In the world of gambling, whether online or offline, Lottery is actually quite unique. I say this on account that many people don’t even really see it as gambling, yet realistically playing the lottery is a past-time that almost everyone has taken part in, at one time or another. The game – at least on a ‘national lottery’ level – is one of those situations where life changing money is on offer that otherwise would be nothing but a pipe dream. While it’s still not far off one when we’re talking about lotteries with millions taking part, it’s of course still possible. I recall a comedian’s routine of a man praying to God each week that he’d be on the receiving end of that illusive huge lottery win, only for God to eventually answer back and say ‘for goodness sake, meet me half way and buy a ticket’.

It’s funny to think that it’s only in recent history in the UK and Ireland that there has even been a National Lottery. I’m sure most of us recall how upon becoming a national past-time, we’d all gather around the TV to watch it pan out live in the hope that this week would be our week. In the opinion of the professionals at betiton.com, anyone can get 5 out of 6 numbers in the National Lottery, although it has to be said that missing a ball makes all the difference. Still, it goes to show that even when odds are not exactly stacked in your favour, there still will inevitably be big winners.

Of course, in the internet age playing the lotto can be an entirely different affair. It stops being the case of playing against a nation and instead online lottery games often are a much more winnable (and hence in my view enjoyable in a day to day sense) situation. For the realistic individual who isn’t holding out for a £100 million win that doesn’t come this can often be a fun past time and great way to unwind after a tough day. A bit of well earned ‘me time’ if you will, in a world where so little of our time is our own.

Online lottery games can sometimes resemble the typical match the numbers style of traditional lottot games, but  often the term also relates to virtual scratch card games and the like. These are typically games of the instant winner variety where, after buying your tickets, you ‘virtually’ scratch off numbers to see if you’ve won an instant price of not. Games of this nature include the likes of Happy Scratch and Slapshot for example. Both games offer good returns and involve a player hoping for a winning number combination often on a standrd 3×3 layout. You can win many times the stake bet playing these and similar scratch theme games (10,000 in the case of Happy Scratch) and the games are very intuitive.

The beauty of the online environment is that game are available when and where you want to play them, at a time of your pleasing and place. You’re in control of the stake and they’re compatible with a wide range of devices, and as was stated before, you’ve got to be in it to win it!

Get immersed into the fabulous realm of the Queen of the Crystal Rays slot from within an old temple made fancy with mystic crystals. This six-reel slot machine carries players to a world where the Queen herself possesses crystals that rule her power.

How to Play

With 25 fixed paylines, the game doubles them during the Crystal Ray Feature, allowing wins to start from any reel in both directions. Players can choose from 38 bet sizes, ranging from $0.20 to $100. Adjust the bet size by clicking the Casino Chip icon and selecting the desired amount.

Symbols

The Queen which is the highest-paying symbol, awards up to 2.5x the total bet. Other valuable symbols include a treasure chest, drink, and golden chalice. Lower-value symbols are colourful crystals in four different hues: purple, green, blue, and red.

There are two wild symbols: the standard wild and a 2x multiplier wild. The scatter Bonus symbol triggers the bonus feature when three land simultaneously on the reels.

Bonus Features

The game boasts two enticing bonus features. The Crystal Ray feature can activate at any moment during regular spins, expanding the reels and showering them with Wild and Wild Multiplier symbols projected by crystal rays

The Queen of the Crystal Rays Bonus unlocks all 50 paylines, replacing regular symbols with special prism symbols and cash prizes. Crystal Ray shooters on the side of the reels fire beams that collect cash prizes as they bounce off prisms. This bonus round has four levels, with multipliers (2x, 3x, and 5x) progressively increasing the rewards.

Conclusion

Queen of the Crystal Rays is a unique and enjoyable game to play. While lacking a free spin feature, its two enticing bonus rounds offer ample opportunities to win big. Don’t miss the chance to embark on this thrilling crystal adventure

Introduction

Gronk’s Gems is a new release by Hacksaw Gaming. This medium volatility slot is a 6×6 cluster pays slot with an RTP of 96.24% with a mixed theme based on scary trolls and cute gemstones.

Gronk’s Gems has interesting bonus features, there’s the Epic Gem system and it’s a feature that can land players larger wins and keep the cascading streak going. The second Bonus feature is Gem the Hoarder and it’s the one that will get you to the max win of 7500x your stake. There are no wilds in this game and bets in this mobile-friendly video slot range from 0.10 to 100.00 per spin.

Gronk’s Gems Slot Bonus Features

An Epic symbol may appear and fill one of the empty positions after a cascade. It activates the modifier after each cascading sequence and transforms all charged symbols into the highest-value symbols. The Epic Gem then absorbs all the transformed symbols, and it counts as a winning cluster. What’s more, the Epic Gem counts as four symbols hence only needing one charged symbol to benefit from the Epic Gem feature.

To trigger the Gronk’s Treasure Bonus feature you must land 3 Gronk head scatters which come with 10 free spins. During this feature, you also stand the chance of landing the Epic Gem symbol. Next up is the Gem Hoarder Bonus which is triggered by landing 3 gem bag scatters, and you are awarded 5 free spins that reset every time you land 3 scatters.

There is also a Bonus hunt feature that players can purchase, and it costs 3x more per spin with a 5x likelihood of triggering one of the Bonus Features.

Verdict

Hacksaws medium volatility game Gronks Gems is a neat release with the Gem Hoarder feature as the main attraction and the most likely to see you walk away with 7500x your stake.

Introduction

Spin the reels of Red Tiger Gaming’s Jingle Bells Power Reels and have yourself a Merry Christmas with over 6000x your stake wins, This new slot follows in the original slot’s footsteps, however it comes with significant upgrades. This highly volatile version plays out on a 8×6 grid with 40 paylines. The exciting part of this slot is that Santa dishes out 4 random features in the base game putting some massive wins in your Christmas stocking. Bets in Jingle Bells Power Reels range from 0.10 to 10.00 and it comes with varying RTP ranges.

Jingle Bells Power Reels Bonus Features

The base game features get handed out by Santa as he tiptoes across the screen. Here you can expect any one of 4 randomly triggered Santa’s Gift Features:

• Mega Wild – Here Santa shoves a huge 5×6 wild symbol onto the reels for a guaranteed win.
• Raining Wilds – Gift-wrapped presents get thrown into the air by Santa and they rain down as a random number of wilds.
• Christmas Tree Multiplier – The Christmas tree gets shaken by Santa which adds random multipliers to your next win.
• Winning Reels – A golden curtain is pulled over the reels meaning only the higher-value symbols will land on the next spin.

To trigger the Free Spins Round you must land 3+ scatters to receive between 8 and 20 free spins. You will also benefit from all the random Santa’s Gift features during this round. The most lucrative feature in Red Tiger Gaming’s Jingle Bells Power Reels is the Christmas Tree Multiplier.

Final Thoughts

Jingle Bells Power Reels is a superb game. The features deliver decent payouts with Santa feeling even more generous during the Free Spins round. It’s certainly the season of giving or rather receiving when you play this Christmas-themed slot.