Bring On Fall: A quick review of cool autumn online slots games.
The leaves are changing. The air is cooling. There’s pumpkin spice products flooding every market! Summer is finally giving way to fall, and we’ve got some interesting ways to celebrate the change of season.
Of the tens of thousands of digital slot machines dominating the iGaming industry, only a few have incorporated the autumn theme. In fact, it’s one of the most scarce themes in the business – odd, since the season is beloved by so many. I’m convinced that the lack of autumn themed-slots has everything to do with the gross over-abundance of holidays themed games. There are more Halloween and Thanksgiving themed slots than I could possibly care to list on a single page; certainly not with reviews and stats.
Celebrate the Season with these Cool Autumn Online Slots
Today, we’ll take a look at what’s out there, who made it, and where you can play it. As I said, there aren’t too many fall slots for mobile. It is easily among the most overlooked themes in the business, especially when you consider just how many people absolutely adore the season (and the pumpkin spiced products it brings).
So without further ado, here my top 5 favorite autumn themed online slots. I’ve provided a very brief review and some basic details for each, like reels, paylines, and return to player (RTP).
Seasons by Yggdrasil
This quirky little game features all four seasons. Each season represents its own game mode. Each game mode comes with its own wild features and free spins modes. The fall season features Random Walking Wilds. When a wild owl lands, it triggers free respins where the owl travels one reel to the right, along the top, middle or bottom. Respins continue until the owl leaves the screen. During free spins, the Random Walking Wilds are even more likely to appear. The other seasons are interesting too, but fall is my absolute favorite!
Reels: 5×3
Paylines: 20
RTP: 96.10%
Where to Play: You can find the Seasons Slot at any Yggdrasil powered online casino, including LeoVegas Mobile.
Moonshine by Microgaming
It’s harvest time down on the farm, but this is no ordinary farm. Alongside the fields of pumpkins and cabbage, shotgun-toting granny and the rest of her backwoods bootlegging brood are making moonshine! Humor and profitability to go hand in hand with this 5-reel video slot. Granny is the wild, taking the place of all other standard symbol to line up wins. The sheriff is a scatter, awarding scatter pays. The moonshine bottle is the bonus, awarding free spins. Before you start, you’ll pick from a number of moons to collect extra free spins and increase the multiplier. The feature starts when the block labeled ‘Star Free Spins’ is chosen.
Reels: 5×3
Paylines: 25
RTP: 96.02%
Where to Play: You can find the Moonshine Slot at most Microgaming powered online casinos, including Royal Vegas Casino.
Monster Mash Cash by Habanero
Get your autumn groove on with Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman, and all their ghoulish friends as they do The Mash, slot machine style! This fiendishly fun video slot comes with expanding Jekyl and Hyde wilds that double all prizes they help to line up. He only appears on the first reel in the base game, but virtually guarantees a win when he does. During free spins, the expanding wild can appear on reels 1, 3 and 5. The Dracula Bonus scatter pays out multipliers of the total bet for 2 or more, and awards 8, 20 or 30 free games when 3, 4 or 5 appear. Add in a catchy musical score, and it all comes together with Habanero’s bar-setting flare for the dramatic.
Reels: 5×3
Paylines: 50
RTP: 96.00%
Where to Play: You can find the Monster Mash Cash Slot at all Habanero powered online casinos, including LeoVegas Mobile.
Sweet Harvest by Microgaming
Harvest time is the best time of year on the farm, but when the farmers happen to be super cute, it’s all the sweeter. The buxom beauty is the farmer’s daughter. The studly cowboy with the 6-pack abs is the ranch hand. They’re high paying symbols in the base game, but during free spins, they both become wilds that can stack on any reel. When the farmer’s daughter and ranch hand appear next to each other, they’ll pay out winnings with a 2x multiplier. To trigger those free spins, you need to see 3 or more barn house scatters land anywhere on the reels. If a scatter appears on reels 1 and 2, but nowhere else, those reels will hold in place for one respin of reels 3, 4 and 5, in hopes of trigger the feature.
Reels: 5×3
Paylines: 20
RTP: 96.29%
Where to Play: You can find the Monster Mash Cash Slot at all Microgaming powered online casinos, including Jackpot City and Royal Vegas.
