CONTENTS
4 NEWS
The latest news and excitement from our rapidly moving and ever-changing industry.
6 AI AND GAMBLING ADDICTION
Neccton’s Dr Michael Auer looks at how one infl uences the other. Not to be missed.
8 PRODUCT SHOWCASE
The latest and greatest online slots for your delectation.
A lot of the talk in recent months has been about just a few subjects – ICE has been a big one, as has Ontario. ICE is now apparently defi nitely, totally happening on those April dates, and is so absolutely set in stone for then that company after company is dropping out. This makes the iGaming side of the event even more critical, of course, and not least because of revenue for the organisers. But for attendees, our side of the show is going to be the one that provides the atmosphere. Nobody knows who will show up, or how many, or from where. But we all know that the iGaming side of the industry will show up in great numbers, and we’ve proved it already more than once these past 12 months. iGaming shows have set the pace for the recovery in industry events, and we will show the way forward with ICE too.
Ontario is opening up for business in early April and brings such a tantalising set of conditions that it will be utterly fascinating to see how it develops. Expect a huge number of operators and suppliers to be opening up shop for that; one of the most interesting things though will be how existing operators fare, likely well-run companies with established brand visibility. Time will tell. I’m rambling now. It’s going to be an exciting few months though, that much is certain. Jon
8 6
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PRODUCT SHOWCASE PRODUCT SHOWCASE The hottest new slot and mobile games on the market…
HOT WILD PEPPER Belatra Games
This spicy slot is populated with classic symbols and packs a real punch as it has 100 active lines in play. The Red pepper is a Wild and once found will substitute for all symbols. A shining star symbol and a bell symbol are Scatters within Hot Wild Pepper.
Belatra’s Wheel of Fortune is also available and can be
activated once the progress bar is complete. Players must land on the arrow on the smaller wheel to move onto the large wheel where there is an opportunity to land the main jackpot prize. Building the points total with repeated spins is another means to reach the main jackpot feature.
GOLD STRIKE BONANZA Blueprint Gaming
Blueprint Gaming has taken the popularity of Gold Frenzy, the classic Reel Time Gaming (RTG) title and delivered further dynamite to the action, thanks to its Free Games modifi ers and the added possibility of huge wins from the confi gurable Jackpot King functionality.
As with the original, three or more explosive TNT Scatter symbols in view awards a minimum of 10 Free Games, with all Prospector symbols acting as a wild and collecting the cash value of every golden nugget that settles on the reels on the same spin.
With Gold Strike Bonanza, Blueprint has ramped up the bonus round by introducing increasing win multipliers and the chance to claim extra Free Games when at least four Prospector symbols are collected. Should enough of the classically styled gold hunters appear, a x10 scatter multiplier activates every time he grabs the gold. Furthermore, newly-developed modifi ers Gold Rush and Big Blast Bonanza can be randomly triggered to deliver even more gold to players.
WILD LOVE Endorphina
Wild Love is a 5-reel, 3-row classic slot game with 10 fi xed paylines, where all prizes are for combinations of a kind. Matching symbols, except Scatter symbols, should be on paylines and adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost. Scatter symbols count on any position on the reels. For the numbers of Scatter symbols and combinations on each payline, only the highest win is paid.
Scatter wins and line wins are added. All the prizes in the paytable are shown for the currently selected bet and are displayed in money or credits, depending on the currently selected mode. Wild substitutes for all symbols, except Scatter, and expands over all positions on the reel (expanding is only triggered if a win can be gained). The Red Heart Wild appears on reel 3 only and doubles the win when substituting. The Blue Heart Wild appears on reels 2, 3 and 4. Wins can be doubled up to 10 times during the risk game.
WITCHES NORTH R. Franco Digital
Brewed with a mixture of great rewards, the fi ve-reel, four-row and 40-line title sees the player become the indispensable companion of a 21st-Century druid, helping concoct potions, collect plants and magical stones, while facing up to elves, giant gingerbread cookies and evil spiders.
With a strong emphasis on dynamism and gameplay and accompanied by multiple language options, Witches North features a bonus game as well as Wild and Scatter symbols and a Free Spins round.
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The game’s quest is to overcome the majestical beasts and gain access to their treasure, with players set on a mission to obtain their mystical powers to have any chance in winning.
Users will have an array of symbols to choose from, including up to 12 Mystery symbols, which can turn into regular symbols, except for Wilds. The merging of two Wild symbols activates eight Free Spins, with the appearance of the Big Wild symbol awarding Magic Spins and increasing winning multipliers up to x9. The game’s Wild symbols also contain an additional secret, while their appearance can trigger the exciting Mandala Respin fi lled with sticky Wilds and Big symbols, offering a maximum win of up to x6100.
