Slots Volatility - Manage Your Risk at Sweepstakes Games

I want you to understand the importance of volatility and aside from highlighting sweepstakes casinos that display their slots volatility, I’ve also taken the time to create an in-depth guide. Here, I explain how volatility or variance works, and share examples of popular slots and their volatility ratings.

What is Volatility at Online Slots?

I’ve given you this huge list of slots, but you still need to understand what volatility is. Volatility or variance relates to how often you can expect to win when playing slot games, but also the value of those wins. This is then typically used to calculate your risk factor.

Volatility is typically described on a scale from low to high and games can fall anywhere on that scale depending on how often they payout, and the average size of your wins. Usually, games are split into 3 volatility categories – high, medium, and low, but a game can be medium-low, or medium-high, for example.

Different software developers display volatility in different ways. For example, Pragmatic Play uses a lightning bolt scale – the more lightning bolts, the higher the volatility. Below, I explain the 3 main types of slot volatility and what they mean.

What is the Ideal Slots Volatility Level?

I can’t give an answer to this. The volatility you are comfortable with depends entirely on your playstyle, risk tolerance, and expectations.

For example, players who want to try and meet their bonus SC playthrough requirements and retain their SC could benefit from low risk games that give consistent wins.

Similarly, if someone only has a small amount of coins left, trying for big wins with high volatility slots might not be a great idea.

All you can do is understand what volatility means, and then think about which style fits your current situation when playing at sweepstakes casinos.

Slots With Varying Volatility Levels

There is also a special category of games that have varying volatility levels and these add another layer of complexity to your gameplay and strategies for social gaming.

For example, some games like 5 Lions Megaways and Le Pharaoh give you the option to choose different bonus rounds when you trigger the bonus option. Whichever option you select could result in a different volatility; i.e., 6 free spins with 40x multipliers vs 25 free spins with 5x multipliers.

Volatility can also vary if you make use of features that allow you to alter the frequency of free spins, or take advantage of bonus buy features. For example, many Pragmatic Play slots like Sugar Rush 1000 have the option to purchase free spins for a set multiplier based on your spin value. Similarly, some Pragmatic games have the option to pay 1.25x your spin value to increase your chance of getting free spins. Activating such features significantly increases the risk.

Always look at the available slot features and bonus games before you commit to a game and think about how they will affect the volatility and your bankroll management. At SweepsKings, we feature free online slots you can trial before utilizing your precious coins.

SweepsKings Tips For Managing Slots Volatility

If you spend a little time thinking about volatility you can actually turn it to your advantage and use it to manage your bankroll, or do things like meet playthrough requirements more effectively.

Adjust your spin values accordingly: Generally speaking, it’s better to set a lower spin value for high volatility games due to the long stretches without any wins. In contrast, because of the greater consistency, it can be better using a higher spin value for low volatility slots.

Choose volatility based on your bankroll: If you only have 5 Sweeps Coins left, it’s probably not a great idea to play a highly volatile slot as you could use those 5 SC and not get a single win. High volatility slots are usually better when you have a sufficient coin balance to eat up the barren stretches.

Think about playthrough requirements: Bonus SC at social casinos typically has a 1x playthrough requirement. You want to meet this playthrough requirement as effectively as possible and retain as much of your bonus SC as possible. For this, low volatility slots are better due to their consistent payouts.

Also consider RTP: Don’t look at volatility in a vacuum. While it is incredibly important, you should also look at the RTP of a game (Return to Player). For example, which would be better, a low volatility slot with an RTP of 93.78%, or a highly volatile slot with an above average RTP of 96.3%? I would take the latter – looking at you Duel at Dawn – any day of the week.

Think how bonus buy features affect volatility: As discussed above, bonus buy features and other “feature spins” can impact volatility. For example, while you can buy free spins on a game like Sugar Rush 1000, it costs an arm and a leg, so is it worth it, and how does that swing the volatility? Some slot games even provide different base game modes with varying volatility levels (Thunder vs Underworld), so you can try those if you prefer playing the same game but aren’t always feeling edgy.