Autumn Gold by Eyecon
If you like slots that are simple to understand and play, this one is a sure favorite. Autumn Gold, released by Eyecon in 2018, is a classic 3 reel game with the max number of 9 paylines. It’s packed with all the symbolic items of a beautiful fall day – from colorful leaves, pumpkins and acorns, to mushrooms, owls, and squirrels, to rain boots, umbrellas and homemade jam jars. Unlike most 3-reel classics, this one has features built in, too. The fall leaves are the scatter, awarding 8 free spins with triple payouts. You can even re-trigger the bonus up to 15 times. The umbrella is another scatter, activating the prize pick bonus for landing 3 anywhere on the reels. Prizes include instant credits wins of up to 111x the triggering bet per pick. Although the RTP on this one is a little below average, but Eyecon hit a bullseye with the cool autumn online slots theme.
Reels: 3×3
Paylines: 9
RTP: 95.41%
Where to Play: You can play the Autumn Gold Slot at all Eyecon powered online casinos, including 888 Casino.
Top live dealers casino websites for Canadians in 2020.
We’re kicking
off the New Year with a fresh list of top-tier live casino operations
welcoming Canadian players. Live dealer games are preferred for their
realistic experience, closely mimicking that of a land-based casino –
as close as you can possibly get on a computer or mobile device.
There are real live dealers, operating real table games, with
multiple real players joining in the action.
Here in Canada,
we are limited in the number of online casinos we can play at. Some
provinces are privy to locally-regulated gambling websites, but only
two of them have live casino games. There are many more highly
reputable and strictly regulated international offerings, but only so
many have a good live dealer presentation.
Top Live Dealers Casino Sites for Canadians
Normally, a “top” list of anything has 3, 5, 10, or maybe 20 of the best whatever you’re listing. I’m going out of the box with this list and giving you the “Top 4”. Yes, four of Canada’s best live casinos in 2020. Why four? Because I couldn’t possibly cut this list down to three, and there really isn’t a fifth worthy of inclusion.
I’m also not
giving the operators a number ranking. I don’t feel that any one is
better than another. They all have differentiating qualities that
earned them a spot on this list. For instance, the first two, PlayNow
and PlayOLG, are both home-grown operations. Then
again, they’re ring-fenced to their local provinces, limiting who
can access them. The second two, LeoVegas and Royal
Vegas, are open to all Canadians, but present very different
live gaming options. With that being said, let’s get right to it…
PlayNow Live Casino – BC and Manitoba Only
PlayNow is a
great iGaming operation built, maintained and regulated by the
provincial government of British Columbia. Through a player sharing
contract with the BCLC, Manitoba residents are also able to partake
in PlayNow’s internet gambling activities. For residents of these
jurisdictions, the degree of security and player protections can’t
be beat.
The PlayNow Live
Casino is powered by the industry’s #1 Live Casino brand, Evolution
Gaming, and includes live blackjack, infinite blackjack,
baccarat, eSqueeze baccarat, roulette, auto roulette and ultimate
Texas holdem. That’s not a bad assortment, but it doesn’t include
any of Evolution’s immensely popular game show-style productions.
EspaceJeux Live Casino – Quebec Only
Similarly,
Espacejeux is the online gambling operation of Loto-Quebec – home
grown and locally regulated by that provincial government. As such,
security and safety are unquestionable, but only residents of Quebec
can sign up an account and place wagers. That’s good for Quebecois,
as is the implementation of Evolution Gaming’s world class live
dealer software. On the negative side, the only live games are
standard blackjack and roulette, baccarat, and Control Squeeze
baccarat.
LeoVegas Live Casino – All Canadians Accepted
LeoVegas is an
internationally operated casino brand, regulated in multiple
jurisdictions. LeoVegas is licensed in its home country of Sweden,
and also holds gaming licenses from Denmark and Malta. It is powered
by more software brands than I’d care to count; somewhere in the
neighborhood of 50. Several of those software studios offer live
casino games. As such, this website presents, by far, the largest
live gaming menu of any competitor.
There are – and
bear in mind, some of these numbers will appear as duplicates due to
multi-categorization – 48 live roulette games, 31 live blackjack
games, 18 types of “card games”, 16 private Chambre Séparée
(high roller) tables, 16 “VIP” tables, 11 live baccarat
tables, 7 live “game show” style options, and 5 live poker
variants; 23 of which are ‘Fast Play’ titles.
Royal Vegas Live Casino – All Canadians Accepted
There are some
who would argue that “less is more”. By this, I mean having so
many options – as many as LeoVegas presents – can make it harder
to actually pick one. It’s not just a theory, but a scientific
fact. Studies have shown that being offered chocolate, vanilla or
strawberry ice cream makes it easy to pick one, whereas 30+ flavors
can actually cause stress, anxiety, and an accelerated heart rate.
