Christmas Bonanza
Nothing says holiday cheer like mine carts full of exploding presents. Big Time Gaming obviously had a statement to make with their Christmas Bonanza online slot. We don’t think players will mind considering that statement is all about chances for huge gifts to your account balance.
Casinos with Christmas Bonanza
- Christmas Bonanza
An Introduction to the Christmas Bonanza Slot
Having tons of ways to win is a staple of many holiday-themed titles like Merry Megaways. However, Big Time Gaming is the originator of the Megaways format. Therefore, it’s not surprising that they used it in the Christmas Bonanza video slot.
Their approach to the Megaways format in this title is slightly atypical. However, it enhances the gameplay quite a bit.
From the initial look at this slot, you’ll know something atypical is going on. We can’t think of many holiday-themed titles that happen on the side of a mountain. However, this one does, mine carts and all. The way BTG has tied in this mining motif with the holiday concept is pretty interesting. From a visual and presentation standpoint, they were able to pull the two together in a really smart way. Additionally, the inclusion of a lot of evergreen trees and constant snow makes it feel right as well.
All of the aesthetics aside, the gameplay is also top-notch. BTG lets the format shine here without overdoing it with extra features. With that said, some features are obviously a good thing, and they made them count for sure. Additionally, we like the approach they took of having some of these mechanics assist you in the regular mode while other features are their own mode to themselves. This approach creates a split in the gameplay that’s both exciting and dynamic. The end result is a play style that we believe most players will be able to enjoy quite a bit.
Betting and Layout
With the way this game is laid out, it can seem a little tricky to jump in and enjoy yourself. However, once you see how things work, it’s actually super intuitive. Our point here is this: Don’t let the way things are set up intimidate you. This game is much easier to learn to play than you might think, and here’s what you’ll want to know:
- This title is separated into two sections of symbols, but they all work together. The main section is a six-reel grid with different numbers of symbols on each reel.
- Between two and seven symbols can land in total on each of the six reels. Additionally, a mine cart-themed set of four additional symbols come across the top.
- This is called the “extra reel” or “horizontal reel.” However, it’s not its own reel in the traditional sense. Instead, it adds an extra symbol to the middle four reels, and they feed in from right to left.
- Payouts are awarded when you get a matching symbol on each reel without skipping any from left to right. However, where those symbols are located on those reels is irrelevant.
- At the lowest level, players can wager for a minimum of €0.20 per turn in this slot. As such, you’ll notice that the bet size is not tied to the number of ways to win.
- Likewise, players have a number of bet sizes available up to the €40 level for each individual spin.
Other Information
Smooth gameplay is one of the hallmarks of this particular slot. Within the format and all of its potential ways to win, you end up with a higher hit-rate than usual. What this means is that players will average hitting more wins of a smaller size compared to other games. Additionally, this helps to give this slot a slightly below-average volatility. Again, the end result is a particularly smooth style of play.
When you get wins in this title, they are multiplied by your overall wager. To drive this home, we’ll give an example. If you pick up a 15x win with a €2 wager, that payout is worth a total of €30. This makes it really easy to know how much different combinations actually pay out.
Gameplay and Features for the Christmas Bonanza Video Slot
Keeping with the holiday theme, much of what you’ll find in this game is about the player trying to pick up gifts in the form of presents. Other variations on this theme have been explored in titles like Santa’s Great Gifts. Likewise, the Christmas Bonanza online slot puts its own spin on things by tying in the mining concept. Along these lines, expect a bit more of an explosive style of play in what follows.
Exploding Dynamite Wild Symbols
Across that top “extra reel” in the mine carts above, you can land wild dynamite symbols. However, it’s not possible for them to show up anywhere else on the game board. This helps to create a situation where they assist with the explosions mechanic that we’ll dive into below.
With that said, it does offer some limitations to the wild. For example, it can’t appear on the first or last reel. Additionally, it’s not able to form its own winning combinations that only consist of dynamite.
Within the context of a below-average volatility slot, however, this fits just fine. They help get some extra wins here and there, and that’s all they need to do to fill their role in this game while still providing plenty of value.
