Games

Man Wins Lottery for the Sixth Time, with $250,000 Jackpot Prize in Idaho

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

Bryan Moss, an Idaho resident from Meridian, won a lottery for the sixth time on Thursday, January 28, 2021. It was his first jackpot win and was worth a whopping $250,000. Bryan’s lucky streak began with a $1,000 win, followed by an impressive $10,000. Since then, all his winnings never exceeded that amount until Thursday, when he hit the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

According to the press release announcing the news by the Idaho Lottery, “Bryan Moss is someone who has a positive outlook toward life and today, he has an additional 250,000 reasons to be happy”. The businessman who owns the Newko Sport and Nutrition health store located in Meridian, Idaho, plays the Idaho Lottery often, and the real reason, according to him, is for humanitarian purposes.

“I’m proud to help support Idaho public schools; that is why I play,” he said. The Idaho Lottery was played first over three decades ago, on July 19, 2021. It offers various entertaining games such as Powerball, Mega Millions, Wild Card, and Hot Lotto. There is also a daily game called the Idaho Pick 3, with nightly drawings.

PullTabs and Scratch GamesTM are part of their games library as well, the latter being what earned Bryan a quarter of a million dollars. The Gem State has done well on the lottery scene in America. It was the first to introduce VIP club promotions to its lottery players in North America. It allowed players to earn reward points from playing, which they could use to purchase lottery merch such as bicycles, watches, and even iPods.

Idaho and Gambling

Idaho, however, has not always been gambling-friendly. In 1953, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled that all forms of casino games in the state, especially slot machines, were illegal. Decades after the ban, in 1983, a proposal for the creation of state lotteries was created, but it died a quick death as the legislature did not approve it. Nevertheless, six years later, in 1989, the Idaho Lottery began. This was a record-breaking moment for the lottery industry at the time, given the preceding controversies on the subject in the region.

Today, pari-mutuel wagering, tribal casinos, bingo, and lotteries have been legalized in the state. More modern gambling forms like online casinos, online sports betting, and poker are still not regulated within the state’s borders. There are no clear laws prohibiting residents from wagering at offshore gambling sites, but most people seem content playing within safe boundaries.

Idaho Lottery players are required to be 18 years old or older. The same applies to residents who want to participate in pari-mutuel and bingo. However, tribal casinos in the state require that you be at least 21 years before you are permitted to play in them.

It is known in the state of Idaho that the lottery is run by the state government. Half of the net funds gotten from the lottery goes back into the state’s public school system. The other half goes to the Permanent Building Fund, from which colleges and universities in the state obtain financial privileges. Having this knowledge, Bryan decided to play the lottery regularly as a means of giving back to the community.

According to the lottery website, between 1989 when the lottery began and now, the Idaho Lottery has sold more than $4.2 billion worth of products. This revenue has been split such that over $2.6 billion was awarded to the lottery’s players and $249 million returned in retail commissions. Idaho public schools and buildings have gotten $961.5 million from this too.

According to the lottery officials, Bryan Moss purchased his winning lottery ticket at ExtraMile, a store on Eagle Road and E. Goldstone Drive in Meridian, located in the same city as his health store. He claimed his winnings at the Idaho Lottery headquarters in Boise and posed for pictures with the huge check that bore the record of his cash prize.

Big Plans for the Big Win

When asked what he planned to do with the money, Bryan said he planned to set it aside for his daughter’s education in the future. ExtraMile, the store that sold the winning ticket, was also rewarded with $20,000 as a bonus from the state lottery.

Seeing as it appears that Bryan Moss seems to have a lucky lottery charm, it is expected that other players would want him to play for them. However, it doesn’t seem like Bryan will be accepting any of such invitations. We know this based on a Facebook post where he announced his big win.

“I’ve tried playing for others, but it does not work”, he said. Although they may not get the lucky man’s help, it is expected that more Idaho residents will try to secure a spot with Bryan as one of the lottery’s star winners. New players are expected to roll in in the weeks that follow, and experienced players should have the inspiration to keep trying.