Why such difficulty? People tend to fear that they won’t (or
didn’t) choose the best option, and it leaves a bad taste in their
mouth – pardon the pun.
If you prescribe
to this ideal, then I present to you Royal Vegas Canada. Licensed in
Malta, this operator only employs one live casino supplier, but it’s
the world’s best – also proven by statistical data – Evolution
Gaming.
Evolution has won
the eGR Live Casino Supplier of the Year Award for the last 10
years straight. It’s almost as if they’ve figured out the perfect
formula for live dealers casino games, and they’ve kept it as
confidential as Mr. Krab’s secret formula for the “Krabby Patty”.
Royal Vegas
accepts players from all over Canada. It’s also one of the few
international sites that is approved to process payments via Interact
eTransfer. Live casino games include blackjack, roulette,
double ball roulette, baccarat, casino holdem, 3 card poker,
Caribbean stud poker, private tables, game show tables, and their
signature “Party” tables.
Tips for finding the right debit card casino in Canada.
You decide you
want to try casino games online. You’ve got enough experience with
online merchants to know that debit cards are among the fastest, most
secure ways to pay for things over the internet. You take a seat at
your computer, or hop on the couch with your iPad, all ready to get
started. You type “debit card online casino Canada” into the
Google search windows and… 4,810,000 results come up.
This scenario has
become all too common. Canadians are trying to find the right
interactive casino to suit their needs, but there are just too many
to choose from. The majority of people in this situation will do one
of two things – click the first result that appears and hope for
the best, or close the browser and forget about it. Either way is
going to be problematic.
If you click the
first result, you’re going to end up at an information site, not an
online casino. Information is good, but you’re already at an
information site right now. Yes, this one. Thank you, by the way. But
you don’t need more info – you need the right casino. And if you go
the second route, you’re certainly not going to find it. Even if you
scroll down the results far enough to click the first real casino on
the list, you have no idea where you’re going to end up
So, to avoid these
cyclomatic perplexities, I offer you this…
Tips for Finding the Right Debit Card Casino in Canada
There are four
major features you need to look for in a gambling website before
deciding whether it’s the right casino for you. If all of these
features are present, you’ve got nothing to worry about.
Canadian Player Acceptance
If Canadians
aren’t accepted, that’s a huge deal breaker. Mark that site right off
the list!
How can you be sure? Try searching for the word “Canada” within the website’s URL. For example, you would search the Royal Vegas Casino website like so…
All of the top
search results specify, or at least insinuate, that Canadians are
accepted. Half of them even call it “Royal Vegas Canada”. See
what happens when you try another casino’s domain name within the
“site:” search. Odds are you’ll get lucky, or you’ll get a link
to the “terms of service page” listing Canada among the
restricted countries.
Debit Card Deposits Accepted
This used to be a given. Credit and debit card were always listed highest on the list of available deposit option at every online casino from here to Sachs Harbour. Now, that’s no longer the case. While 99% of online casinos do still advertise debit card acceptance, there are some out there that are commuted to a single type of deposit. More often than not, it’s going to be Bitcoin and/or some other crypto-currency.
Licensed and Regulated in Canada or Europe
There are lots of
iGaming regulators out there. The jurisdiction that licenses your
favorite casino will determine, above all, how trustworthy it might
be. The rule of thumb here is to only choose a site that’s regulated
in your own Canadian province of residency, or one regulated in any
country of Europe.
Provincial
online casinos are absolutely safe and reputable. But their game
variety will be more restricted, and if you’re a slots fan, the
house edge can be a lot higher (more akin to land-based slots).
Offshore casinos are preferred, but if they’re regulated outside of
Europe, you never know what you’ll get. European jurisdictions like
the UK, Malta, Isle of Man, Cypress and Estonia, hold their operators
to high standards, and will go to bat for any player who files a
legitimate complaint.
Are Your Favorite Games on the Menu?
Be careful what
you search for when looking for the right debit card casino in
Canada. If you look up a general term like “gambling”, instead of
“casino”, you’re likely to get all sorts of iGaming websites.
Don’t join a bingo, poker or sports betting site if that’s not what
you’re looking for.
Not all casino
games menus are alike, either. Some have more slot machines or video
poker machines than others. Some have more table games, or a better
variety of specialty games, like scratch cards, or arcade-style
games. Know what it is you want to play, and pick a site that has it.
