It’s been over 100 years since the San Francisco-born inventor, Charles Fey, brought us the iconic Liberty Bell. This is often referred to as the first ever slot machine, and there’s no question that it was the Liberty Bell’s instant success in the States which brought gambling machines into mass production across the globe.

However, thanks to serious advancements in technology over the past few decades, and a move online somewhere in the nineties, slots have evolved almost beyond recognition.

Just take a quick browse on the web; you’ll find hundreds of slot games now available to play right from the comfort of your home. In fact, you can even enjoy the same quality and speed of gameplay on the go, with the ever-expanding range of online casino apps custom-built for iOS and Android smartphones.

And today’s online slots are all about providing the player with more – more immersive gameplay, more pay-lines, more colours, more animations, more imaginative themes and (perhaps most importantly) more bonus features.

Whilst bonus features can help players reap in bigger cash rewards, it does mean that playing is no longer as simple as it was a century ago. You don’t just pull a lever and watch 3 mechanical reels spin. You need to wrap your head around the likes of ‘sticky wilds’, ‘cascading reels’ and ‘progressive jackpots’ to make the most out of your spins.

That’s why we’ve devised this handy breakdown on some of the most common bonus features found in today’s games. Once you’ve got these definitions under your belt, you’ll be spinning the slots like a pro in no time.