Five Top UK Slots
The British are among the keenest bettors in the world, but which slots do they like the most? Here’s a quintessentially British quintet of top slots.
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Book of Dead
There’s no shortage of slots set in Egypt and one of the very best is Book of Dead by Play’n Go. There’s a fairly standard reels arrangement, with 10 paylines across a 5×3 playing area, and a mildly above-average RTP (return to player) of 96.21%. It’s also a high variance game and the top prize you can stand to win is 5,000x.
The game does look splendid, with gold and blue columns separating the reels, and megalithic Egyptian architecture in the background, while the reels are strewn with symbols brimming with an Egyptian flavor. Rich Wilde, an explorer, is the most rewarding symbol, and the eponymous Book of Dead pulls double duty as the wild and scatter.
The game is light on bonus features, with just the one, but it’s pretty good. Get three scatters to begin 10 free spins (which can be re-triggered indefinitely). Before the free spins begin one symbol is selected randomly to expand, so if you get a couple of these then very large wins can be coming your way.
Making the Most of Free Spins
Free spins are commonly offered in slots, by various software developers, as a fun gameplay mechanic that is highly popular with players for obvious reasons. However, free spins are also among the best no deposit bonuses provided by leading online casinos. The best thing about no deposit bonuses is that they enable players to have fun at the casino with zero risk of loss as there’s no deposit and the worst-case scenario is finishing where you started. And if you do happen to get lucky then you get to keep the money (this is subject to an upper limit, the withdrawal cap). In short, free spins bonuses are great for trying out new games or just to have fun trying to win real cash prizes without any risk at all.
Starburst XXXtreme
The long-awaited follow-up to the hugely successful Starburst, Starburst XXXtreme, by NetEnt, came out in 2021. It’s standard fare on the basics, with a 5×3 playing area and 9 paylines, and an RTP of 96.26%. The maximum payout, however, is certainly not standard and sits at a rather appealing 200,000x.
The reels of this sci-fi slot come with glittering gems aplenty, and a background of deep space. Whenever a Starburst Wild appears (reels 2-4) it expands to fill the reel and triggers a re-spin, with the expanded wild sticky for it. Get another Starburst Wild and the same thing happens with both wilds locked in place. In addition, these wilds come with multipliers ranging all the way from 2x to 150x. And the multipliers combine (up to a maximum of 450x).
After any spin, or re-spin, wilds can be randomly added to the reels. Players can also opt to pay to activate the XXXtreme Spins feature (10x stake to guarantee one Starburst Wild, 95x stake to guarantee two). Note that this feature is not accessible in the UK.
Immortal Romance
Microgaming’s perennial favourite Immortal Romance comes with a vampiric theme, bonuses aplenty, and no fewer than 243 ways to win. The gaming happens across 5 reels and 3 rows and it’s got a good RTP of 96.86%. The top prize (which does require special features) stands at 12,150x.
Over a decade old, the game’s graphics and sound design still stand up, and the dark and brooding reels feature a quartet of paranormal characters. Triggered at random, the Wild Desire bonus turns up to 5 of the reels completely wild (for a 1,500x payout for all wild reels). Activating the Chamber of Spins, however, requires at least 3 Lion Door Knocker symbols. In the Chamber, one of four different bonus mechanics will come into play (one per named character).
Amber offers 10 free spins with a 5x multiplier, while Michael provides 20 free spins and Rolling Reels (consecutive wins increasing the multiplier from 2x to 5x). Sarah comes with 25 free spins and Wild Vines (which turn random symbols into wilds). And the Troy feature is 15 free spins and Vampire Bats, which turn symbols into 2x and 3x multipliers (or 6x if you get two sets of bats). Note that while Amber is always available the other characters require multiple entries to the Chamber of Spins to be accessed.
Age of the Gods
Greek mythology is another classic staple of slots, and Playtech’s Age of the Gods series is one of the most popular out there. The game that started the series is the eponymous Age of the Gods, which has 5 reels, 3 rows, and 20 paylines. RTP is lower than for other games on this list, at 95.02%, but the upside is that this is a progressive jackpot slot that can deliver at least a six-figure top prize. The maximum non-progressive win is 50,000x, during the Athena Free Games feature.
Myth fans have half a dozen Greek gods to admire in this slot, including Zeus, Athena, and Aphrodite. The Pantheon of Power bonus means getting Olympians in consecutive positions on a payline provides a 10x cash prize. Three or more Age of the Gods scatter symbols activates 9 free spins. The specific god whose bonuses you enjoy during these will be determined by randomly picking coins. Athena offers a multiplier of 2x or 5x for the next free spin, while Zeus increases the multiplier by 1x for every three free spins (with a wild locked centrally). Meanwhile, Poseidon turns a random quintet of symbols wild with every spin, and Hercules (who should be Heracles as Hercules is the Latinised name…) acts as a stacked wild in the central reel.
If that weren’t enough the game features a quartet of progressive jackpots. The largest is the Ultimate Power Jackpot, and is typically around the half-million-pound mark when it pays out, but can grow substantially larger.
Dead or Alive 2
Step into the Wild West with Dead or Alive 2, a 5 reel, 3 row, and 9 payline slot put together by NetEnt. Both the RTP and maximum payouts are on the hefty side, at 96.8% and 111,111.11x respectively, making this a rare duck in that it’s great for both jackpots and for regular, more modest wins.
All the Wild West paraphernalia you would expect can be found on the reels, including bottles of whisky and cowboy hats. Unusually, there are five different wilds, one for each legendary outlaw and each appearing on one specific reel. Free spins can be activated with a trio of scatters, and players then get to pick which one of three bonuses they want to play with. Train Heist increases the multiplier by 1 with every wild that shows up, to a maximum of 16x. Old Saloon has a 2x multiplier on every spin and wilds add another free spin (as they do for Train Heist), and wins are sticky. High Noon Saloon features 2x and 3x sticky wild multipliers.
Dead or Alive 2 is highly volatile, but also highly popular and can yield some impressive wins if you get lucky.
And that pretty much covers the most popular slots games for British players, with a wide range of themes, bonus mechanics, and complexity to suit every taste.