Personally, I like
Microgaming powered online casinos because they are the only place
you’ll find the Mega Moolah Sot. Known as the “Millionaire Maker”,
it’s the only progressive jackpot online slot machine with a seed of
$1,000,000. Yeah, I know my odds of winning aren’t good, but I enjoy
spinning its reels now and again. Since the start of 2019, it’s paid
out once every 4 weeks!
Canadians don’t need Neteller
casinos anyway. Try one of these great alternatives instead.
In case you’ve
been out of the loop for awhile, you may not realize that Neteller
is no longer the biggest name in iGaming deposits and withdrawals.
Back in the day – and by that, I mean the first decade of the
millennium – Neteller payments were all the rage. Now days, that
company has secluded itself, primarily to the European market. That’s
okay, though. We Canadians don’t need them anyway!
While Neteller was
busy washing its hands of North America, other payment options were
being developed; options that are faster, easier, and far more secure
than that e-money transfer service ever hoped to be.
If you’d like to
hear a bit of why Neteller left the Canadian market, read the next
section. Or, to get straight to the alternative casino payments in
Canada, skip to that section below.
Extinguishment of Neteller Casinos in Canada
Neteller first
appeared in 1999 as a rival to Confinity, which changed its
name to PayPal the same year. PayPal took off like a
rocket, while Neteller struggled. That is, until it discovered the
online gambling sector. While PayPal steered clear of this
controversial and unregulated market, Neteller embraced it like a
wealthy, long-lost brother.
For years,
Neteller ruled the roost in iGaming payments, serving every player in
every country, and making billions of dollars in the process. Then
one day, the US said it was illegal. Neteller’s owners laughed until
2008, when they were arrested at an airport in Florida and charged
with laundering billions of dollars in illegal gambling proceeds.
Neteller was unceremoniously booted from the US market at that point,
and soon after, pulled its services from Canada, just for good
measure.
It’s worth noting
that Neteller is owned by the Paysafe Group, which also owns
Skrill (formerly Moneybookers). That payment method was
pulled from Canada shortly after Neteller, so don’t expect to find
any Skill casinos on the list below either.
Alternative Casino Payments to Neteller in Canada
So Neteller and
Skrill are out. No biggie. Here’s a list of excellent alternatives we
Canadians can still use to process quick, safe, and secure deposits
and withdrawals at online casinos.
eChecks / Instant eChecks
A long-time favorite, eCheck deposits are available to pretty much anyone with a bank account. Sending an eCheck is just like writing out a paper cheque, except that it is performed electronically, and accepted instantly. Just about every online casino in existence advertises this alternative payment method, found under the title eCheck or Instant eCheck.
Interac is
a nifty little service cooked up by the 5 biggest Canadian banks, and
subsequently available only to Canadians. Interac eTransfers are
facilitated as an online banking service that is impenetrably secure
and 100% free. So long as you’re a member of one of the 250+ banks
that support Interac eTransfers, you can use the service.
Finding Interac casinos, however, isn’t so easy, since those banks
only do business with the world’s most reputable operators like Royal
Vegas Canada.
EcoPayz eWallet
If you really like
the whole web wallet service plan, EcoPayz (formerly EcoCard)
is the way to go. This online payment process has been around since
2000, but didn’t become a major player in the iGaming payments sector
until the loss of Skrill and Neteller casinos in Canada. Suddenly,
EcoPayz became the number one web wallet this side of the North
Atlantic. Users can link a bank account or fund their digital wallet
through an abundance of payment methods. Withdrawals are quick, and
can be directed back to the user’s bank with ease. The fees are
nominal, and there’s a convenient EcoPayz mobile app for iOSand Android.
RTP comparison reveals the best paying slot machines in Nevada.
When it comes to gambling, people have developed conceptions over the
years as to how and where they can achieve better odds of winning.
Some say it’s the games you play. Others say it’s the casino in which
you play them. I (and everyone else with a higher education in
gaming) say it’s both. But if there’s a specific game you want to
play, location is everything!
I’m talking specifically about slot machines. Everyone knows
these aren’t the best paying games overall. If you want the highest
possible RTP, you have to play blackjack or video poker with a
perfect strategy. That takes time and mental energy that some players
simply aren’t willing to expend.
Slots fans play for the simplicity and entertainment value above all
else. For these players, you won’t convince them there’s a better
overall game out there. And since choice of game is out of the
question, location becomes the primary focus. And with that, we’ve
drug up statistical data that reveals…
…the best paying slot machines in Nevada.
