The Most Popular Slot Games in the UK

The popularity of online casino games continues to be relentless. With ever-expanding technological advancements as well as increased internet/mobile phone access, the availability of online casino games has never been higher, but what makes casino games so popular?

The most played casino games come in the form of online slot machines. These games utilise highly advanced technology including HTML5 which allows for slot games to be played on modern smartphone devices. Online slot games allow their users to have a fun and exciting gambling experience from the comfort of their homes.

The best-rated online slot games are able to take users back in time to different historical settings – Rome themed slots have become increasingly popular, for example. These same games are able to transport viewers into their favourite films or television series’, the Peaky Blinders slot is extremely popular in the United Kingdom, as is the Hell’s Kitchen slot.

With this in mind, the team here at GamesRead decided that we would look into what the most popular online slot games in 2023 are. With the help of the team at SlotsHawk.com and some research into the UK slots games industry, we have outlined several for you below.

Peaky Blinders Slot

Themed around the exceptionally popular and well-received television series. The Peaky Blinders slot game features plenty of imagery, videos and music from the TV series. The bonus game allows the player to join and become a member of the Peaky Blinders too and can be triggered by hitting at least three scatter symbols on the slot games’ reels.

In terms of actual gameplay, the SlotsHawk team did tell us that there are plenty of better slot games out there. However, based on its theme and graphics, Peaky Blinders is one of the top games. The main reason for its popularity is due to the immense popularity of the television series. However, that is not to understate the replayability and excitement which the Peaky Blinders online slot game still offers.

Rainbow Riches Slot

One of the oldest online slot games that has stood the test of time, the original Rainbow Riches slot is still one of the very best despite being over a decade old. Developed by Barcrest and Scientific Games, Rainbow Riches was one of the first online slots to offer an original bonus game which wasn’t simply a free spins round. In fact, Rainbow Riches has three bonus games which can be randomly triggered at any time!

Stephen Cummings, the slots analyst at SlotsHawk told us:

“Even now in 2023 Rainbow Riches is such a unique and outstanding game. The three bonus games are utterly unique to the game and are actually better than the majority of bonus games in the newest slot games.

“Rainbow Riches can also be played by a wide range of different slots players thanks to its betting minimum and maximum bet limits which range from £0.01 – £500 per spin.”

Rainbow Riches has been so successful that it has spawned dozens of other similar games. From the excellent Rainbow Riches Megaways to Rainbow Riches Cash Cluster, these games are without a doubt the most successful online slot machines of all time.

Gonzo’s Quest Megaways

The release of Gonzo’s Quest Megaways had huge expectations surrounding it back in 2020. Despite the huge expectations surrounding it, the slot game has largely met all of them and then some. The addition of the Megaways mechanic to online slot games revolutionised the industry. Created by Big Time Gaming, the mechanic adds another reel which allows unlimited potential paylies, thus making each and every spin much more exciting. More payliens means more payouts, more multipliers and potentially more winnings.

In 2023, Gonzo’s Quest Megaways is regarded as one of the greatest slot games, partly due to its incredibly high maximum potential payout rate of 21,000x the wager and its return to player (RTP) of 98%. The payout rate basically means that players can win up to 21,000x their wager at any time. The RTP means that on average, for every £100 put into the slot, it will return £98.

Like Rainbow Riches, there are several other slots in the Gonzo’s Quest series including the original slot as well as the fun live casino game, Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt.

Mega Moolah Jackpot Slot

A well-known slot machine due to its life-changing payout potential, Mega Moolah is the game which has created more millionaires than any other slot. The reason for this? Mega Moolah is a jackpot slot, which means that any spin can trigger its progressive jackpot which often triggers when it reaches several million pounds.

The biggest jackpot win ever in Mega Moolah was one by a British slots player who scooped over £13 million from a single stake of just £0.25! The average jackpot win in Mega Moolah evens out at just over £4 million. Of course, the likelihood of triggering the jackpot is extremely rare, but this Microgaming online slot machine is popular because it always offers the slight chance of a win akin to a national lottery jackpot.

Despite being almost two decades old, Mega Moolah remains one of the top jackpot slot games in 2023 and still holds the record for the largest payout of a slot machine in the UK.

Punk Rocker Slot

Another fun and extremely well-developed themed online slot machine, Punk Rocker is based on the UK’s Punk Rock era. Known as an extreme volatility slot, this is a game developed for players who are searching for high-risk, high reward slots. The SlotsHawk resident slots analyst, Stephen Cummings tells us a little bit more about theta makes Punk Rocker so special:

“The developers behind Punk Rocker (NoLimit City) are known for their slightly more adult themed slots.

“Punk Rocker is certainly a game with attitude and comes with a large number of features and several different characters which Punk Rock fans will certainly recognise whilst playing.

“The high (extreme) volatility aspect means that payouts are likely to be large, albeit they are rarer when compared to a slot machine with a lower volatility level.”

Punk Rocker also has a sequel slot with the elaborately named Punk Toilet slot.

Expectations for Online Slot Games in 2024

The non-stop advancement in technology means that online slot machines will certainly just keep getting better and better. For example, once virtual reality (VR) technology becomes more accessible and sophisticated, we expect that some development companies will look to develop slots specifically for VR.

With that being said, the UK landscape surrounding online gambling laws continues to change too. New online gambling laws are expected to impose limits on online slot games with the expectation that the laws will make online gambling in the UK safer. These laws are expected to come into play at some point in 2024 or 2025, but a lot can change in-between now and then.

Regardless, we do not see the popularity of slot gaming dwindling any time soon and so long as the developers keep creating exceptional games, the expectation is that popularity will only continue to rise.