This is good news for the Idaho Lottery, but more importantly for the public schools in the Gem State and beneficiaries of the Permanent Building Fund. Brian re-emphasized his primary reason for playing the lottery when he put up a picture on Facebook to celebrate his win with the caption:

“I’m proud to help support Idaho schools! #6 decent lotto win. #lucky.”

Acies Merges with PlayStudios in $1.1 Billion Deal

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

Recently, award-winning mobile game developer, PlayStudios and Acies acquisition Corporation, a publicly-traded Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC), announced a merger. This means PlayStudios, which was formerly a privately owned company, is now available in public markets. Also, SPACs are referred to as blank cheque companies in many cases.

They do not have goods or services of their own, but they have huge capital used to fund/acquire private companies. Private companies entering the public markets through SPACs became popular in 2020 when other popular gaming companies like DraftKings, Rush Street Interactive and Genius Sports Group went public through different SPACs.

Acies Acquisition Corp.

Acies Acquisition Corp, the acquiring SPAC, is headed by Chairman Jim Murren, the former chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International. The corporation is traded on the NASDAQ as the ACAC, a Class A ordinary share. In October 2020, Acies SEC filing revealed that it was seeking an initial public offering of $200 million.

In the SEC filing, Acies stated that it was “focused on identifying a business combination target within the live, location-based and mobile experiential entertainment industries. Specific sectors that we will target span live events, family entertainment, casino gaming, destination hospitality, sports, sports betting and iGaming, and social and casual mobile games.”

PlayStudios

PlayStudios, the target company which meets these requirements, is headed by its Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Pascal. After the merger, Andrew Pascal will continue his role at the company and a key figure in Acies Acquisition Corp. Over the years, PlayStudios has developed a reputation as a developer of free-to-play games. It was described recently as “an award-winning developer of free-to-play casual games for mobile and social platforms that offer real-world rewards to loyal players” in a news release.

PlayStudios portfolio consists of top-ranked games with amazing designs. They have a large following due to numerous playAwards that loyal players get. The same news release stated that “over 80 partners and 275 entertainment, retail, travel, leisure, and gaming brands,” contribute to the rewards that players get. Over 10 million rewards with a retail value of about $500 million have been purchased by users using their loyalty points. The app was awarded as a Top Developer by App Annie, the gaming industry’s best in-app analytics and app performance data.

In a public statement by Andrew Pascal, “From our inception, we set out to create wonderfully compelling games that were free-to-play and offered real-world rewards. We’ve now demonstrated the positive, long-term impact of this value proposition with our current portfolio of apps, and we’re poised to carry that success into new products and new game genres. Becoming a public company and securing the resources and support of key institutional investors will enable us to accelerate our growth as we launch new products, pursue new acquisition opportunities, and scale up our unique PLAYAWARDS loyalty program.”

Acies Chairman, Jim Murren said, “Within today’s vast and growing games market, PLAYSTUDIOS is unique in offering their audience the opportunity to play for fun and earn for real. They know how to make engaging and enduring games and stand apart in having harnessed the power of a robust and full-featured loyalty program. “

He went on to lay out plans for the company’s future; “the focus is now to take the PLAYSTUDIOS platform and super-charge its growth. We have abundant initiatives, including targeted, strategic acquisitions; an expansion of the rewards program into new categories such as sports entertainment; and the exploration of opening the PLAYAWARDS platform under a loyalty-as-a-service model. We look forward to leveraging Acies’ M&A knowledge and broad relationships for the benefit of PLAYSTUDIOS and its shareholders.”

Valuation

The SPAC transaction, supported by Jim Murren’s former employer, values PlayStudios at $1.1 billion; that is 2.5x projected 2022 revenue of $435 million or 12.3x projected 2022 pro forma Adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization EBITDA of $90 million. Therefore, PlayStudios will have ACAC stock worth 89.1 million shares and up to $150 million in cash.

PlayStudios and Acies are backed by institutional investors’ funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, ClearBridge Investments, Neuberger Berman Funds, and MGM Resorts International. These investors are top participants in the $250 million private investment in public equity (PIPE) financing round at $10 per Acies share towards the transaction closing.

