Read more about slot tournaments
On this page, you can learn all about slot tournaments.
Free online slot tournaments
Bojoko helps you find slot tournaments at US casinos. Slot tournaments are a fun way to add some of that extra spice to your playing experience. Competing in an online slot tournament at a US-based casino site gives a chance of winning extra cash while spinning your favorite slots.
On this page, you'll learn about different types of slot tournaments and find the online casinos offering free slot tournaments listed on Bojoko.
We help you learn all about slot tournaments
Without knowing how the online slot tournaments work, it's easy to bite off more than you can chew. The terms and conditions are also often different between casinos.
Bojoko helps you to understand what slot tournaments are and where US players can participate in them.
Find free online slot tournaments on Bojoko
On Bojoko, we want to tell you about slot tournaments in plain English - how, where, and when to play. We start with the easy part, explaining what the tournaments are and how they work.
Above, you can find our unique selection tool which lists casinos and slots. We've already hand-picked some casinos offering slot tournaments, but you can also use the tool to build your custom filters. By clicking any of the casino brands, you can read the opinions of our experts.
What are slot tournaments?
Slot tournaments are competitions between slot players. So, it's you versus all the other participants at the online casino of your choice.
Even though there are different types of tournaments, most of them have the same basic idea; collecting points by playing slots.
Generally, the condition for claiming first place in a slot machine tournament is to collect the most wins. But, as there are many variants, the winning condition can also be one of these (just to name a few):
- Collect most points
- Get the largest win on a single spin
- Get the longest continuous chain of winning spins
- Trigger the free spins with the lowest number of spins
- Collect certain symbols or bonus features
- Wager more than other players
The bets can be fixed or adjusted freely - this depends entirely on the nature of the tournament.
How to find slot tournaments?
1. Find a casino offering tournaments from our list
Here on Bojoko, we only list casinos that are licensed to operate in the US. In this list, we've hand-picked you the ones promoting slot tournaments.
2. Read the expert reviews
When you've chosen a casino, you can read the experiences written by our experts. These reviews may help you figure out if the casino is the right one for you.
3. Go to the casino
On every review page, you'll find the big green ‘PLAY HERE' button. It will take you straight to the casino. If we have a special bonus deal for the casino, that button is the way to claim it.
4. Register an account and deposit
When you get to the casino, you need to register first. After filling in the required information and doing any additional verification you can make a deposit. Now you're ready for the tournaments!
Slots in online tournaments
Practically, any existing slot can be a tournament slot. Some online casinos do, however, favor certain suppliers or slots, and some sites use tournaments to promote new online slots.
In any case, you don't have to learn how the tournament slots work before entering the tournament. It's good to have some basic knowledge of course, like how to click the button that makes the reels spin. Aside from that, there's not really much more to learn.
Online tournament variants
Slot tournaments can take up many different forms. If you happen to be familiar with online poker, some of the slot tournaments can be a bit similar to some extent.
Here you can read more about the most common slot tournament types.
Scheduled Tournaments
The slot site advertises the scheduled tournament in beforehand with the basic information of when the event starts and ends.
A scheduled tournament is the basic version. You register as a participant and pay the buy-in fee before the tournament begins. After the event is over the buy-in fees are then shared among the best players.
Freeroll Tournaments
Freeroll tournaments are a fairly common sight as a part of the online casino's welcome package for new players. Freerolls are, like the name implies, free for the participants. The players who achieve the highest scores usually receive a moderate award of bonus currency or real cash.
Freerolls also require you to register with them in advance, but there is no buy-in fee.
Sit & Go Tournaments
Sit and Go tournaments have a predetermined maximum number of participants. Also, the length of the tournament is limited. These tournaments begin as soon as all of the player spots have been filled.
Reloader Tournaments
In reloader tournaments, you can choose to re-buy your participation. After you have paid the buy-in and played your allotted time in the tournament, it's possible to pay again to try scoring better points. It depends on the tournament rules whether you may continue your play with the re-buy, or start all over.
Just one spin
While these competitions aren't technically tournaments, they have a lot in common. Each participant gets a single spin on the same slot and whoever gets the highest payout is the winner. Like in a tournament, it's the players versus players and they all have the same starting point.
These single spin competitions are usually free to enter.
Alternative slot tournaments
Some tournaments don't fit with any of the categories above, so the definition "slot tournament" can actually cover almost anything.
A good example would be the tournaments held by the game suppliers. For instance, a game supplier Pragmatic Play is known for their ‘Drops and Wins' campaigns. These campaigns feature a prize pool that renews daily. Participating is easy as you only need to register at a casino that offers Pragmatic Play's slots. Opening any of the eligible slots by said supplier instantly gives you the option to sign up for the tournament.
How to play in a slot tournament?