Las Vegas, Nevada is the gambling mecca of the western
hemisphere. When we think of casino hubs, The Vegas Stripis the first place that comes to mind. But it’s not the only
place in the Silver State that caters to gamblers. There’s many more
– some more famous than others. Downtown Vegas, North Las Vegas,
Reno, Carson City, Henderson, Laughlin, Boulder Strip, Silver
Springs, the list goes on and on.
When you compare the best paying slots from one area to the next,
there are two locations that rank highest, appearing consistently on
the list more than any others, Downtown Vegas and
Boulder Strip. And then there’s the two obvious choices
to compare – Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Strip.
If you think Las Vegas and The Strip are the same thing, think again.
As far as reports from the state’s gaming regulators are concerned,
Las Vegas refers to the casinos that are “off the Strip”.
Downtown Vegas is the area North of the Strip, including Freemont
Street. The Boulder Strip isn’t a single location, but rather a
series of 30+ casinos that appear along a long strip of the Boulder
Highway, from Downtown Vegas to Henderson and beyond.
Now that you know where they are, let’s compare the average slot
machine RTP (return to player) between these four locations, based on
recent data from the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB). For absolute
accuracy, we’ll divide the payout ratios by coin denominations (penny
slots, nickel slots, quarter slots, etc).
Highest Paying Slots by Denomination
Location
RTP of 1¢ Penny Slot Machines
The Strip
88.38%
Las Vegas
90.88%
Downtown Vegas
89.15%
Boulder Strip
90.38%
Location
RTP of 5¢ Nickel Slot Machines
The Strip
91.64%
Las Vegas
95.29%
Downtown Vegas
93.40%
Boulder Strip
96.21%
Location
RTP of 25¢ Quarter Slot Machines
The Strip
89.35%
Las Vegas
96.41%
Downtown Vegas
94.25%
Boulder Strip
96.13%
Location
RTP of $1 Dollar Slot Machines
The Strip
92.43%
Las Vegas
95.39%
Downtown Vegas
94.63%
Boulder Strip
96.13%
Location
RTP of All Slot Machines Combined
The Strip
91.96%
Las Vegas
93.53%
Downtown Vegas
92.67%
Boulder Strip
94.34%
Best Paying Slots are Off The Strip and Off the
Grid
The table above clearly shows that the Las Vegas Strip is, in fact
(and as rumored), the worst place to play slot machines. The best
paying slot machines in Nevada are found on the Boulder Strip, with
Off-Strip casinos in Las Vegas coming in a close second.
Not surprisingly, the penny slots are the worst of all. No matter
where you play them, the best average RTP in the reporting period was
only 90.88%. The highest average, 96.41%, was found on quarter slots
in off-Strip Las Vegas casinos. But overall, Boulder Strip casinos
had the highest RTP average out of all categories.
On a final note, you’ll find similarly high RTP slot machines
entirely off the grid. The online casino industry is famous for
housing the highest paying slots of all. For the month of May 2019,
Royal
Vegas Casino recorded an average slots RTP of 96.87%. That’s
higher than any of the slot machine RTPs recorded by the NGCB in a
similar time frame.
Wazdan online slots at Microgaming Quickfire online casinos.
I’ve been researching and writing news for the iGaming industry for well over a decade now. It takes a lot to surprise me. I can honestly say I did a double-take when I saw the latest press release regarding Microgaming, announcing yet another new content sharing deal. Microgaming signs these contracts all the time, integrating the productions of small gaming labs into its Quickfire platform. But this time, I’m positively shocked!
Microgaming’s latest partner is none other than Wazdan Gaming, creator of some of the most gorgeous graphic rendering in the digital slots business. Their games aren’t just beautiful, they are innovate, feature-rich, and immersive, drawing players into each story and increasing the entertainment value ten-fold. Wazdan’s multi-award-winning games are some of the most unique I’ve found, and finding interesting games is what I do!
I don’t just write about online gambling. My passion for the games is what brought me to this position. I play them, I win or lose just as much as you guys, and I write about those experiences. Anyone who follows my blog knows how much I love Microgaming casinos, for a wide variety of reasons – trust being paramount among them. So learning that I can now visit my favorite haunt, Royal Vegas, and play Wazdan’s latest creations is fantastic news.
Wazdan Online Slots Coming to Microgaming
The press release by Wazdan confirms the new supply deal. According to the Malta-based software firm, the agreement “will ensure that the very best titles from Wazdan are made available to Microgaming’s extensive customer base, which includes some of the biggest names in the business.”