A statement regarding the transaction stated that, After giving effect to the transaction, the company is expected to have approximately $290 million of cash and a public equity currency to accelerate PLAYSTUDIOS’ growth initiatives, including substantially expanding product development and acquisitions of other gaming and related companies.

Upon the closing of the transaction, and assuming none of Acies public stockholders elect to redeem their shares, existing PLAYSTUDIOS shareholders are expected to own 64%, the Acies sponsors 3%, PIPE participants 18%, and public stockholders 15%; all of the combined company.”

At the end of the transaction, the combined company will be named PLAYSTUDIOS and listed on NASDAQ under the new ticker symbol “MYPS.” The board of directors of the concerned parties has approved the transaction, and it is expected to be finalized at the end of the second quarter. Also, the stockholders at Acies will have to approve the transaction, and other closing conditions could affect the transaction.

More SPAC Mergers

The transaction between Acies and PlayStudios is not the only ongoing merger; other keepers are in the works. Announced around the same period is the merger between Tilman Fertitta’s Fertitta Entertainment confirmed and FAST Acquisition (traded on the NYSE as FST), with the operator of five Golden Nugget casinos and the Landry’s restaurant consortium valued at $6.6 billion. Also, this merger is expected to close at the end of the second quarter.

Conclusion

This is exciting news for the industry, with PlayStudios taking the lead as the first mobile game company offering real-life rewards to go public. This will pave way for more mergers and acquisitions, and overall growth for the casino industry, as well as its individual players.

Your Weekly Best New Slots | Week 5 / February 1 – 7, 2021

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

New Slots To Be Released on Week 5 of 2021

There’s an assortment of new slots scheduled to be released this week 5 of 2021. We can’t feature them all, so we selected five that stand out. What we get are new slots with themes and features guaranteed to keep you entertained.

East Coast vs West Coast boasts of 5 different enhancers and 3 free spins features, among other things. Multiplier Odyssey awards multipliers in many different ways. The other three slots all carry features that enhance gameplay and huge winning chances.

All these slots are worth your while, but we’ll leave that for you to decide after you’ve read this article. So, read on as we give you a rundown of the best new slots from top developers this week.

5 New Slots To Check Out

Nolimit City, Relax Gaming, Play’n GO, Red Tiger, and ELK Studios all have new interesting slots this week 5 of 2021. Let’s look at each of these and find out which will give you better chances of winning big.

East Coast vs West Coast

Nolimit City lives up to its name with fresh ideas for new slots pouring with no limits. This week, this developer serves a slot that relives the fierce hip hop rivalry of the 1990s. East Coast vs West Coast’s visuals and audio are synced to the theme, as are all other elements. You’ll appreciate this slot whether you’re a hip hop fan or not.

Its lively-colored game area has 5 reels and 3 rows with win ways from 243 to 84,375. The scatter symbol is key to the assortment of features. Enhancers include xWays, xNudge wilds, multipliers, linked reels, and infectious xWays. They all increase your chances of hitting big wins in the game.

At least 2 scatters trigger the Drive-By Respin, which has 1 enhancer chosen to be active on the spin. When 3 or 4 scatters land, you’ll get 8 or 10 free spins, respectively. Before the free spin round begins, you need to choose between East Coast Spins or West Coast Spins.

East Coast Spins carries the infectious xWays with it on every spin. On the other hand, West Coast Spins have the four other enhancers to offer. There is also the Coast to Coast Free Spins where 2 enhancers land simultaneously on a single spin. This dramatically increases huge win potentials.

If you don’t want to wait for the scatters, you can opt for the bonus buy feature. Here, you’ll have two choices:

Choose either East Coast or West Coast free spins for 80x the stake.
Buy Coast to Coast Free Spins for 420x the stake.

Number of Paylines: 243 to 84,375	RTP: 96.04% (Default)
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: 30,618x	Software Provider: Nolimit City

Multiplier Odyssey

Journey to the cosmos in Relax Gaming’s latest slot release, Multiplier Odyssey. Cozy up in the spacecraft’s cockpit where the 5×3 game area with 15 paylines is set. The paytable serves card symbols on the lower end and four character symbols at the top. The wild, aside from substituting for other symbols, also carries a value of its own.

