iPhone Slots
iPhones are not the easiest of devices when it comes to finding online slot games which can be played on them – particularly for US based players. Fortunately, many casinos are moving away from Flash (which is not supported on iPhones) and working with alternative technologies instead, which is increasing the number of games available. There are also some casinos offering apps specifically built for iPhones. The number of slot games in these is growing, albeit from a small base.
This article covers playing slot games on your iPhone in some detail. First of all, the technology which drives these games (and makes things difficult) is explained. After that the different kind of slots you can access Internationally are explained. At the end of the page you will find some key factors to check for when determining whether to play at a specific iPhone slots casino.
Technology Powering iPhone Slots
Recent Apple products do not support Flash, which is a technology a lot of casinos use to enable their slots to be played inside web browser windows. With Mac computers or iPads, this is relatively easy to work-around. A Flash emulator, or simply a 3rd party browser plug-in, will allow Flash to run. With iPhones this is much more difficult – and for non-technical users the general advice is to find games which run on other platforms instead.
The alternatives for playing slot games in your iPhone browser are HTML5 and Java-based games. Many of the bigger international casinos support these technologies. Most US friendly casinos do not support iPhones at all. Bovada, which is part of the global Bodog brand, does offer a smaller selection of their slot games (the ToGo titles from BetSoft) in an iPhone friendly format.
As well as the responsive browser games, some casinos have created their own iPhone Apps. These can be downloaded directly from the websites of the casino operators, with some of them also in the App store. You will find these include the top slots, though not the wide selection of games which you might have become used to when playing on computers. The casinos have largely favored the in-browser games, with apps far less prevalent. With Android as the dominant mobile operating system supporting these browser games, the incentive to develop apps much further is relatively small – despite iPhone users being better off on average.
What Kind of iPhone Slots are Available
I will start by mentioning the iPhone friendly US slots from Bovada, which are created by the acclaimed 3D software specialist BetSoft. These slots look amazing, and have been likened to Pixar movies in their animation and introduction videos. You’ll find bonus games which break out of the reels, animated characters which bring the games to life an entertaining and often quirky themes. These games work great on iPhones and are certainly worth checking out.
When it comes to the full range of slots offered for iPhones by the international casinos, your choices are staggering. You can literally take your pick from 100’s of titles – ranging from traditional 3-reel slots (where you simply need to line up some sevens) through to some extremely complex and involved video slot games.
Keep in mind when you are using mobile networks that many of the most up to date slots will require video and large animated sequences to be downloaded. These generally do not initialize when you first play – since you might quit before hitting a certain features. Usually, the fact that you are about to hit a potentially big win makes up for the wait a little. Alternatively, you could try the less involved games instead, many of these have features like free spins rounds and some are linked between many casinos to bring you giant progressive jackpots.
As mobile slot play gets more and more popular, I expect to see even more of an effort from the leading casinos to make their titles available for iPhone users.
What to look out for in an iPhone Casino
It can certainly pay to spend just a few minutes checking the deals at different casinos before you jump right in and play. Of course, having compatible games should be your first criteria. This is something you can check out in practice mode, where you play the slots without using real money.
After you find your favorite games, it is time to check the small print of the bonuses for casinos which offer them. I recommend that you delve into the fine print and make sure you understand how many times you need to bet the bonus amount before it can be withdrawn. You can also look for excluded games and whether the bonus is cashable or just the winnings.
The ability to look after loyal players in the long term is a key factor for me. If you find a casino with iPhone compatible slots, a fair bonus and regular promotions and loyalty rewards, then you are ready to jump right in and start enjoying those iPhone slot games.