilds, multipliers, or scatters to improve your odds.
- You cannot trigger jackpot bonuses via buy-a-bonus modes.
- Buy-a-bonus modes are outlawed in the UK.
As with progressive jackpots or playing highly volatile games with big balances, you can improve your chances of landing a win from the start, but that doesn’t necessarily mean bigger prizes.
Is It Worth Wagering Big on Slots?
In my opinion, wagering big money on slots is a personal choice. If you’re flush with cash, you have nothing to lose by giving it a go. However, it won’t automatically result in big wins just because you’re wagering more. That would be unfair to most conventional online casino players.
Clearly, buying a bonus round from the start improves your chances of success. Your odds of landing a top jackpot over a smaller one are also increased when you bet big.
However, there is no correlation between betting big sums and winning larger prizes. You can rest assured that any of your payouts will remain proportional to whatever you decide to stake if you choose to play a fair and trusted slot.
To ensure that you do that, you’ll want to pick the best and safest casinos as recommended on this site. If you are interested in buying bonus rounds outright, you’ll need to read our guide on how to get around GamStop to ensure that you don’t play at UKGC-licensed online casinos.
Two new casinos with great slot selections that are not on Gamstop include: