When you’ve got a popular theme that’s been around for awhile, casino slot floor managers and executives are going to do what they can to keep games around for the long haul.
But when you’ve got a game with lower minimum bets, that can create a challenging push/pull – overall bets are increasing on casino floors, but you don’t want to alienate fans of the game. So what can you do?
There’s a few ways this can be done, and in today’s post I’ll review a few examples, including some linked back to games I’ve talked about previously on the site.
How Sequels Are Set Up
We’ve talked about how sequels in and of themselves can layer on new features that force a higher bet. But sometimes, it’s how they’re allowed to be configured.
Take Buffalo Gold. As a direct sequel to Buffalo, you can see versions built similar to it where you can turn on/off the gold bet and play it like standard Buffalo. You can also choose the lines like a standard Buffalo machine. But in many markets, that’s disabled, and you can only bet the full 60 credit gold bet with all lines active.
Whether this was done by design in terms of how the game was approved in some markets, or this is just how casinos choose to deploy the game, the end result is the forcing of 60 credit increments and therefore more coin-in.
By comparison, a game like Dancing Drums Explosion, where the gold symbol bets are wiped away, forces an 88 cent minimum bet, but that’s completely by design. You can’t configure a version of this game to let players bet the gold symbols.
It’s more common for the sequels to simply find ways to up the volatility and/or bet, but sometimes it’s also how the game is deployed on the casino floor.
Forced Line Multiplier
In other cases, the same game continues to chug along, but to drive a higher bet, they simply set up the credit increments to avoid a 1x line multiplier.
Many of the newer versions of Triple Double Diamond Free Games I see on casino floors start with a 2x line multiplier, driving a 40 credit bet over the 20 credit bet that would normally be allowed. By doubling the bet, you get the chance to win bigger, but you’re also exposing more bets to the house advantage over time.
Sometimes games are designed with a forced line multiplier built in. Pac-Man Wild Edition is a 30 line, 30 credit game… but the lowest bet is a 2x line multiplier at 60 credits.
This is a forced increase by design of the betting options for the game, most likely because it’s a licensed game in this case, but it still indicates a game that was originally designed for a lower bet that probably got adjusted during development.
A side effect is it does allow for potentially things like 90 credit (3x) and 150 credit (5x) option against the 30 credit baseline vs. a 60 credit baseline, so there could be other reasons for making such a deliberate design decision.
Low Rollers Should Pay Attention
In the scenarios where it’s a configuration choice vs. one where it’s forced on all players, it’s helpful to know these things exist, so you can aim your play elsewhere if you’re a lower roller and wish to maximize your bankroll.
Perhaps playing Triple Double Diamond at 20 credits vs. 40 credits is more your thing; if so, it may be helpful to know where casinos that have older versions of the game, or have the 1x line multiplier active, can be found.
Like many aspects of a casino, it helps to be observant.
