The 5 Most Played Online Slots in Casino History

Online slots have been a staple of the internet for some 30 years nearly now. That’s a lot of time for top games to turn up and make an impression with the millions of gamblers who play these games across the world every year.

However, that’s also a lot of competition – so in slots history, very few games stand out for long. Which ones have stood the test of time, or are at least the most fondly remembered by players? 

Well, although there are no clear player count databases for online slots, some casinos do publish 24 hour player counts and many list their most played slots as a category when browsing.

Journalists have also occasionally looked into the matter, or interviewed people in the business, and players have collated their favorites in online forums for years. So some stats are available to piece together a picture. These, are five of the most popular slot games of all time.

Starburst by NetEnt was An Operator Favourite 

In a clear theme for this list, Starburst is widely remembered as an innovative slot. One of the first big budget slot games designed with mobile play in mind from the first, NetEnt’s 2012 banger was also one of the first to introduce expanding wilds.

That is, where Wild symbols that can complete any line sometimes expand to fill a reel for potential wins on multiple lines. 

If you’re looking to try any of these games on your mobile, or any other titles, you’ll want a top list of safe casino apps to download. From user experience to banking to the all important bonuses and game selection, try expert reviews to find out which are the top apps on the market. 

Starburst’s simple Candy Crush-style mobile game visuals and for-the-time innovative gameplay made it extremely popular with players for a while.

However, today it is mostly remembered by gamblers as being the game of choice for free spins bonuses for one too many years after it came out. Nevertheless, it still attracts new players to this day and often appears on lists like these. 

Games Global’s Mega Moolah Paid out Many of the Biggest Jackpots

If you’ve visited an online casino, you’ve probably seen a Mega Moolah game – probably accompanied by an attention grabbing headline jackpot prize in the hundreds of thousands of pounds or more.

Although it didn’t invent the progressive slot jackpot – that title goes to IGT and Megabucks – Games Global was the first to do one online. And it proved a huge success.

Although the original is now rather dated, Mega Moolah has dozens of sequels, all connected to that sweet massive jackpot prize. Mega Moolah was also the game that paid out the biggest online slot jackpot of all time, when British soldier Jon Heywood won £13.5 million from a 25p stake. 

Dead or Alive 1 and 2 Are Cult Classics 

From around 2009 to 2016, Swedish developer NetEnt went on a historic slot run, churning out dozens of games that would go on to be hugely popular for years to come. 

Dead or Alive (2009) and it’s sequel, Dead or Alive 2 (2019) are perennially among the favourites of long-term slots players.

The 2009 original was one of the first games to popularise high volatility gameplay, where a lot of regular prizes are low but the potential for massive wins is mostly locked away in the rarer bonus rounds. 

The original’s high production value, as well as randomly massive prizes, made the Western-themed game a big hit with fans. The sequel was eagerly awaited, and, for once, it mostly lived up to fan expectations and remains popular to this day. 

Bonanza Megaways Ushered in a New Era 

Bonanza by Big Time Gaming is widely-credited as the slot that popularised the Megaways format. In 2016, this idea, of a set of slot reels that changed sizes in between spins, with sometimes up to 12×12 reels available, shook up the scene and led to countless imitations. 

Australia’s Big Time Gaming has used the concept before, in their slot Dragon Born. But it was Bonanza that capture public attention. As seen by its enduring popularity and dozens of variants and sequels, compared to the relatively forgotten Dragon Born. 

Cleopatra was The Game That Launched a Thousand Imitations 

If you’d ever wondered why so many slots have an Ancient Egyptian theme, this is game is the reason. Originally released for land-based casinos in the late 90s, International Game Technology’s move into using copyright free but highly recognisable historical figures for slot games was at the time revolutionary.

The game proved hugely popular in Las Vegas, with its then-unique theme and simple but potentially rewarding bonus rounds, and it cemented Australian developer IGT on the map. 

The game eventually got an updated online release in 2012. By then, the Ancient Egyptian slot theme was almost as worn as the pyramids themselves, but the fans still put respect on the original and it remains a nostalgically popular option today. Or, one of its half a dozen sequels and variants.