A coin symbol can land on reels 1, 2, 3, or 4 that carry a multiplier value. The 5th reel serves as a landing place of the collector symbol. When it appears, it collects the coin symbol in view and awards you the multiplier value it carries.

When 3, 4, or 5 scatters land, you’ll receive 7, 8, or 9 lives or free spins. During the bonus game, 11 spaceships representing multipliers sit above the reels. Scoring a win also awards one of these multipliers. Winning the first 10 multipliers triggers the Super Multiplier. This comes with an unlimited number of spins that only ends when you hit a win. You’ll then get the Super Multiplier’s value of either x100, x200, or x300, and the bonus round ends.

During the free spins feature, these 4 modifiers may appear:

Target symbol gets rid of the lowest multiplier.
Single spaceship symbol adds 1 to a random multiplier.
Group of spaceships symbol adds 1 to all active multipliers.
+1 symbol adds one life or free spin.

The last of the features is the bonus buy, which lets you buy 3 bonus symbols for 70x the bet. However, the availability of this feature depends on where you live.

Number of Paylines: 15	RTP: 96.50%
Min Bet: 0.10	Max Bet: 20
Max Payout: 50,000x	Software Provider: Relax Gaming

Cat Wilde in the Eclipse of the Sun God

Join the adventurous explorer, Cat Wilde, in her search for fortune in yet another visually-appealing slot from Play’n GO. The sun shines brightly on the transparent 5×3 game area with 20 paylines standing tall and mighty. Behind it, thick green foliage frames a step pyramid not far behind.

Score a win with at least 3 matching symbols from the leftmost reel. The Sun God wild will help form winning combinations and pays 100x your stake for five of a kind. The Cascade feature can boost more wins in a single spin. Consecutive wins because of the cascade rewards win multiplier starting at x1 up to a maximum of x10.

Watch out for the Moon Goddess, as this is this game’s scatter symbol. When it lands on reels 1, 3, and 5 simultaneously, you’ll get 10 free spins. The cascade and multiplier feature is still in play in the bonus round. This time, though, you can get up to x70 win multiplier. The Moon Goddess also becomes a wild during this round and is collected when it lands in view. You’ll get additional 5 free spins when your collection hits 5 scatter symbols.

Number of Paylines: 20	RTP: 96.22% (Default)
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: N/A	Software Provider: Play’n GO

Betty, Boris, And Boo

Do you fancy a treasure-hunt adventure in a haunted house? Then, Red Tiger got your back with the new addition to its library of slots this week 5 of 2021. Meet Betty, Boris, and Boo as you spin the 5×4 game area with 30 fixed paylines.

To score a win, you only need at least two matching symbols of the premium skull. As for the rest of the symbols, you’ll need at least three of a kind to win. Helping to form winning combinations is the blue diamond wild. It also carries a value and pays 10x the stake for five of a kind.

The base game is a relaxed round as all the action takes place in the free spins feature. Scatters landing on reels 1, 3, and 5 triggers this round by awarding 10 free Spooky Spins. This is where Betty, Boris, and Boo appear at random, and each carries a Spooky feature.

Betty transforms regular symbols into sticky wilds that stays sticky until the end of the feature.
Boris turns a random premium symbol into a huge 2×2, 3×3, or 4×4 symbol.
Boo attaches a multiplier to any win during the feature and may reappear to increase the said multiplier. He can give up to x10 win multiplier.

Number of Paylines: 30	RTP: 95.69% (Default)
Min Bet: 0.10	Max Bet: 20
Max Payout: 5,241x	Software Provider: Red Tiger

Miss Wildfire

One of the new slots for release on week 5 of 2021 has a valuable lesson to impart. Alchemist Edgar Woodart teaches you the importance of time over money in ELK Studios’ latest slot, Miss Wildfire.

After decades of obsession with wealth, he found himself alone with only a wildfire for a friend. Woodart and his fiery friend don’t want you to suffer the same miserable fate. As such, they give you 466 ways to win at a slot with 6 reels and 4 rows.