Wazdan Head of Sales Andrzej Hyla elaborated on the company’s enthusiasm to be working with such an established and respected member of the online casino software industry. “This deal with Microgaming is a significant win for us here at Wazdan, and we are excited about the potential growth and exposure for our business,” said Hyla.
“We are pleased that Microgaming has acknowledged the quality and player demand for our tech-rich games,” the spokesperson continued, noting Wazdan’s “pride on working alongside “one of the largest, most respected suppliers in the industry.”
Microgaming Director of Global Operations James Buchanan is equally “delighted” to offer Wazdan’s growing portfolio of online slots via their Quickfire platform. He believes the company’s “proven ability to create innovative slots that engage and entertain players” is a perfect fit with Microgaming’s mission to bring “diverse and trusted content” to their customers.
Brief History of Wazdan Slots
It’s truly amazing what this company has accomplished in such little time. Wazdan was founded in 2010, immediately welcoming a software license from the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). Their first games went live in 2012, but it wasn’t until Wazdan embraced the HTML5 build for interactive games that began making a name for themselves. That, combined with a UKGC license in 2017, Wazdan has soared to success and never looked back.
There are currently 98 titles in the Wazdan online slots portfolio, with 9 more in the works, plus a small assortment of table games, video poker and specialties. They’re rate of game production has more than doubled in the last year alone; a clear sign that they deserve a place at Microgaming’s Quickfire online casinos.
Royal Vegas Casino player wins CAD $7.45M on Mega Moolah progressive.
If you didn’t believe that Microgaming‘s progressive online slots could really strike, think again. It’s been confirmed that, last week, a lucky Canadian member of Royal Vegas Casino struck the brand’s most lucrative, multi-million jackpot – the Mega Moolah – for a whopping CAD $7.45 million.
The munificent jackpot was struck on Tuesday, February 27, 2018. Confirmation from Royal Vegas came in today. The fortunate player, now $7,452,254 richer, has not been named, but is a long-time member of the online casino, hailing from Canada.
This win marks the 45th recorded strike for Microgaming’s Mega Moolah, a.k.a. the ‘Millionaire Maker‘, since 2009. The lucky strike is far from being the online progressive’s largest payout in history, but is still quite a bit higher than the average payout of about $5 million.
The largest prize on Mega Moolah paid £13,212,882 to a UK member of Betfair Casino in October of 2016. That staggering payout still holds the Guinness World Record for highest online slot machine jackpot in history.
Mega Moolah Progressive, One Million Strong and Growing
The Mega Moolah is one of the very rare online progressives that starts out with a 7-figure jackpot each time its awarded. The jackpot seed is reset to $1,000,000, and grows at an incredibly rapid pace, often climbing no less than $250,000 per day.
That phenomenal rate of growth can be attributed to the game’s exponentially rising popularity. Its popularity, in turn, is attributed to its frequent release, averaging once about every nine weeks. And the more people play, the faster it will continue to grow, thus the cycle continues to accelorate.
It doesn’t hurt that Microgaming’s famous progressive is employed by more online casino operators than any other million dollar jackpot slot. Royal Vegas Casino is just one of more than a thousand gambling websites that boast the Microgaming software brand.
It’s not unheard of for the Mega Moolah’s largest jackpot to pay back-to-back, either. The lowest jackpot ever released was a mere (ha!) $1,013,791, unleashing barely an hour after the previous jackpot. Fortunately, no matter how little the jackpot grows, it will always deliver a life-altering amount of money to each of its winners.
Update: Mage Moolah Strikes Yet Again!
By the time this article was ready for publication, the news spread that the Mega Moolah has been struck yet again! This time, the prize amounts to $4,365,300. There’s no word yet on who won the jackpot, what country they’re from, or which online casino they were playing at when the multi-million dollar prize was released. We do know it was hit less than 20 hours ago, on the evening of Wednesday, March 7, 2018.
This latest Mega Moolah jackpot comes just 8 days after the previous $7.45 million win by Canada’s lucky Royal Vegas player. It serves as further proof of just how often Microgaming’s million maker can pay out, and how fast the jackpot is climbing. In a mere 8 days time, it rose from $1,000,000 to $4,365,300, representing an average growth rate of more than $420,000 per day; $17,500 per hour; nearly $300 per minute.
A common sense online keno strategy for the best odds of winning.
Keno is a basic lottery game. However, unlike most lotteries, it actually affords a decent chance of winning, if you happen to be educated in online keno odds. You must only make the best bets, and avoid all others.
