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Where’s the Gold Pokies Review
This classic gold rush themed pokie first hit land-based casino floors in 2003. It has now been adapted to work online and can be enjoyed on desktops or mobile devices. While the graphics and animations look retro, the pokie holds up well in terms of gameplay.
The main feature is a free spins bonus. This is preceded by an entertaining picks game where the number of spins and wild symbols are determined. Get multiple wilds and you could be looking at a series of giant wins.
Features
Reels/Rows
5/3
Payline
25
Payout Ratio (RYP)
94.92%
Stake (Min/Max)
25c / $250
Game Developer
Aristocrat
Bonus Feature
Yes
Setup and Betting Options
Where’s the Gold uses a five reel, three row grid. There are 25 paylines as a default, which you can reduce all the way down to just one if you prefer. With extra wilds during the free spins, having the full 25 lines will boost your chances of connecting multiple wins.
At the maximum number of paylines, bets range from 25c per spin all the way to $250 at some casinos. Auto play is offered and you can choose whether to spin with sound. This pokie is mobile-friendly, with the spin button on the right-hand side – ideally placed to play on smartphones.
Unusually, there are no wild symbols in the base game. When you trigger the free spins bonus, up to four of the high-paying symbols can turn into wilds.
Return to Player Percentage for Where’s the Gold
The online version of Where’s the Gold has a return to player percentage of 94.92%. This is around the lower end of average for online pokies, with most games in the 94% to 96%. This is higher than average for in-person casino slot games.
We found smaller line hits to be frequent, keeping the bankroll topped up regularly. With no base game wilds, it is more difficult to connect five of a kind wins than on other Aristocrat pokies. Bigger wins come during the free spins bonus.
Pick a Miner to Win Wilds for Your Free Spins
Dynamite stick symbols trigger the free spins bonus. These are scatter symbols, which pay a prize based on your total bet for three or more in addition to triggering the bonus feature. The top scatter prize for five is a generous 50x your bet.
When you start the free spins bonus you first go to a screen showing five cartoon characters. They are Prof. Gold, Peter Palmer, Findo (a dog), Happy Lucky and Mary Money. You pick one and they immediately get to work mining gold nuggets. Below each you will see nuggets and slot symbols. The number of nuggets shows how many free spins you win – maximum is 10. The symbols become wild when the free spins start.
Having multiple wild symbols – which become gold for your free spins – will help to link up many winning combinations. If you get three or four, you could be looking at a coin show worthy win on every one of your free spins.
Where’s the Gold Slot Symbols
All the unique symbols share a wild west gold rush theme. The highest paying symbol is worth 1000 coins for the full five of a kind. This shows a miner with a white beard. The mine, a wagon and pick/shovel combination complete the higher paying symbols. Regular playing card symbols aces down to jacks are also in play.
This is a smaller number of symbols than on many pokies boosting your chances of getting line wins, even in the absence of base game wilds.
Dynamite scatter symbols fizzle and explode when you get three or more. This triggers the mining game that leads to free spins and awards you a scatter prize.
Playing Where’s the Gold Pokies on Mobile Devices
Aristocrat have done an excellent job of taking their legacy pokies and adapting them for modern devices. You will find that Where’s the Gold works perfectly on iPhones, Android and Windows smartphones and tablets. You don’t need to download an app as the game loads directly in your browser, detecting and adjust to your screen size.
Controls are on the right, keeping them in reach of your thumb. The spin button has a bet slider if you tap the coin to its left. The cog above opens extra options including auto-play, win lines, bet size and the paytable.
Can You Play for this Pokie for Free?
Where’s the Gold can be played for free at the best mobile casinos. This demo game is the perfect way to see this quirky and entertaining retro pokie in action. It gives you a chance to make sure everything loads smoothly on your specific mobile or desktop device.
Once you take the free version of Where’s the Gold for a spin, you will quickly see just how good early Aristocrat video slots were in terms of gameplay and features.
Where’s the Gold from Aristocrat: Pros/Cons
PROS:
- Classic gold-mine themed pokie from Aristocrat Gaming
- Fewer symbols on the reels for more winning combinations
- Fully configurable with bet sizes, lines played and sound all optional
- Trigger the bonus for an entertaining mining-themed picks game
- This leads to free spins, with up to four symbols turned wild
CONS:
- Dated game with blocky and simple graphics
- Only one bonus with no jackpot or on-reel features
Wrapping Up: Is Where’s the Gold Worth a Spin?
This game is entertaining and is well worth a spin despite the retro graphics and basic sound effects. It relies on a single feature alongside the characteristic solid game play shared by many early Aristocrat land-based pokies. You can play Where’s the Gold on your desktop or mobile devices.
Dynamite symbols trigger a mining game. Here you pick one of five characters and watch while they dig. Win up to 10 free spins with 4 golden (wild) symbols, and watch those potentially huge wins rack up.