Six of a kind of premium symbols pay from 2.5x up to 10x your bet. However, it’s the lowest-paying symbol you should look out for — the friendly-looking log. It plays a considerable role in hitting wins in the entire game. When the wild flame symbol lands beside the log, the latter and all adjacent similar symbols burn and turn wild.

Making things more interesting is Miss Wildfire herself. She is also a wild symbol that not only spreads wildfire but also carries a walking feature. When she lands, she awards a respin and walks her way to the leftmost reel with every spin. There’s also a Super Miss Wildfire that turns logs sticky.

The bonus feature comes with free spins and Miss Wildfire at the start of the round. There’s also a log meter that counts the number of logs that land and burn during the round. When the meter reaches a predefined level, a new Miss Wildfire will appear. Free spins end when no more Miss Wildfire has made her exit on the leftmost reel.

Number of Paylines: 466	RTP: 96.1%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: 5,000x	Software Provider: ELK Studios

Conclusion

That wraps up our round-up of 5 new slots from top developers this week 5 of 2021. Whether it’s the theme or features you look for when picking a new slot, this week’s selection will not disappoint. There’s enough variety to choose from this week, and we listed down the best new slots among the latest releases. So, we’re sure there’s one or two guaranteed to make your slot gaming experience worthwhile this week.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission – Who Are They and What Do They Do?

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

Kahnawake Gaming Commission is the governing body for physical and online casinos located in the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory in southern Quebec. Kahnawake Mohawk Territory is a First Nations Reserve that is autonomous; they have their laws and regulations for different issues. They have regulations regarding company laws, corporate operations, taxation, and licensing.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission issues licenses to casinos in this region and also monitors these licenses. They have licensed about fifty casino operators running roughly 250 online casinos.

Kahnawake Gaming Commission was established in 1996 and three years after, they passed laws concerning online gambling. This makes them one of the oldest online gaming legislators worldwide. From the time of its establishment to the time it enacted online gaming laws, Kahnawake Gaming Commission worked on becoming an autonomous entity in Canada. They spent this time outlining the political and legal structure of the Mohawk Territory, therefore, obtaining the legal right to license casinos.

Kahnawake Gaming Commission Regulations

Following its regulation of online sites, the “Regulations concerning Interactive Gaming”, casino operators seeking licenses have to host their gaming site at the Mohawk Internet Technologies data center. The data center is managed by Continent 8 Technologies which works specifically for hosting eGaming platforms.

The Regulations concerning Interactive Gaming gives some key principles by which Kahnawake Gaming Commission casinos should operate under the Kahnawake gambling law. Some of these principles are:

Online gambling based in, from, or within the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake is regulated and controlled based on the law.
Ensure that online gambling activities carried out under this license are fair, honest, and responsible.
To ensure that online gambling from the jurisdiction of Kahnawake is not associated with criminality and crime.
To ensure that players playing in casinos with the Kahnawake license are treated fairly. They ensure that players’ information and activities at the online casinos are kept confidential.
They protect minors (persons under 18 years) and other vulnerable persons from the dangers of online gambling

Kahnawake Gaming Commission casinos are checked from time to time to confirm fairness, transparency, and excellent customer service. Kahnawake gaming commission complaints are thoroughly investigated and recorded. The commission takes action in cases where a player claims to have been wronged. For instance, when a player is not paid his/her winnings, when a player’s account is suddenly closed, or when players complain about the fairness of games in the casino.

Operators with a Kahnawake casino license are expected to be open to these investigations. This gives both the casino operator and the player peace of mind.

Kahnawake Gaming Commission Licenses

The commission gives four types of licenses to casino operators, they are:

Interactive Gaming Licences
Client Provider Authorisation
Inter-Jurisdictional Authorisation
Key Person Permit

Responsible Gaming

Like we mentioned earlier, Kahnawake Gaming Commission cares for players in its jurisdiction hence the provision of a self-exclusion list. There is a detailed self-exclusion request form that players who need help with their gambling habits can fill to get the care they need. Players can request a 1- year, 5- year, or lifetime ban on gambling. This form is only functional in Kahnawake Gaming Commission casinos. This is something you will not find with most casino licensing bodies.