The return to player (RTP) in keno ranges anywhere from a lowly 75%, to as high 94.9% or better. There’s absolutely no way to push the edge into the players favor unless you happen to be a computer genius who’s found a flaw in a particular casino’s system, like Daniel Corriveau did in 1994.
His CA-$600k win at Casino de Montreal came from hitting 19 of 20 numbers. But the casino’s outdated RNG software reset daily, giving anyone with an acute sense of observation the ability to win. And believe me, no land-based or online casino uses such systems anymore!
Today, we must rely on proper keno strategies and a bit of luck to outwit the unwavering house edge. What surprises most novice players is that the casino’s advantage is at its highest on the most common bets placed. A simple 1-number bet has the worst keno odds of just 75%.
Introduction to Keno
The concept is to select 1 or more numbers, hoping that all, or enough, of those number match the 20 (out of 80) computer generated numbers that follow. The more numbers you match, the higher the payout. Match no numbers, or too few (if you choose enough), and you lose.
There are many, many types of keno games out there today. They all have 80 numbers on the board, but come with variable paytables and max numbers to be selected. While the 1-20 number select games are still more common in land-based casinos, online keno games don’t usually go that high.
Microgaming‘s online keno software only permits up to 15 numbers. Playtech has several versions with only 1, 5 or 10 numbers to select. As an example, the following Keno Pays / RTP chart applies to the Microgaming version.
Microgaming Online Keno Odds & Paytable
Your
#s
Numbers Hit
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
1
3
2
1
9
3
1
2
16
4
0.5
2
6
12
5
0.5
1
3
15
50
6
0.5
1
2
3
30
75
7
0.5
0.5
1
6
12
36
100
8
0.5
0.5
1
3
6
19
90
720
9
0.5
0.5
2
4
8
20
80
1200
10
0.5
1
2
3
5
10
30
600
1800
11
0.5
1
1
2
6
15
25
180
1000
3000
12
0.5
1
2
4
24
72
250
500
2000
4000
13
0.5
0.5
3
4
5
20
80
240
500
3000
6000
14
0.5
0.5
2
3
5
12
50
150
500
1000
2000
7500
15
0.5
0.5
1
2
5
15
50
150
300
600
1200
2500
10k
RTP%
75.00
92.02
93.04
93.79
93.87
93.79
94.15
92.90
93.43
94.54
93.10
94.22
94.90
94.27
94.39
Applying Keno Odds
Referring to the above chart, the RTPs at the bottom are the most important factor here. The highest of all is 94.90%, which applies to a selection of 9 numbers. This can only mean one thing. It would be stupid to select anything but 9 numbers. The object of any gambling strategy is to achieve the highest possible RTP.
Online Keno Strategies – Which Numbers Do I Choose?
Keno games operate on a random number generator (RNG). The games have no memory, and no preferences. It does not matter what numbers you choose, your odds will be exactly the same.
Some players think playing the same set of numbers every time will increase their odds. Again, the RNG doesn’t work that way. It’s 100% random, 100% of the time. If you’re playing at Royal Vegas or any other Microgaming-powered online casino, pick whatever numbers you want, just make sure you pick 9 of them!
The world’s leading live casino game maker, Evolution Gaming, has updated its recently released Live Dream Catcher Wheel with an Auto-Play function.
Evolution Gaming is at it again. If they’re not delivering new live casino game content, they’re improving upon the existing line-up. This time, it’s the latter, with the brand’s recently launched Live Dream Catcher Wheel receiving a new Auto-Play function.
The update to the live casino game software was released this week on LeoVegas Mobile Casino. It will hit other Evolution-powered online and mobile casino brands, like Royal Vegas, on Wednesday, July 12.
Live Dream Catcher Wheel Features Auto-Play
The Dream Catcher live casino game is akin to the ‘Big Money Wheel‘ found in land-based casinos. Even if you’re familiar with it, chances are, unless you knew the update was coming, you didn’t even notice the addition of the new auto-play function.
There was no big announcement made by Evolution, and it’s only a small icon that appears in the game’s bottom right corner, below the ‘recent winning numbers’ area. It looks like a looping arrow, indicating a repetitive action. But unless you hover your mouse over it, or tap it on your mobile device, you’d probably never guess what it does.
When you press the auto-play button, a control panel pops up asking you to enter some basic criteria, like what number(s) to bet on, the amount you’d like to wager per play, and how many spins you’d like the bet to repeat for. The number of auto-plays appears on a sliding scale, with 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 marked for easy selection.