Wild Overlords applies Evoplay’s game engine, Spinential, delivering 10x faster load-times, an enhanced UI, autospin feature and game history mobile bar that allows players to track their success.
THE ULTIMATE 5 Pragmatic Play
WILD OVERLORDS Evoplay
COLOSSUS: HOLD & WIN iSoftBet
The 5-reel, 20-payline slot features Multiplier Wilds and the unique Colossus Hold & Win Respins round that offers players massive payouts. The Colossus Wild serves as the most valuable symbol in the game, expanding when it lands on a winning line and resulting in a multiplier of up to 10x being added. Six or more shiny gold coins are required to trigger the Hold & Win Respins. The feature sees three initial respins awarded to the player and will reset each time one or more new coins land on the reels, with visible values being paid out when the respins run out.
Furthermore, at the start of the Hold & Win Respins round, as well as whenever a new coin lands or at the end of the feature, the Colossus Rising Flame can fl are up to multiply the value of each coin in view by up to 10x, boosting the fi nal payout considerably. Players that fi ll the entire grid with gold coins during Hold & Win will gain one Colossus Spin on the special wheel, triggering either the Minor, Major or Colossus Award, worth 50x, 500x or a massive 10,000x their bet respectively.
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
GOLD PARTY Pragmatic Play
COCKTAIL BOOK Swintt
Cocktail Book is a classic 5x3 game that features fi ve fi xed paylines. Set in a tropical island paradise, the game invites players to mix up the perfect blend of fresh fruits, BAR symbols, liberty bells and lucky red sevens as they say “chin, chin” to maximum multipliers of 5,500x their bet.
All base game winnings can be bet in a gamble feature that sees players guess the colour or suit of a hidden playing card to double or quadruple their current prize respectively.
The Emerald Isle background compliments the gold-clad reels in this 3x5 slot. The paytable lists nine through to Ace as the low paying symbols, with Harps, Mushroom Houses, Horseshoes, Unicorns, and the Lucky Leprechaun taking up the higher value symbols. Wild Symbols are included to help complete winning paylines and the Money Respin feature, Copy Reels, a Multiplier and an Extra Spin symbol provides players with numerous modifi ers and triggers. The Money Respin feature is triggered when six or more Money Symbols are landed in the base game, causing four separate bonus reels to appear. Normal symbols here are replaced with Money, Multiplier and Extra Spin symbols before players are awarded eight respins to land a win. The Money Respin feature plays on four 3x5 grids of symbols, for up 60 possible positions, adding a different feel for players to enjoy the slot experience.
If any bonus reel is completely fi lled in the Money Respin feature, a fi xed jackpot is awarded, and fi lling the reels labelled Mini, Minor, Major, or Grand pays out 20x, 50x, 200x, or 5,000x the player’s stake, respectively.
The unique Copy Reels mechanic also ensures that when a full stack of the highest paying symbols lands on the leftmost reel in the base game, it is copied onto one or more of the other reels, enhancing the chance for a bigger payout.
Taking place on a 5x3 layout that is surrounded by grassy plains, trees, mountains and streams, the slot provides players with 20 fi xed paylines and the opportunity to win up to 5,000x the bet.
High value symbols stay on theme, arriving in the form of buffalos, leopards, elephants, rare black rhinos and a lion, where landing three or more of the same symbol triggers payouts worth up to 20x the bet.
Money symbols can lead players to big jackpots, while three or more Scatter symbols activates the Free Spins feature, with the different values of Money symbols having an impact on the size of wins.
BRILLIANT DIAMONDS: HOLD & WIN iSoftBet
The 25-payline game includes Stacked Wilds which can appear on all reels and offer payouts when multiple land, as well as a Hold & Win Respins round and a random Diamond modifi er for additional entertainment. Private jets, luxury cars, exclusive watches, and expensive Champagne correspond to symbols with varying values in the base game, whilst Brilliant Diamond symbols can be used to trigger the Hold & Win Respins feature.
Landing fi ve or more diamonds triggers the Hold & Win Respins, with each gold diamond boosting the multiplier by x1. Players are awarded three respins to start with, which resets every time a new diamond lands.
Unique Minor, Major and Grand diamonds act like jackpots when they land, boosting the winnings by 20x, 200x and 1,000x the bet respectively.
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Activated whenever three or more Cocktail Book scatter symbols appear anywhere on the reels, players will choose from two Free Spins recipes. Choosing the orange option awards 6-25 Free Spins with expanding wilds added to the reels while choosing the purple option grants 8-12 Free Spins with an expanding mystery symbol. Should players land three of more subsequent scatter symbols during either of the Free Spins features, they’ll be able to pick more coconuts or spin the wheel again to prolong the round and potentially add further wins to their total.
