If gameplay on a budget is important to you, then penny slots should be right at the top of your list. These games offer the ability to play for very small amounts of money for the chance to win large sums, making them very attractive to those who want a shot at life-changing wins without sinking lots of capital in the process. Learn everything there is to know about these attractive budget-friendly penny slots, including the top places to play them, where to find free penny slots to try and how these games actually work.

Best Penny Slot Sites in 2024

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Free Play Penny Slots

Ready to get started playing penny slots right away? Get the best possible experience of playing penny slots by exploring some of the industry's finest creations without risking your own money. Here are the top free penny slots online to try:

What Are Penny Slots?

As the name suggests, penny slots are slot games that can be played for as little as a penny (e.g. $0.01, €0.01, £0.01, etc.). However, it does get a little more complex than that. Slots come in all shapes and sizes, from three reels, single payline classic slots to 5+ reel, multi payline monsters. These can be classified as penny slots depending on the criteria used.

For example, it's common to find classic slots that allow you to bet $1 per spin for a shot at matching symbols along a single payline. Still, you're unlikely to find the bet per spin value going down as low as $0.01 in these games as it wouldn't be profitable for the casino.

On the other side of the scale, a 50-payline penny slot will allow you to bet $0.01, but on a per payline basis, so you're betting $0.50 per spin. As you can see, the definition of a penny slot is somewhat flexible, so it pays to be aware of these variables before getting out your virtual wallet if you want to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

Overview of the online penny slots

How to Play Penny Slots

Penny slots are played just like any other type of slot. Your first decision is choosing where to play. Once you've chosen a suitable penny slot online casino at which to play, you can play in demo mode, but if you want the chance to win for real, you'll need to add some real money funds to your account to play with by making a deposit. The depositing process is generally very easy, with penny slots and mobile casino sites even offering the ability to make deposits on the go using your mobile phone or tablet.

Click on a penny slot once you're loaded up to open it. These games can vary greatly, but they all have one thing in common: you can make adjustments to the bet amounts in penny denominations. Whether that's on a per payline or per spin basis will depend on the game, so check before you start playing.

Hit the spin button, and see the game's reels start to spin. They will then each come to a stop individually. The symbols displayed on each of the reels and the order in which they are shown will be checked against a paytable to see if you've landed any matching symbols along with one of the game's sets paylines or along with consecutive reels in the case of Megaways slots. If you have, you'll be awarded a payout!

Odds to Win Penny Slots

What are your chances of winning playing penny slots? The answer to that depends on many factors, but the best indicator of odds for penny slots is the Return To Player (RTP). The RTP of a game is described as the percentage of played funds paid out to players over the long run (i.e. millions of spins). The resulting percentage is an average, which players often use to get an idea of how likely a slot is to pay out compared to others.

The average RTP of online penny slots is about 96%, so in theory, the higher the RTP, the more likely you are to get a payout. However, since RTPs are calculated over millions of spins, it's worth remembering that it isn't any guarantee of how your specific gaming experience will turn out. Still, little tweaks can make a difference!

Price of Each Spin

It's easy to make the mistake of assuming that penny slots cost a penny to play. While that might indeed be the case for a few remaining pub-based fruit machines, slot machines or pokies, which allow you to spin the reels for a single penny each time, this is generally not the case for online penny slots games.

When you open the penny slot, you'll be able to choose how much to bet per spin by selecting or adjusting the bet value next to the spin button. You may be able to play a spin on certain games for as little as $0.01, but you're more likely to find that each payline can be played for $0.01, with a minimum number of paylines active per spin.

Choose how much you want to play per spin or payline, select the number of paylines you want to play per spin, where available, and hit the spin button to play at your chosen settings.

Here are some penny slots game providers

Common Penny Slots Providers

Out of 100+ games developers out there, a great many of them offer penny slots, so where do you start when it comes to finding them? Right here, of course! Here's our specially compiled list of the most common penny slots providers in the industry:

Different Gameplay of Penny Slots

Penny slots can be accessed in a variety of ways. You can choose to join penny slots online casino and play the games directly from your laptop or PC. You can find penny slots mobile devices can access, either directly via the website or by downloading the casino's mobile app.

However, when it comes to playing penny slots, there are only two ways of doing so: using real money or playing penny slots online for free. Let's check out the pros and cons of both.

Real Money Penny Slots

If you want the chance to play for real money winnings, the only way to play these penny slots is with real money. You'll use your funds to play in real money mode by depositing using one of the site's accepted payment methods. This newly deposited bankroll will be your source of funds. It's then just a simple case of choosing which game to play and how much you want to bet per spin/payline.

Playing penny slots with real money does mean you stand to win real money in return, but remember to keep an eye on your bankroll.

Penny Slots Free

Many players opt for free penny slots online to test the waters in the case of complete beginners or experimenting with new penny slots that may be unfamiliar. Either way, playing penny slots for free is a great way to experience the games without actually risking your own money.

Most penny slots casino sites offer the ability to play games in demo mode. The game plays just as it does in real money mode, the only difference being that you'll use play chips rather than your deposited funds. Of course, the big drawback of free casino penny slots gameplay is that any winnings you do trigger will also be in play funds. Find below some of the titles you can find in the international online casinos.

Find the most popular penny slots

Looking for some casino penny slots game recommendations to get you started? Jump straight to the best online penny slots in the industry by picking from our list of 2024's most popular penny slots:

Penny SlotProviderReelsRTPVolatility
Gold DiggeriSoftBet596.01%Medium
Fire JokerPlay'n GO594.23%Medium
Legacy of DeadPlay'n GO594.51%High
Bonanza MegawaysBTG696.00%High
Temple TumbleRelax Gaming696.25%High
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Opinion About Penny Slots

Penny slots are perfect for exploring all the thrills and excitement of the most popular online casino games in the industry without forking out a lot of money. 

As the name suggests, penny slots can be played from as little as just $0.01 in some cases, with other games under this title playable in increments of a penny. Playing just like other slots, penny slots offer the same great win potential and come in various shapes and sizes, so you'll never get bored. And with developers creating new penny slots regularly, there's always something fresh to explore!

If you're ready to give penny slots a try, choose one of the thoroughly reviewed penny slots casinos listed at the top of this page, so you can rest assured that your experience will be a safe and enjoyable one.

Penny Slots FAQs

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Robin Storm

Robin Storm

Author & Casino Games Expert

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Robin works tirelessly to make gambling fun and worry-free for all players. With his impressive industry experience, he is passionate about being able to play casino games in a fun and safe environment, ensuring players avoid all the hassles that may appear.
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