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Millions of people enjoy online slots, but even if you are an experienced player there are probably some mistakes you make or misunderstandings you have about your pastime of choice.

To remedy this, here are a few of the biggest myths surrounding online slots and the truth that lurks behind the lies that so many people believe.

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Slots pay out after a set amount of time

This is undoubtedly the biggest misconception surrounding slot games, and it is so widespread that you have probably heard and believed it yourself.

However, the reality is that legitimate, regulated slots cannot have any kind of fixed period after which they are allowed to pay out. While there is no question that the odds of winning are stacked very much in the operator’s favor, it is theoretically possible for anyone to win with each spin, whether it is the first time playing or the thousandth time they have started the reels moving.

This applies whether you are firing up a low volatility machine, or using progressive slot machine tips and tricks to try and take home the jackpot from a game that has a huge prize pool on offer.

It is worth reiterating that randomness is key to fairness in online slots, as it is with their land-based counterparts. This is controlled via a combination of the number of reels and symbols used, along with the paylines and the actual random number generator (RNG) that works behind the scenes.

So in short, operators cannot fix slots to pay out to a schedule, but they can harness RNG to their advantage to make more money from players than the game pays out.

You can’t play online slots for free

While you will certainly need to spend real money if you actually want to win cash prizes from online slots, the good news is that most operators also provide demo versions of the games they offer which let you spin the reels and test out what features are available without risking any of your own cash.

You may be required to sign up for an account with a given online casino site if you want to take the slots for a test drive, so bear this in mind.

Online slots are illegal

While it is certainly true that online slots are outlawed in certain regions, they are becoming increasingly accepted and more widely regulated in many parts of the US as well as elsewhere worldwide.

In American in particular, the states where online slots are legal to play generally require that players are physically located within the borders of the state in question. That means you cannot play from another geographic region, even if there are technical ways you could get around any restrictions put in place by service providers and the sites themselves.

You can cheat at online slots

Thinking that you can beat the system and somehow guarantee a win in any form of gambling, online or otherwise, is a bad mindset to start out with. As has been mentioned already, casino operators know exactly what they are doing when it comes to setting up games so that while some players can win big, there will still be a profit in it for them.

That does not stop certain sites, services and individuals claiming that they can help you cheat at online slots. Not only is this effectively impossible, it is also more than likely a tactic used by scammers to trick you into visiting phishing sites and downloading dodgy software to your device which will steal your private data rather than actually letting you win more often at online casinos.

The best way to steer clear of such scummy tactics is to only play with mainstream slot sites and resist the temptation to try and find cheats, because there simply aren’t any out there that will actually work.

There is no skill involved

Lastly, let’s discuss the role that skill plays when it comes to online slots. While it is true that this type of gambling does not have as much decision-making as something like poker, it is also accurate to state that slots do require you to think things through, and your choices will impact the outcome.

For example, slots with multiple paylines, wilds and mini-games will be more mentally engaging than those that are more traditional and simple in their setup.

So there you go; slot machine myths dispelled so that you can enjoy online casino games without worrying!