Here are the mandatory steps to take to play in a tournament:
- Sign up to a casino
- Get a player ID
- Check the available tournaments and their rules
- Select a tournament and register as a participant
- Pay the buy-in if such is required
- Wait for the slot machine tournament to start
Signing up
First, you need to be a registered customer at the online casino that holds the slot tournament you're interested in.
Player ID
At a casino, a slot tournament also requires you to have a player ID or a nickname. This may have already been done when you first joined the casino, but the casino will ask you for it before the tournament starts at the latest.
The tournaments
Next, it's time to explore the tournaments the casino has to offer. I highly recommend checking the rules and any additional info about the competitions before diving in. The tournament rules also cover the buy-ins, the timeframes, the slot you're going to play, and how much currency you're playing with.
It's best to be well-prepared so that you will not miss the start of the tournament, or get surprised by the possibility of limited seatings.
After the tournament
It depends on the casino how they present the scoreboard, but generally only the player IDs in the top 10, 25, 50 or so on will be visible. Of course, when you finish the tournament you will see your cumulated wins or points, and your ranking at the time.
The casino will distribute the prizes to the best players once the tournament is over, or according to their tournament rules. Again, having read the rules you will know if the prize money is paid as wager-free cash, or as bonus money.
Slot tournament strategies
Slot tournaments have generally very little room for building strategies. That is, at least when talking about tournaments where the wagers are fixed and the aim is to get the largest cumulative wins. In competitions like these, there's just one possible strategy; spin, spin, spin.
In tournaments where the bets are freely adjusted, you can strategize - within hard limits.
Bigger bets mean higher risks but can result in bigger wins. At the same time, smaller bets give more chances to trigger any special features like bonus rounds or free spins.
Slot tournaments - Social slots?
What could be more fun than playing slots with others, even with your friends? Slot tournaments do indeed make slots already more social when you're competing against other players. But, could there be even a more direct way to play with other people?
Social slots are still more or less a curiosity, but they have started making their way to the world of online casinos - just like gamification did. As gamification casinos added player levels, collecting points and maps to make the casino itself feel like a game, social slots will add the possibility to interact with other players like never before.
Naturally, there are lots of ways to make a social slot casino:
- Possibility to add users as friends
- Possibility to play slots with pooled funds
- Offering slot tournaments
- Possibility to duel other players
- Team up with others and play group vs. group
There already are some online casinos offering social slot experience, but it probably will be a while until they're going mainstream.
In October 2021, a Chicago-based online casino operator, Rush Street Interactive, launched a software engine that makes multi-player tournaments possible. Named RushArena, the engine runs a game called RushRace - a slots tournament where players can participate at any time the tournament is ongoing.
As to where traditional slot tournaments require the participants to start the tournament simultaneously, RushRace allows the players to join the tournament at any time in the given window. Other differences to traditional tournaments include the freedom of switching the games during the tournament and having a different starting balance.
RushArena will eventually expand and there will be a bigger variety of games available. In the future, the engine might very well be found on several online casinos that seek to offer their clients more gambling options.
Where to play slot tournaments online?
Free online slot tournaments - can I win real money? Yes, some online casinos do offer completely free slot tournaments, or freerolls, as they're called. In a free slot tournament, the buy-in is usually free but it depends on the casino whether the spins are also free for the player or not. The prizes can be anything from free spins to real cash or bonus money.
At the moment there aren't many US-based online casinos offering slot tournaments - free slot tournaments for US players are even harder to find. But, rest assured, we will keep you posted about them.
Freeroll slot tournaments might yet be sparse, however, you can try the exciting slot races offered by BetMGM and Party Casino. In the race, all you need to do is spin certain slots and collect points during 100-spin segments. Depending on how many points you manage to collect, you get a score that determines your position in the race, as well as your prize.
These daily freeroll slot tournaments go on all day and you can check the timetable on the casino sites. The rewards of the slot races at BetMGM and Party Casino vary between 5 and 100 free spins. Opting in is free, but the qualifying spins must be played with real cash.
Play slot tournaments responsibly
Gambling is always risky, so it's essential to make sure you only wager money you can afford to lose.
If you're on a tight budget, don't choose a tournament where you have to bet more to get points. There are almost always high-rollers who play with $100 spins in these competitions.
Don't keep your eyes on the prize only. If you run out of cash it's better to walk away than deposit more.
Remember that the tournaments should always be just an entertaining extra on top of playing slots. Stay in control, and don't treat gambling as a solution to financial problems or a way to make money.
Slot tournaments FAQ
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Article by:
Kati Saari
Kati Saari has worked in the gambling industry since 2014. She has tested hundreds of casinos and written thousands of articles while evolving into an iron-clad expert in her field. Having a true passion for her work she’s adamant not to let anything past her without thorough research.