Approved Agents

Kahnawake Gaming Commission works with third-party organizations called the ‘Approved Agents’ to aid them. The approved agents are auditors and consultants who give professional assistance in licensing and controlling online casinos. The four third party organizations listed on the website are

eCOGRA
Gaming Associates
iTech Labs
Technical Systems Testing (TST)

These four organizations work in different capacities to ensure one end goal: that the casinos licensed by the Commission are fair, safe, and trustworthy. TST ensures that casino sites are not hacked by identity thieves, eCOGRA publishes the RTPs of the casinos monthly, iTech tests and certifies online gaming systems and games, and Gaming Associates also certifies online gaming systems.

Conclusion

Kahnawake Gaming Commission, one of the earliest online licensing organizations has proved itself trustworthy. They have provided a great interactive environment for online casinos and players. Look out for their logo when signing up on a North American casino.

FIND A PLACE TO PLAY AT A CASINO WITH THIS LICENSE HERE!

The First Two Weeks of Legal Online Gambling in Michigan

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

After decades of missing out on the opportunity to enjoy a good sporting event or online casino game and win money from it through online bets, residents of The Wolverine State can finally participate in online gambling activities.

The State of Michigan permitted the launch of legal online gambling within its borders at noon on Friday, 22nd January 2021. The timing of this development was perfect, especially for sports betting, because of the lineup for that weekend. For instance, NFL conference championship games were live and Michigan sports bettors got to watch and place wagers.

Some people have theorized that the license to operate given to some sport betting giants in the state was done in a bid to help the gambling industry recover faster from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whatever the reason is, online betting statistics within the first two weeks of this launch clearly show that Michigan is well on its way to becoming one of the foremost states in the US with thriving online gaming industry.

10 online casinos and sportsbooks were approved to launch that Friday by The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB), which will now regulate their activities going forward. A new round of operators was added to these the following week. Seeing how things are going, it is only expected that we’ll see more online gambling operators trooping into the market.

Industry experts predicted that there would be an impressive response from gamblers across the state after the launch. Their projection was based on the residents’ attitudes to prior legal gambling activities in the state, the time of the launch of the casinos, and the anticipation that had built up over time. Many reports have come in about the gamblers’ activities so far in Michigan and they have shown that these predictions were right.

BetMGM’s CEO, Adam Greenblatt, confirmed that the platform’s launch in Michigan was their “strongest launch yet.” BetMGM Michigan reported that over 200,000 successful logins were recorded on their platform and more than 2 million spins were seen, all within the first seven hours of being launched in the state.

However, some customers complained of problems with the BetMGM app. A representative from the company affirmed that there were glitches at some point, but it was as a result of unusually high traffic. He said that the problem was rectified the same day.

Google Trends were analyzed by Michigan Sharp, a website dedicated to the online gambling space in Michigan. They discovered that the launch of online sports betting in the state generated more interest than any previously recorded launch within the past year.

Furthermore, GeoComply, a company that facilitates geolocation tracking for many online gaming operators also announced that over 7.5 million online gambling transactions were recorded in Virginia and Michigan. Virginia has only two online operators, compared to Michigan’s ten at the time of launch, hence, the location with the higher percentage is obvious.

Since virtually every bettor in the state of Michigan would be a first-timer, there was an avalanche of bonuses being claimed on all the platforms. Bettors who could not join the thousands that flooded the Michigan online casinos and sportsbook did so the following week. Many of the operators, having had the experience of the previous week could manage them better.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board has not released reports on the revenue generated so far, but they have corroborated reports of a large influx of players into the online gambling space since the Michigan online casino launch.

If you live in Michigan and are yet to jump on the wave of excitement sweeping through the Michigan online gaming world, you’re not too late. There are still loads of bonuses to be won and more than enough games and sports betting features to explore.

EXPLORE MICHIGAN CASINOS and SPORTSBOOKS HERE!

Sources:

Your Weekly Best New Slots | Week 4 / January 25 – 31, 2021

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

New Slots To Be Released On Week 4 of 2021

Whether you love the Megaways engine or not, the new slots we feature this week 4 of 2021 will delight you. We found at least four new Megaways slots scheduled to be released this week. So, if you’re a fan of BTG’s famous mechanism, you’re in for a treat. We’ll do a rundown of each of these Megaways slots to give you an idea of what to expect.

