Winter Gold by Microgaming

Winter Gold slot machine is for the true fans of Microgaming. From first glance, one thing becomes obvious – the release is very-very old. But for everyone willing to reset to simple wagering, this may just be a nice break amidst modern and sometimes overcomplicated slot machines.

Winter Gold Slot Machine [Scatters Pay 400x the Line Bet] Reviewed

This is a non-progressive video slot delivered to hundreds of online lobbies across the regulated markets more than a decade ago. It supports a regular return to player percentage and a reasonably motivating advertised jackpot. Microgaming is its developer and provider, and looking at the slot makes you want to appreciate the transformation the company wnt to and the quality of the slots it delivers today even more.

TIP: In May 2009, the largest casino win via a progressive slot, Mega Moolah, was recorded with a massive €6,374,434 being won. That was the biggest online casino payout in history at the time.

Winter Gold Slot Theme

What’s really cool about examining older slots is that this allows seeing how much the trends have changed. Today, winter slots are focused mostly on Christmas, while sports happen on summer-themed reels. Well, the Winter Gold slot is not the case. It reminds of hot cocoa, ear-muffs, mountain lodges, and the excitement of the winter Olympic games. The studio made this slot to celebrate the time of year when the world lets professional athletes entertain in some of the most demanding sports disciplines related to snow and ice. So, we can fantasize about the country where the game takes place. We can also wonder about the event that inspired it…

...although, there is really no need to wonder since it was the Winter Olympics held in the Netherlands in 2010. The reels are filled with all sorts of themed symbols. There is a bobsleigh, ski jumping, speed skating, and biathlon icons. Each of these animates when involved in a winning combination. There’s also a smattering of snow-themed traditional icons which takes the number of icons into double figures. Okay, well – you might have some complaints about the quality of animation, or its mere absence. But then again, the slot is old.

Paytable Explained

This is a game with a classic reel configuration. Microgaming integrates five reels and three rows. As to the wager per spin, it is determined by up to fifteen fixed win lines. The reeled machine allows you to bet up to 20 coins on each payline, which can have a value between 0.01 and 0.20. This means that the maximum bet can go as high as 60.00, which should be good enough for every type of gambler. The Return to player percentage is reasonable at 96.43%, which allows us to suppose that a higher wager may be appropriate.

Special Icons

• Look for the Winter Gold, which is the game’s logo. This pictogram will perform as the Wild one. It will substitute for all other symbols except the Scatter. It is also the highest paying symbol in the game, rewarding 5,000x the line bet to the player who manages to line up 5 Wilds on a single payline (a highly unlikely possibility).
• The Scatter symbol takes the form of the Golden Medal and it can trigger a bonus round. A combination of 5 Scatters pays 400x the line bet. Sound like a great symbol to go after.

Regular Symbols

Depending on whether you wager more or less per spin, the value of the paytable will change. So, we will cover the lowest and the highest ranges to give you an idea of which of the pictograms are among the most and least valuable:

• All of the sports symbols, namely Bobsleigh symbol, Speed skating, the Ski jump and the Biathlon are the ones to go after. They pay between 1250x to 500x the line stake for their five-of-a-kind combinations.
• Not surprisingly, the typical nine, ten, jack, queen, king, and Ace symbols will pay the least. You can win between 150x to 60x the line stake for collecting five identical images. The final result will depend on the denomination.

Bonuses and Additional Winning Possibilities

The tendency for older Microgaming releases is to be short of bonus features, but the Winter Gold slot is a nice exception. For starters, it has the Bonus Wheel Feature that can be triggered whenever you hit 3 or more Scatters anywhere on the reels. You will be taken to spin the bonus wheel. Depending on where it stops, you will be rewarded with either Free Spins, straight-up cash prizes, or various different lucrative sports competitions. Each of the races can award up to 60x the triggering bet, or 18,000 coins. The sessions can be retriggered within the rounds.

Topping the wheel, there are also free spins. Initially, you can count on launching up to twenty, with a win multiplier of 4x the payouts added to the mix. Both the free spins and the races offer good rewards, which is not always to be expected from older slot games.

We Recommend

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• Knockout Football by Habanero supports lots of quality action that unfolds across 243 ways to win. In addition to a decent grid, there are two bonus rounds to count on.
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