Slingo – a unique amalgamation of bingo and slot games – has steadily risen in popularity since the 1990s. Most notably, the emergence of the Internet during the late 1990s and the early 2000s influenced the ascent of Slingo. This digital evolution encompassed the realms of AOL, various gaming portals, subsequent integration into social media, and eventually finding a home within online casinos. Today, players can enjoy Slingo games ranging from original creations to licensed titles to Slingo versions of classic slot games. This assortment of games is a testament to Slingo’s ability to remain relevant, captivating and an alluring alternative to traditional slot games.
Gameplay Of Slingo Slots
Slingo and traditional slot games differ and resemble each other in several ways. Both feature game grids. The ones in online slot games usually have a 5-reel, 3-row or 5-reel, 4-row layout and feature different symbols depending on the theme and genre. For example, a mining-themed slot game may have 9 – A royal playing cards and different types of gem and gold symbols. These will then invariably have different payout amounts. The ones in Slingo almost unanimously feature a 5×5 layout populated with randomised numbers from 1 – 75. They also have a horizontal reel positioned just below the game grid.
The idea in traditional online slots is to spin the reels to try and land winning symbol combinations to win potential payouts or to trigger bonus features such as Free Spins. In Slingo, the idea is to spin the horizontal reel to trigger a number that aligns with the numbers within the 5×5 grid. Successful matches result in corresponding numbers getting marked off. The primary objective centres around completing vertical, horizontal, or diagonal lines, referred to as win lines or Slingos.
Spinning the reels in traditional online slots depends on the bet amount; each spin costs a certain amount. In Slingo, players are limited to 10 – 20 spins to try and trigger as many win lines as possible. The higher the number of win lines, the more cash prizes a player can win. At the end of the spins, players can buy more spins.
Slot and Slingo games invariably also have differences in paylines. Online slot paylines range from just 1 to over a million, depending on whether it’s a Megaways title or a normal slot. Slingo has a more limited range of paylines ranging from 12 – 40.
We briefly mentioned symbols before. Of course, differences exist here as well. Online slots have much more variety when it comes to symbols. Yet, there is a little bit of overlap too. Just like their slot cousins, Slingo games feature Wilds and Super Wilds. However, these work differently. In slot games, these normally substitute for paying symbols. In Slingo games, Wild and Super Wild symbols allow players to mark any number in the column above. Slingo games can have Scatter symbols too. Again, they work differently. In traditional slots, Scatters normally trigger the Free Spins feature. In Slingo, landing a certain number of Scatters can lead to a cash payout.
Slingo Slot Bonuses
Online slots and Slingo games have shared bonus features like Free Spins, Wilds, Scatter symbols, respins and even multipliers. However, they work in slightly different ways. Slot games usually have more intricate and multifaceted features than their Slingo counterparts. We mentioned Wild symbols in the previous section, so let’s focus on the shared Free Spins feature. The online slot version can be elaborate and multi-layered, involving landing a certain number of Scatter symbols to trigger a determined number of Free Spins. In Slingo games, players can land Free Spin symbols to gain an extra spin.
Also, traditional slot games feature a greater variety of bonus features. Examples not found in Slingo games include mechanics like cascading reels, in which symbols in winning combinations get removed from the reels to get replaced with new symbols coming from above; pick me bonuses, in which landing certain bonus symbols take players to a separate screen to play a series of minigames to reveal different prizes; progressive jackpots, in which a small portion of every wager contributes to a jackpot prize pool that continues to grow until someone lands a winning combination and wins it. And we haven’t even mentioned Big Time Gaming’s Megaways mechanic in which the number of rows and reels can change depending on the size of symbols in play, while paylines can vary from 15,625 to 1,000,000 (yes, you read that right). This is just not possible in Slingo slots, the format of which allows only for a limited number of bonus features.
The Design of Slingo Slots
If the number of bonus features is limited in Slingo games, the same cannot be said of their design. In fact, Slingo Bingo games have just as much design variety as their slots counterparts and can feature gorgeous visual presentations in their own right. One example is Slingo Stampede, the safari-themed game featuring a sumptuous savannah backdrop that wouldn’t look out of place in a Pragmatic Play Great Rhino title. Meanwhile, games like Lucky Larry’s Lobstermania Slingo and Slingo Lucky Joker feature bright and colourful visual presentations while working within the nautical and Irish themes.
Slingo titles based on pre-existing online slot games do just as well in this department. Slingo Starburst, for instance, features the same purple-hued galaxy-spanning visual presentation as its online slot counterpart. Same with Slingo Centurion and Slingo Reel King. The latter, for example, features the same regal blue fleur-de-lis pattern as the original. The former features the same Tuscan-inspired countryside and palatial villa background of the original Centurion Megaways. However, you can see more of the background in the Slingo version due to how the game grid is positioned on screen (even if the graphics are a little blurrier). Of course, it stands to reason that Slingo Bingo games would have the same graphical expertise as traditional slot counterparts. After all, the same developers would have worked on both.
Play Slingo Slot Games at Lottomart
As the home of jackpot entertainment, we have over 1,700+ titles that players can check out right now here at Lottomart, including a host of Slingo games like all the titles already mentioned. Not enough? Players can also play our vast array of traditional slot games. We have games to suit every playstyle across multiple themes and genres, including Rainbow Riches, Big Bass Bonanza and Gonzo’s Quest. At Lottomart, players can bet on the outcome of several worldwide lotteries like the Mega Millions and Irish Lotto and get their scratch on with our exclusive range of bespoke scratch cards.
If you are a fan of Slingo Slots specifically, we also have an article on the ‘Top Tips When Playing Slingo Bingo‘ which could come in useful.
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