Low variance slots are less volatile than normal games and this can be a great thing for casino players. Lower volatility means a greater chance of winning, which reduces the stress of losing and helps you to manage your bankroll.
Our guide to low volatility slots explains everything you need to know about these games, from how to play them to the online casinos that offer them.
You just need to decide if these games are for you, pick a casino site and make some wagers.
How we review the best low variance slots casinos
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We cover every important detail of the gambling sites we assess. We do this so that you have the complete picture of their qualities and are able to make an informed decision about if you’re picking the best sites for you.
Our reviews go into real depth and these are some of the key things they include:
Games
Bonuses
Payouts
Banking
Gameplay
Security
Support
You can discover everything that goes into our reviews by checking out our online casino reviews page and reading our assessments of the UK’s best sites.
Introducing the OnlineCasinos.co.uk team
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The OnlineCasinos.co.uk team is composed of gambling specialists, casino game fans and sports betting enthusiasts — they’re players, just like you.
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It’s this honest approach to assessing gambling sites that means you can trust every review we publish is fair and accurate.
Safety and security at low volatility slots casinos
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You have to provide some of your most sensitive information to casino sites (such as your passport and utility bills) to set up your account and hand over your bank details to make deposits and withdrawals.
As online casinos have so much of your data, you need to be certain they can be trusted with it and this is why we run a security check on every site we review.
We look at the website to see that the casino clearly displays the regulatory bodies it reports to. These are the gambling regulators we look for:
Each of these regulators has the power to take action against any online casino they believe aren’t upholding the safety and security standards they’re legally required to meet. These powers include issuing fines, imposing suspension and even shutting down sites.
Seeing the logos of these gambling regulators on an online casino means you can be sure it’s safe and secure.
What are low variance slots?
Slot variance is about how often you’re likely to win and the winnings you could collect when playing casino slot games.
Low variance slots are games that have higher payout frequencies than you might generally expect to see. While it’s undoubtedly a good thing to increase your chances of winning, there is a payoff — the amount of money you can win is lower, as the jackpots and max bet sizes are smaller.
How to play games at low variance slots sites
Games are the most important part of any online casino, whether it’s geared towards live dealer tables or low variance slots. They bring you fun, test your ability to strategise and give you the opportunity to win some cash.
With low variance slots being for lower win amounts and smaller bet sizes, how you play these games is a little different from normal. Below, we’ve given you a couple of tips on playing these slots games:
Make responsible bet amounts
As the bet sizes are smaller, the temptation with low volatility slots is to make more wagers. While this isn’t necessarily a problem, it means you need to really manage the number of bets you make because a lot of small wagers quickly adds up to a large outlay.
Focus on having fun and not making money
Fun should always be your focus when playing casino games, regardless of whether you’re playing slots, blackjack or something else. As the jackpots are smaller in slots that have a low variance, this is a great opportunity to ensure you’re focussed on the fun of your gambling session and not the amount of money you win.
Bonuses you should look for at low variance slots sites
Casino bonuses give players a chance to get some extra cash or casino credit to use on their favourite games. All the top sites in the UK offer bonuses but each one offers different rewards, both for new and returning players.
These are the main bonuses to look out for when you use low variance slots sites:
Free spins
Free spins are perfect for playing slots because they’re designed specifically for this type of casino game. Every play you make on a slots game is a spin (you spin the slots reel to have a go) so free spins are free plays on slots titles.
Welcome bonuses
Welcome bonuses can be great if you’re a new player signing up to an online casino. You can get either free spins or a cash reward (it depends on what the site is offering), each of which can be used to play slots games that have a low variance.
No deposit bonuses
Not many casino sites offer no deposit bonuses and there’s a good reason for this. No deposit bonuses don’t ask you to invest any of your own money to get the benefits of the reward, something that’s conditional for most bonuses. If you find a site offering a no deposit bonus then it means you can use the reward to play slots games without depositing your own cash.
In-game slots bonus features to be aware of
Casino bonuses don’t just take the form of a reward you sign up for through a gambling site. There are some in-game bonus features that most leading slots offer and these are the key ones to be aware of:
Bonus game: an additional full game.
Bonus round: an extra, free spins round.
Bonus symbols: symbols that give you rewards.
You can find out if a slots title you’re interested in offers in-game bonus features by checking the ‘help’ or ‘info’ section of the game.
Low variance terms and conditions
Every single casino bonus has terms and conditions and casino sites are legally required to display them in full. Sites have to display the T&Cs of their bonuses so that you know exactly what the rewards entail and what you need to do to get the advertised amounts.
Bonus terms and conditions are often long and dense, with rewards placing many requirements on you to get the amount advertised. These are a few of the key T&Cs you might be asked to meet:
Max bonus: you might only be able to bet a certain amount at a given time.
Deadlines: you may have a restricted amount of time to use your bonus.
Wagering requirements: you have to wager a set amount of your own cash.
Reasons to choose a low variance slots game
The main reason to choose a low variance slots game is that it has a lesser volatility rate than other options, meaning you have an increased chance of winning.
Being low risk (or at least lower risk) is a reason to pick slots with lesser volatility than high variance slots but it’s not the only one. These are a couple of other reasons to pick a slots game with a low variance:
Lower maximum bet limits: if you’re someone who prefers making wagers that are closer to the minimum bet amount than the maximum one then you’ll be pleased to know that these slots force you to make smaller bets.
Reduced stress of losing your bankroll: as the chances of winning are higher and the max bets are lower, you should (in theory) find it easier to keep from losing your bankroll when playing low variance slots.
Why do online casinos offer low variance?