Explosions Game Mechanic
It’s difficult to having a title with a mining motif without a bunch of stuff blowing up. Big Time Gaming knows this as much as anyone considering how many mining-themed games they have. Inside of the Christmas Bonanza video slot, things are no different.
The way they handled this element is with the explosions mechanic. Getting any win of any kind triggers the explosions after your payouts are secured. This causes each winning symbol to blow up to allow more symbols to fall into place. However, if this happens on the “extra reel” up above, new mine carts will feed symbols in from right to left instead.
This is a minor detail, but it’s worth knowing to avoid any confusion about where symbols land. We also like how it could drive a wild symbol further to the left in certain explosion situations. This makes it more likely to hit winning combinations in the grand scheme of things.
Christmas Bonanza Free Spins
A cool game mechanic comes with how the scatters work. Again keeping with the mining concept, the letters G-O-L-D are each scatters in this game. When you get one of each on the middle four reels, respectively, players are given 12 free spins. Additionally, it’s possible to get extra scatters on top of those that add five more free spins apiece.
In this feature, a multiplier is added to your wins due to the explosions. You start with a 1x multiplier on the initial spin, but it increases with each explosion. However, no maximum is placed on the size of multiplier you can get or the number of explosions available off of the back of a single spin.
Additionally, players can add extra free spins to their total. This comes with the mine cart of gold, which only appears on the extra reel up above. Note that the regular G-O-L-D scatters do not appear on the reels during this feature.
- Four Mine Cart Scatters – 10 additional free spins
- Three Mine Cart Scatters – 5 additional free spins
This brings the mining aspect of the game alive in a fresh way. However, it also makes the mine carts on the horizontal reel have a bit more importance than they otherwise would.
How to Win at Christmas Bonanza
Something Big Time Gaming did to make this title a lot of fun is that they kept the volatility very mild. As it comes in around the medium-low level, just below average, your experience will tend to be pretty smooth. Additionally, the swings will average out to be less severe than other games. Some players may want to slightly increase their bet size to get a little more volatility. However, this is a stylistic decision that each player has to make on his or her own.
One element of this title that some players will also enjoy is the Bonus Buy. Essentially, this allows players to purchase their way straight into the free spins bonus round. This gives a set of 12 free spins for a set price of 90 times the total wager. However, the volatility does increase substantially with the Bonus Buy. You may wish to lower your bet size a bit to compensate.
Payout Structure of the Christmas Bonanza Online Slot
The best payouts in this game come from getting gifts in different colors. That makes perfect sense considering the theme and concept of this holiday slot. Starting things off of the purple present, which pays 50x for six of a kind. Additionally, this symbol can pay for only two, which is unique among symbols in this title. From there, we have a 7.5x win for six of the red present. The blue and green gifts have the same payout for six of a kind as each other, which comes in at the 2x level.
For the low-tier symbols, Big Time Gaming went with royal card ranks. This includes a 1.75x payout for six of a kind combinations of the purple A or red K. However, it drops down slightly to 1x for six of the blue Q or green J symbols. Finally, the pay table wraps up with a 0.9x win for six of the yellow 10 and a payout of 0.8x for six of the cyan 9.
Overview
Adding one unique twist or element to a common theme can make it stand out in a sub-genre. Both the Christmas Bonanza slot and the Wild Stocking game are examples of this being used effectively. Additionally, in both titles, the twist itself adds something unique to things in two ways. On the one hand, it adds a visual element. On the other hand, you get to see gameplay aspects added to the situation.
Big Time Gaming is the originator of the Megaways layout. Therefore, it’s not surprising that they used it so effectively in this particular slot.
FAQ
Which online casinos have Christmas Bonanza?
Use the list of Christmas Bonanza casinos to see all online casinos that have Christmas Bonanza. We filter the casino top list to only show Christmas Bonanza casinos that accept players from your location.
What is the Return to Player (RTP) for Christmas Bonanza?
The Christmas Bonanza RTP is 96.0%. An RTP of 96.0% puts Christmas Bonanza among slots with an average Return to Players. To be a high RTP slot it would have to be 98% or more.