Fans of horse racing will be quite satisfied this March! Not only do they have the Cheltenham Festival to look forward to, but Microgaming is also getting in on the action. If you ever wanted to combine betting on horses and video slots, Bookie of Odds has you covered. So saddle your harness and prepare for the race of a lifetime! One that you can fully enjoy on your mobile device of choice.
However, not everything is as great as it may first seem. We are sad to report that this slot is a clone of Microgaming’s previous release, Book of Oz. While it may be wearing a different skin, the gameplay and bonuses are exactly the same. As a result, we recommend playing that game instead, and not rewarding the developer for a quick and lazy release.
Available bonuses include a joint Wild-Scatter symbol, expanding icons, and manual re-spins. Yes, you can choose what reel you would like to re-spin! Provided you are willing to pay for that privilege..
Developer
Microgaming is one of the online casino software giants. They have had a presence in online gambling since 1994, and have been continuously growing in size. Despite expansion, Microgaming has had their reputation marred by numerous clones and bland games. A sad fall from grace, considering the studio brought us so many timeless classics.
This slot is actually not an in-house Microgaming production. Instead, it was developed by Triple Edge Studio, who have a partnership with the software provider. Triple Edge release their games exclusively for Microgaming – and benefit from the giant’s brand recognition, in turn.
How to Play it
Bookie of Odds is played on a 5×3 board with 10 fixed paylines that pay left to right only. That means players cannot choose to turn certain paylines on and off in order to lower their minimum bet. Gamblers can set their wager by changing coin value and the number of coins per payline. As such, your total bet ranges between $0.10 up to $25 per spin.
The layout is the same as all other Microgaming releases. It is optimised for touch screen devices, and is quite easy to use. There are no differences between mobile and desktop versions of this slot.
The Autoplay function only allows players to set the number of spins to be played. There are no win or loss limits, or a single win threshold. It is about as barebones as it gets – another negative point for a release that did not need it.
We did not find anything particularly appealing when it comes to visuals. They are decent, but lack any of the care and polish you would usually find in other slots. The background image is completely static, and symbol animations are quite rudimentary. Big wins may occasionally cause some coins to shoot up from the reels, but that is it.
One thing we did like was the ambient noise. Wins are accompanied by shouting and cheering. Spinning the reels will also cause the commentator to mumble something ineligible. This is a cool effect, but one that is worthless without an animated crowd to back it up.
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T&C Apply 18+
Special Features
The golden book is both a Wild and Scatter. It can substitute for any other symbol, and is used to trigger free spins.
Three, four or five Scatters grant ten, twelve or twenty-five free spins. During this bonus, one symbol is randomly chosen to become an expanding icon. Said symbol will cover the entire reel whenever it lands on the reels, and pays regardless of paylines. So, if three expanded icons appear anywhere on the playing field, a win will be awarded even if they are not adjacent.
Gamblers can choose to pay money to re-spin an individual reel. The cost of a re-spin changes on the situation. A re-spin with a potential to complete a five-of-a-kind win will cost a lot more than a random re-spin. Personally, we do not recommend using this special feature. The costs become quite steep as soon as re-spinning a reel becomes useful. If the price is lowered slightly, then it will be worthwhile.
Maximum Payouts
The game has a high volatility, with a maximum win worth 5000x your total stake. The RTP for Bookie of Odds is 96.5%.
Summary
The summary for this Microgaming release is quite simple: avoid it. Sure, some ideas are bound to be reused. But completing copying an existing slot? That is unacceptable for a company of Microgaming’s size.