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
COLOSSAL CASH ZONE Pragmatic Play
The base game features Colossal Symbols of varying sizes (1×1, 2×2, and 3×3) that can hit anywhere on the middle reels, increasing the chances for a payline to form. The Cash Zone Symbol spices things up, landing with multipliers worth up to 250x the bet for nine of a kind. The Bonus Symbol starts the Free Spins show, during which random multipliers of up to 20x can hit at every spin.
Landing three or more Bonus symbols will activate the Free Spins feature, and these Bonus symbols are stacked up with different numbers on them, which correspond to different numbers of free spins. Multipliers are applied to the total win of the current bet, and if the maximum win amount of 5000x is reached in the Free Spins feature, the win is awarded, and all remaining free spins are forfeited.
BOOK OF WOLVES Spinomenal
Book of Wolves is set against a backdrop of an eerie, snow laden vista watched over by a full moon casting a blue hue across the land. The game is a 5x3 design and is brought to life by a range of night dwelling creatures, including moose, wolves, owls and bears.
Players will launch the Free Spins feature by fi nding either three or fi ve special books adorned with a howling wolf. Three or fi ve books will grant players entry into the Free Spins mode where they will have 10 rounds to hunt down returns. Before beginning, players must spin the wheel to ascertain which expanding symbol will be in play for the entire round. Once the Free Spins slot result has been determined, the expanding symbol will spread to form new paylines but will only do so if the expansion returns a win. The Wild symbol also acts as a Scatter and will count for any symbol.
SIREN SYMPHONY TrueLab
DEAD MAN’S FINGERS Yggdrasil and
G.Games
The 4x5, 25 payline slot sees players traverse the stormy seas in search of buried treasure, with both free spins and a money collect feature available.
Siren Symphony is a superior edition to its title Siren Song. The underlying theme remains the same, three sirens lure sailors into the depths towards the treasures of the sunken ships. Each of the sisters possesses a magical power of Free Spins, and the Helm of Fortune amplifi es any winnings derived from the siren’s bonus rounds.
Emerald turns all Skull Wilds into sticky ones and gives an additional spin for the fi rst Skull Wild on each reel. Silver awards from 4 to 15 bonus Fish symbols on the fi eld and a multiplier equal to the number of Fish on the same spot. Crimson bestows the player with a set of keys, to open the treasure chests in the Pick & Click bonus. A Key chest now brings 2 to 4 extra keys, and a Multiplier chest increases the multiplier of all future Bet chests and adds another key. A total of 10 Free Spins are given in any of the three modes.
The Helm of Fortune runs at the end of the bonus round, bringing either prize bets or a multiplier of the total Free Spins win. Buy Bonus reveals the shortest path to winnings. The feature calls a menu, where the preferred type of Free Spins can be chosen.
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The cash collect feature occurs throughout base play, with treasure chests landing on the reels with a cash value, or mini, minor, major and grand jackpots. If a collect symbol lands on the fi fth reel, all money symbols are collected with the value accumulated for big wins.
Octopus symbols act as wilds during base play, while three scatters will award players 10 free spins. During the free spins, there are more cash money symbols and collect icons available, for even more win potential. The bonus round is retriggerable, with no limits, as players quest for princely treasures.
XIBALBA Yggdrasil and Peter & Sons
As the 12 demon lords of Xibalba gather, brave adventurers are greeted with an initial 5x3 reel set, with the height expanding with every winning spin. Each successful spin also increases a win multiplier by 1x, with winning combinations being removed in the classic ‘cascading’ style slot.
Wilds can also grow during the game, with them
not being removed by cascades, but ensuring every symbol added to the reel above it is also a wild. When two scatter symbols land on a single spin, the Gigantor feature is triggered. This sees a respin occur, with reels in which scatters have landed spinning in sync while displaying supersized symbols of up to 3x3 in size for massive wins.
Three or more scatters will see 15 free spins awarded, with an unlimited multiplier during cascades, without resetting every spin for huge win potential as the multiplier builds. In certain jurisdictions, players can also buy free spins for a shortcut into extra win potential.
BISON BATTLE Push Gaming
Set across the Great Plains, Bisons butt heads in an eventful base game with Red Bison dictating when the wins drop. Their appearance can bring about an explosive Bison Clash that can grant instant prize coins and multipliers.
If a Green Bison meets a Red Bison, at least eight free spins and unlimited multipliers can be won against a backdrop of a beautiful green valley. When Red and Blue Bison square, play shifts to a ice park where players begin with three free spins along with instant prizes and multipliers.
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