Slot volatility relates to how much and how often you can expect to win when playing a slot game.
Online casinos offer low variance slots because they want the people using their sites to play as many games as possible, so they can make the maximum amount of money from them.
Low volatility slots encourage people to play more games because they have a low risk of loss, or at least a lower risk of losing money than on many slots titles.
On this basis, you might question what’s in it for the online casinos if they’re encouraging people to play games that they’re more likely to win at — surely it would make more sense for them to get them playing games they’ll lose at?
The casinos benefit from low variance slot games because the more people win the greater the likelihood is of them having a long session, one that over time will add up to more money spent in total.
Why does this matter? Because every casino game has a house edge, which means gambling sites have an advantage over players (even if it’s for as little as 0.01%).
House edge is how casinos make their money and the longer a site can keep someone playing the greater the chance of their edge coming good.
Are low variance slots worth it?
Low variance slots are worth it if you want to increase your chances of winning games and are happy with reducing your potential jackpot.
It’s a reasonable approach because it means there’s less volatility to your gambling, as the idea is that you have fewer lows. These reduced lows come in two ways:
You don’t lose as often
You don’t lose as much
This should make for a less stressful gambling session, both on an emotional and a financial level. If this sounds like the sort of experience you want from your casino gaming experience then low variance slots might be worth it for you.
Are high variance slots bad?
The question of whether high variance slots are bad really depends on the type of player you are.
High variance slots are bad if you’re the type of player who wants to minimise the risk of losing, both games and money — though, the two things go hand-in-hand.
Slots with a greater variance have a lower chance of payout and a higher range between the winnings you can make. This makes for a more stressful gambling session, as you experience more lows.
The flipside to playing a high variance slot is that if you do win then you can claim a bigger cash windfall, as both the max betting amounts and the jackpots are higher than in low variance games.
This means high variance slots can be good if you want to gamble on winning a higher pot and are prepared to accept the increased chances of losing.
Can I withdraw from low variance slots?
You can withdraw from low variance slots, in the same way you can do so from any casino game you’ve made some money from. You can be certain of this because any online casino in the UK must allow its players to withdraw the money they have in their account.
However, there can be a catch to withdrawing money from the winnings you make from casino games, including low variance slots.
Online casinos often have conditions on the withdrawals their players can make, putting restrictions on the amount they can collect and the frequency with which they can do so. This means that you might not be able to withdraw all the money you make from a low variance slot game in one go.
You can find out the withdrawal policy of the site you're using by visiting its designated deposits and withdrawals page.
Deposit and withdrawal options at online casinos
Deposit and withdrawal options are something you could easily overlook when using an online casino. In much the same way you’d do so at an ecommerce site, it’s easy to assume your preferred baking methods are available. This isn’t always the case.
Credit cards are a key example of a deposit and withdrawal method you might expect to see but that’s missing from the options at casinos.
Since April 2020, UK operational online casinos have been legally unable to accept credit cards. This is a measure introduced by the UK government to counter problem gambling.
Credit cards are an obvious exception to the deposit and withdrawal methods you might expect to find at a casino site but most of the other main ones will be available to you. These are the main deposit and withdrawal options at online casinos:
VISA
PayPal
Neteller
Skrill
paysafecard
ecoPayz
Maestro
Fast Bank Transfer
DIRECT ebanking
Citadel Instant Banking
Solo/Switch
3 best low variance slot titles
There are many great slots with a low variance that you can choose to play. We’ve highlighted three of the best ones for you, based on their gameplay and payout.
1429 Uncharted Seas
Credit: YouTube
Payout: 98.60%
Casino software provider: Thunderkick
Theme: Mystical sea adventures
Game rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Blood Suckers
Credit: YouTube
Payout: 98.00%
Casino software provider: NetEnt
Theme: Bloodsucking vampires
Game rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Esqueleto Explosivo
Credit: YouTube
Payout: 98.60%
Casino software provider: Thunderkick
Theme: Mexican Day of the Dead
Game rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3 best online slots sites for low variance
UK players can play low variance slots at an enormous variety of online casinos. We’ve picked three of the best ones for you and explained why you’ll like betting there.
Mr Green Casino
Credit: Mr Green Casino
Mr Green Casino is a multi-award-winning gambling site. It’s been recognised for the quality of its mobile games, standard of its slots titles and commitment to being a socially responsible operator. It’s a great site for all gambling fans.
These are the three things that you’ll enjoy most about Mr Green Casino:
Simple to use software throughout the site
Ace selection of mobile casino games
Commitment to responsible gambling
Casino rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Check out our Mr Green Casino review to learn more about this superb gambling site.
The Grand Ivy Casino
Credit: The Grand Ivy Casino
The Grand Ivy Casino makes its name on casino gaming, with sports fans best advised to look elsewhere. But if casino gaming is your betting focus then you’ll adore this site. It has a great range of table titles, video slots and live dealer games. It’s perfect for casino games.
These are the three things that’ll impress you most about The Grand Ivy Casino:
Plenty of rewards for loyal players
Superb selection of table games
Visually appealing website
Casino rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Read our The Grand Ivy Casino review to discover what else will impress you about this site.
Grosvenor Casinos
Credit: Grosvenor Casinos
Slots are well-catered for at Grosvenor Casinos, with a great selection of games for you to pick from and lots of low volatility titles. And if you fancy a change from slots then you can try the site’s poker card room, which is truly outstanding.
These are the three things that you’ll like about Grosvenor Casinos:
Outstanding poker offering
Good ad hoc bonuses
Loads of slot games
Casino rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spend a bit of time looking at our Grosvenor Casinos review to learn some of the great things about this site.