As for those who don’t dig the Megaways engine, we didn’t forget about you. We also look for an outstanding slot that you can check out this week. What we found is one that boasts of expanding symbols and big win potentials among other features.

Read on as we’ll walk you through this slot and leave you to decide whether you’ll give it a shot or not. With its great gameplay and huge win potential, we’re certain it’s worth your time to try it out.

5 New Slots To Check Out

Software developers All41 Studios, iSoftBet, NetEnt, and Pragmatic Play new slots this week 4 of 2021 boasts of the Megaways mechanism. Meanwhile, Play’n GO opted to release a follow-up to a previously hit slot. Let’s take a closer look at what these great developers have to offer us this week.

Forgotten Island Megaways

The first of four new slots sporting the Megaways engine this week 4 of 2021 is Forgotten Island Megaways. It’s All41 Studios’ second time using this famous mechanism. This time, the studio takes you to the exotic Skull Island. Spin the 6-reel game area as a friendly-looking gorilla watches you.

Match at least three identical symbols from the first reel onwards, and you score a win. An exception to this is the highest-paying skull symbol, which pays for only two of a kind. Helping you to form winning combinations is the compass which serves as the wild symbol.

Forgotten Island Megaways has the Rolling Reels feature that works like the usual cascade mechanism of Megaways slots. What makes it more exciting here is the possibility of triggering the Kong Spins with a base-spin win. Here, Kong randomly awakens carrying win multipliers of x2, x3, x5, or x10 that increases by 1 following every win. Triggering the Free Spins during Kong Spins carries over the current multiplier value to the bonus round.

Four scatters (Kong’s face) landing awards 10 free spins plus 2 more for every extra scatter in view. Win multiplier starts at x2 and increases by 1 following a win.

The game also has a buy feature, allowing you a shortcut to the bonus round for a price. You have to choose between three buy options:

80x the stake for 10 free spins and a starting multiplier of x2.
120x the stake for 10 free spins and a starting multiplier of x3 or x5.
150x the stake for 10 free spins and a starting multiplier of x5 or x10.

Number of Paylines: 117,649	RTP: 96.25%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 20
Max Payout: 7,000x	Software Provider: All41 Studios

Neptune’s Fortune Megaways

Have an under-the-sea adventure on the second of four new Megaways slots this week 4 of 2021. Hunt for treasure and big wins with the Roman God of the sea in developer iSoftBet’s Neptune’s Fortune Megaways. A piece of soothing music fills the air as the grid’s 6 reels spin.

Instead of the maximum 117,649 win ways, this Megaways slot only has 46,656 ways to win. A large number still, if we may say so. Winning requires you to match three adjacent symbols from the first reel onwards. After this, the cascade feature sets in with winning combinations popping out to make way for new symbols. The oyster with a pearl acts as the wild, and the Neptune’s trident represents the scatter.

Also, swimming underwater is a bunch of features that include the 5 treasure chests on top of the reels. Four of the five treasure chests can reveal up to x5 multipliers, and one contains the Neptune’s Bonus. The Neptune’s Bonus gives you a chance to win the 4 fixed jackpots – Mini, Minor, Major, or Grand. Their values are 20x, 50x, 200x, or 1,000x the bet, respectively.

When 4, 5, or 6 scatters land in view, you’ll get 10, 12, or 15 free spins, respectively. The free spins round works the same as the base game except no low-pay symbols will land during the round. So, you’ll get to enjoy all other features from the base game playing with only the high-pay symbols. Ain’t that amazing?

Number of Paylines: 46,656	RTP: 96.03%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 20
Max Payout: 9,710x	Software Provider: iSoftBet

Fruit Shop Megaways

NetEnt renovated one of its 2013 classic slots and gave it the hit Megaways mechanism. The result is an upgraded version that keeps the straightforward gameplay and simple design of the original. A market stall houses the Fruit Shop Megaways’ 6 reels with clear blue skies and lush greeneries in the background. The simple soundtrack is a perfect match to the pleasing-to-the-eye visual.

