The gap between online slots and video games is closing fast. That’s because slot developers introduced progression elements from the gaming industry into some of their latest products.
What Progression Systems Have Slot Developers Adopted
These are some of the gamified mechanics popping up in online casinos.
Experience Points (XP) Bars
Slot developers seem to have gamified old player progression systems by using the same XP approach as modern video games. An XP bar is a visual meter that tracks how close you are to achieving a goal. It’s a form of progressive grinding that has been embedded in modern gaming for years.
Level-Up Mechanics
XP bars and level-up mechanics often complement each other in the gaming space. Both elements leverage the modern gamer’s urge to grind. The most common example is a tiered system where filling the XP bar allows a player to go up a level and unlock new items.
Some casinos use a system that lets players progress through stages by hitting milestones. There are no XP bars in that system, but it follows the same foundation as the others.
Leaderboards
In gaming, a leaderboard visualizes how players are ranked according to a specific metric, which could be score, points, XP, or even time spent. Slot developers now use leaderboards to introduce elements of friendly competition into gambling. That way, they tap into social comparison.
Achievements and Challenges
The gamification of online slots creates an industry where players can unlock in-play items by completing certain challenges. An avid gamer may be familiar with what it feels like to collect achievement badges, which are often the final result of completing specific actions.
While some challenges are time-based (daily even), others give players the freedom to move at their own pace.
Special Rounds
This stage is a special in-game level that gives players opportunities to collect additional content. It’s a major theme in video games like Super Mario and Street Fighter.
Special rounds in online slots come in different forms and sometimes incorporate story elements. Animated themes like sports, hunting, aliens, and time travel are not uncommon. The defining factor is that the round breaks from the standard reel and reveals a unique part of the experience.
Unlockable Characters
Many video games create progression systems that allow players to unlock new characters after completing a challenge or reaching a milestone. Online slot games often have characters of their own, ranging from funny to iconic. Examples could include: Cleopatra, Lady Luck, Pink Panther, Mad Hatter, Indiana Jones.
Developers can go as far as obtaining licenses to use characters from pop media, such as cartoons, movies, and video games.
Unlockable characters don’t have a direct impact on actual gameplay outcomes, but their symbols, themes, and backgrounds add a story element to slot machines.
Risks Behind These Mechanics
Although elaborate, this new system comes with some cause for concern, particularly on the part of the gamblers. A 2025 study published in the Journal of Gambling Studies found that structural game-design choices, including near-miss frequency and other mechanics that encourage continuous play, can increase risk-taking and prolong play despite a lack of winnings, raising concerns about problem gambling.
Unregulated betting sites with misleading or unclear progression structures can also lure users into wasting time and money. Full transparency in how XP and levelling systems work helps players understand what they’re actually looking at, rather than misjudging how close they are to a payout.
Responsible Gambling Measures Implemented by Operators
No matter how effective progression mechanics could be for operators, they should never supersede the well-being of players. In Ontario, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has made it mandatory for operators to set up measures that safeguard consumers. Here are a few examples:
- Submit new gaming systems for approval before publishing them to consumers (Standard 4.08)
- Prevent extended, continuous and impulsive play by making gamblers take multiple steps to initiate a new playing cycle (Standards 2.16, 2.18)
- Monitor risk profiles and set up systems that detect potentially harmful gameplay (Standard 2.10)
- Set and enforce time limits on gameplay (Standards 2.23, 2.24)
- Never imply that playing more often will increase the player’s chances of winning (Standard 4.07)
These requirements are set out in AGCO’s Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming.
Mechanics and Oversight
Slot developers have adopted popular video game mechanics such as XP bars, achievement badges, special rounds, and unlockable characters. However, regulators are taking measures to limit manipulative features. These standards exist precisely because progression mechanics, left unchecked, can blur the line between entertainment and harm.