Once you’ve made your selections, press the Start button on the control panel and let the auto-betting begin! The screen will continue to indicate the number(s) you’ve bet on, the size of the bet, and how many spins of the Dream Catcher Wheel remain to be played.
Dream Catcher Basic Gameplay
For those unfamiliar with Live Dream Catcher Wheel, it’s a simple premise. The game plays out like a TV game show. A live host, equipped with a microphone, keeps the entertainment level high while players make their selections. The host then spins the wheel, and announces the number or multiplier it lands on.
The wheel features 52 segments, depicting the numbers 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 or 40. Two of the slots contain multipliers of 2x or 7x. Players choose one or more numbers to bet on, and the amount to bet per number. If the wheel lands on a selected number, the player wins a prize equal to that selected number (2-to-1 for a 2, 5-to-1 for a 5, etc).
If the wheel lands on a 2x or 7x multiplier, all bets are lost for that spin. However, the next round of play will pay all winning bets according to the multiplier. So, if 7x hits, and a player wins on a 5 on the following spin, the payout would be (5*7) 35x the bet.
Evolution Live Casino Games
Evolution has been leading the live casino game market since it was founded in 2006. The company has earned every Live Casino Supplier of the Year Award from eGR since the prestigious awards ceremony’s debut in 2010. For the record, that’s 8-straight awards (and counting!)
Evolution’s live casino game portfolio includes several variations of the most popular table games, including baccarat, blackjack, roulette, casino hold’em, three card poker and more. The studio’s latest Live Dream Catcher Wheel launched in April 2017, and is the first non-table game on the menu.
The vast majority of us go through our daily lives on a budget. We have bills to pay, and only so much money to stretch throughout each week or month. But that doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy the same forms of entertainment as big spenders. Today, we’ll discuss the best online casino games for small bankrolls.
Low budget players may not have quite as many options as the rich and famous, but there are some great games out there that can be played without spending a great deal of money. And with a little luck, there’s every chance you’ll come away with a nice profit in the end.
Where To Play
As the title of this piece suggests, the best games to play are online. There’s several reasons for this, and they apply to both table games and slot machines. Choosing the best online casino games for you depends entirely on what type of player you are. You may absolutely love the slots, or you might be a table game fanatic.
Table Games
If you like table games, playing online is imperative to low budget players. If you’ve visited any land-based casinos lately, I’m sure you’ve noticed the table stakes don’t start very low. The average minimum for blackjack is $5. If you’ve only got $25 to work with, you’re limited to just five hands, give or take for wins/losses.
Slot Machines
For slots fans, the price per spin may mirror land-based casinos, but the payouts do not. Online casinos like Royal Vegas aren’t restricted to local, land-based gambling regulations, where the minimum return to player (RTP) averages 87.5%. Online casinos offer an RTP of 95% and up, and that equates to a long lasting bankroll for everyone.
Best Online Casino Games – Blackjack
Blackjack is one of the best options for low budget players. Not only are the stakes much lower online, it offers the absolute lowest house edge—under 0.4% with the right rules. Most importantly, you should find a game with the lowest number of decks, and a 3:2 payout for blackjack.
By invoking a basic blackjack strategy, you could make a $25 bankroll go a very long way by winning 49.8% of all hands. If you get a little lucky, and know when to call it quits, you can make a tidy profit here.
Best Online Casino Games – Video Poker
Like blackjack, there are some video poker games that offer a very low house edge with proper strategy applied. The best online casino games for video poker fans are Jacks or Better games. Look for one with 9/6 Full Pay to get best RTP of 99.54% with optimal strategy.
These games generally allow betting of up to 5 coins, which is required for optimal RTP. Fortunately, the best online casino games come with ultra low stakes of $0.01, $0.05 or maybe $0.10 per-coin minimums.
Best Online Casino Games – Slot Machines
Slots aren’t typically known for having high RTPs, but when played online, they can pay out anywhere from 95% to 99%. The trick is to find games that don’t cost a lot to play, but offer valuable features that can award a big payout.
Features should always include free spins with multipliers. Other good features are stacking/expanding wilds, bonus rounds and—everyone’s favorite—progressive jackpots.
Also remember that the lower the number of paylines, the cheaper each spin will be. If you like higher paylines, but don’t have a lot to spend, the best online casino games are ‘Ways to Win‘ slots (243 ways, 1024 ways, etc). They don’t charge by the line, usually starting at $0.40 per spin.