A win requires at least three adjacent matching symbols from the leftmost reel onwards. An exception to this is the highest-paying premium cherries that pay for only two of a kind. The wild can only land on reels 2, 3, 4, and 5 to help with forming winning combinations.

The usual cascade feature that goes with the Megaways mechanism is missing here. However, the frequent triggering of free spins made up for it. The free spins feature fires up after every win from fruit symbols. Hitting a two-of-a-kind win with the cherry rewards 1 free spin. The other fruits award 2, 3, 4, or 5 free spins for 3, 4, 5, or 6 winning combinations, respectively.

The mechanism of triggering free spins is also present in the bonus round itself. This time, both low and premium symbols award free spins. There’s also a win multiplier in the bonus round. This starts at x1 and increases by 1 after each winning spin. The value of the win multiplier that you can win is capped at x10.

Number of Paylines: 117,649	RTP: 96.06%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: 10,000x+	Software Provider: NetEnt

Madame Destiny Megaways

For this week, Pragmatic Play decides to give one of its clairvoyant-themed slots a Megaways mechanism upgrade. Madame Destiny Megaways slot sports a larger grid to accommodate the Megaways engine. The 6-reel grid and extra one on top still magically fit the back of Madame Destiny’s carriage.

Unlike the usual 117,649 win ways of Megaways slots, this one has 200,704 ways to win. Pragmatic Play made some adjustments to the reels to make this possible. Reels 1 and 6 can accommodate up to 7 symbols while reels 2 to 5 can house 8 symbols maximum.

The cascade is also present, but it’s called tumble in this game. It fires up following a win with at least three adjacent matching symbols from the leftmost reel onwards. The highest-paying premium owl symbol pays with only two of a kind. Madame Destiny is this game’s wild, doubling the value of a win if she’s part of it.

Madame’s crystal ball is the scatter. It awards free spins plus prizes of 5x, 10x, 20x, or 100x your stake when 3, 4, 5, or 6 lands in view. There’s a Wheel of Fortune on this bonus round that awards free spins and up to 25x win multiplier.

The game has a bonus buy feature allowing you access to the bonus game for 100x the bet. There’s also an Ante Bet feature that doubles your chances of triggering the bonus feature.

Number of Paylines: Up to 200,704	RTP: 96.56% (Default)
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: 5,000x	Software Provider: Pragmatic Play

Lord Merlin And The Lady Of The Lake

Play’n GO decided to release a sequel to their 2019 slot Rise of Merlin this week. Lord Merlin and the Lady of the Lake’s semi-transparent 5×3 grid gives you a good view of the breathtaking background.

At least three matching low symbols falling on any of the 10 paylines starting from the first reel scores a win. On the other hand, premiums pay for only two a kind and carry large values. You’ll get up to 1,000x your bet for five of a kind of Merlin, the highest-paying premium. Besides being this slot’s wild, the Lady also carries a value equal to what Merlin has to offer.

Get 8 free spins along with 1x, 10x, or 100x the stake when 3, 4, or 5 scatters land, respectively. Before each spin starts during the bonus game, one special symbol is selected to be the expanding symbol. When this special symbol forms a win, all instances of the said symbol will expand to cover the reel.

Also, during the bonus round, the sword scatters transforms into wild scatters. Two of the wild scatters in view award the Excalibur Spin. Here, the special symbol is set for the entire Excalibur spins, and the feature can be retriggered for an unlimited number of times.

The game has an interesting gamble option which can either double or quadruple your win if you get lucky. Worst case scenario, you get very unlucky, and you lose all your winning. If you’re willing to take that risk, the option is available to you up to 2,500 coins or 5 times in a row.

Number of Paylines: 10	RTP: 96.20% (Default)
Min Bet: 0.10	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: 10,000x	Software Provider: Play’n GO

Conclusion

There’s a plethora of great new slots that software developers created for you this week 4 of 2021. Week in and week out, we feature what stood out among them and let you decide which one you like best. If you find this week’s list impressive, wait again for our selection of the best new slots you should try out next week. Also, feel free to explore CompareCasino for more iGaming-related articles and blogs.