Online slots, casino floor machines and pub fruit machines all decide results with a random number generator and all have a house edge, but they are governed by different rules in Great Britain. Online slots follow the Gambling Commission’s remote standards and online stake limits; physical machines are grouped into gaming machine categories, each with its own stake and prize limits, and pub fruit machines are Category C.
This guide compares the three side by side, in general terms. For the detailed figures, see our fruit machines guide and UK slot rules.
The three at a glance
| Online slots | Casino and arcade machines | Pub fruit machines | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | Websites and apps | Casinos, adult gaming centres, bingo halls | Pubs and clubs |
| Result decided by | RNG on a server | RNG in the machine | RNG in the machine |
| Rules | Remote technical standards, online game design rules | Gaming machine categories and standards | Category C machine rules |
| Stake limits | £5 per spin (25+), £2 (18–24) | Set by machine category | Set by Category C |
| Speed | Minimum 2.5 seconds per spin | Set by machine rules | Set by machine rules |
| Typical features | Free spins, cascades, Megaways, hold and win | Varies widely | Nudges, holds, feature trails |
| Age | 18+ | 18+ for adult machines | 18+ |
How results are decided
All three are computer-controlled. A random number generator picks the outcome and the reels display it. On an online slot, the RNG runs on the game server; in a physical machine, it sits inside the cabinet. Either way, the reels, whether mechanical or on a screen, do not decide anything. Our RNG guide explains how this works.
The history is shared too. Charles Fey’s Liberty Bell, built in San Francisco around the 1890s, was a mechanical machine. Bally’s Money Honey of 1963 was the first electromechanical slot with a bottomless hopper, Fortune Coin’s 1976 game was an early video slot, and online casinos appeared from the mid-1990s. The history of the slot traces the line from one to the next.
Online slots
Online slots on GB-licensed sites follow the Commission’s remote technical standards. Since 31 October 2021, the game design rules require at least 2.5 seconds per spin and ban autoplay, turbo modes and slam stops. Games must not celebrate returns equal to or less than the stake, and must show your net position and time played.
Stake limits are £5 per spin for players aged 25 and over, from 9 April 2025, and £2 per spin for 18 to 24 year olds, from 21 May 2025.
Online games publish their RTP and rules in an information screen, and you must be age-verified before you can play, including demos. Features are generally more elaborate than on physical machines: Megaways, cluster pays, hold and win and many more.
Casino and arcade machines
Physical gaming machines in Great Britain are grouped into categories, and each category sets the maximum stake and prize, and which kinds of premises may host it. Casinos can offer the higher categories, adult gaming centres and bingo halls certain middle categories, and some lower categories are allowed in places such as family entertainment centres.
Because limits are set by category rather than by a single online cap, the stake and prize range on a casino floor machine can be quite different from online. We do not quote the category figures here; the UK slot rules section and the fruit machines guide cover them.
Many casino machines are close cousins of online games, sometimes the same titles in cabinet form. Others are built purely for venues.
Pub fruit machines
The British fruit machine is its own tradition. Pub fruit machines are Category C gaming machines, which sets their maximum stake and prize. They have features you rarely see in online games:
- Nudges and holds: move a reel one position, or keep reels in place for the next spin.
- Feature boards: trails and ladders that build towards a feature.
- Gamble options: chances to risk a win to climb a ladder.
Fruit machines are physical cabinets, and nudges and holds are a matter of presentation and choice within the rules of the machine, not a way round its maths. Our fruit machines guide covers how they work and the category limits.
Online “pub fruit” games borrow the look and some features, but they are online slots, so they follow the online rules, not Category C.
What actually differs for you
Speed and access
Online slots are available any time on a device in your pocket. Physical machines need you to be in a venue, which naturally limits play. Both are subject to rules on how they run, but the ease of access online is the bigger practical difference.
Information
Online games show their RTP, rules and paytable on demand. Information on physical machines varies; there may be a help screen or a notice on the cabinet. Our guide to how to read a paytable applies either way.
Safer gambling tools
Online accounts come with deposit limits, reality checks, time-outs, self-exclusion and GAMSTOP. Land-based venues have their own self-exclusion schemes, and GAMSTOP does not cover them. Our setting limits guide covers the online tools.
Cost
Every format has a house edge. How much an hour costs depends on stake, speed and RTP, as set out in our house edge maths guide. The format you prefer does not change the fact that the expected result of play is a loss.
The short version
- Online slots, casino machines and pub fruit machines all use RNGs and all have a house edge.
- Online slots follow the remote technical standards, the 2.5 second rule and the £5/£2 stake limits.
- Physical machines are grouped into categories with their own stake and prize limits.
- Pub fruit machines are Category C, with nudges, holds and feature boards.
- GAMSTOP covers online operators only; venues have their own schemes.
- Category figures are on the fruit machines and UK slot rules pages.
Questions people ask
Are online slots and casino machines regulated the same way?
Both are regulated by the Gambling Commission in Great Britain, but under different rules. Online slots follow the remote technical standards and online stake limits, while physical machines are governed by gaming machine categories with their own stake and prize limits.
What category is a pub fruit machine?
Pub fruit machines are Category C gaming machines. Each category has its own maximum stake and prize, which our fruit machines guide covers.
Do land-based machines use a random number generator?
Modern machines are computer-controlled and use random number generators to decide results, just as online slots do. The reels, whether physical or on a screen, display a result already chosen.
Are online slots more generous than machines in venues?
There is no single answer. Return to player varies by game and by machine, and both have a house edge. Online games publish their RTP in the information screen, so it is usually easier to check online.
Next guide: How Slots Work: What Actually Decides Each Spin