Mega Moolah Lucky Bells

Mega Moolah Lucky Bells: Slot Overview

If ever there's a slot series which needs no introduction, it's Mega Moolah from Microgaming and friends. The legendary first slot, simply titled Mega Moolah, dropped back in 2006, clothed in an African wildlife theme. Since then, the progressive jackpot network has paid out over a billion Euros, including making several instant millionaires. With a history like that, it's no wonder players, and developers are consistently pulled back. The iteration in question here is called Mega Moolah Lucky Bells and comes from Gold Coin Studios, which pairs four progressive jackpots with a free spins feature where a win multiplier increases on each spin.

When talking about this level of winning potential, the theme is arguably less pertinent than it normally might be. Nevertheless, let's take a look, and for Mega Moolah Lucky Bells, Gold Coin has decided to go with a Vegasy fruit machine approach. This is like, at least the third one of these so far, following on from games such as Joker Mega Moolah from Aurum Signature Studios and Just For The Win's Juicy Joker Mega Moolah. From the front end, it means loads of fruit, classic slot symbols, and a toe-tapping soundtrack, combining to create a jazzy atmosphere fruities should feel right at home in.

On the back end, Mega Moolah Lucky Bells has a highly volatile math model and a lower than usual return to player value. Well, lower than a regular slot but fairly standard for a progressive jackpot, as RTP is 86.76% plus a jackpot contribution of 5.3%, leading to an overall figure of 92.06%. Bets range from 25 p/c up to $/€25 per spin, and while any stake size can technically trigger the jackpot feature, there is a greater chance of doing so when the bets are larger.

Played on a 5x3, 25 payline game matrix, regular line wins consist of matching symbols, left to right, from the left side of the grid. Fruits make up the low symbol pays, where five cherries, grapes, plums, or watermelons are worth 3 to 4 times the stake, whereas premium symbols are Bars, Double Bars, Triple Bars, and 7s, worth 20x to 40x the bet. Glitzy wild symbols help here, landing on reels 2, 3, 4, or 5 to substitute for any normal paying symbol.

Mega Moolah Lucky Bells: Slot Features

Kinda goes without saying the Mega Moolah Jackpot is the numero uno feature in Lucky Bells though there is one other extra to cover as well. Landing bonus symbols on reels 1, 3, and 5 awards 8 free spins. While free spins are active, a win multiplier is used. It starts at x1 and increases by +1 on each free spin. One more rule, if a Plus One symbol lands in the bonus round, an extra free spin is awarded.

Mega Moolah Jackpot

What's known as Bell Subsymbols appear on reels 2, 3, or 4, overlaid on any of the four lowest paying symbols. When these Bell symbols are in view, there is a chance they trigger the Mega Moolah Wheel feature. Once activated, a money wheel device is placed on the screen and spins to award one of the four jackpots. There is no set value since the jackpot is progressive, but the starting figures according to the paytable are €10, €100, €10,000, or €2,000,000 for the mini, minor, major, and mega jackpots, respectively. Keeping in mind the greater the bet, the greater the chance of winning a progressive jackpot is, and it can only be triggered from the base game.

Mega Moolah Lucky Bells: Slot Verdict

Thematically and feature-wise Mega Moolah Lucky Bells has nothing outrageously new to offer, but that's no real surprise. Why expend major creative juices in a game where most of the focus is on a progressive jackpot anyway? Still, a lack of new features doesn't make Lucky Bells unplayable at all. Mega Moolah Lucky Bells has a positive vibe and feels custom built to cater for players who want to take on the infamous progressive jackpot while kicking back in a fruity, loungey setting. Much of the infectious groove is provided by the music, which is a little restrained in the base game before being let off the hook for free spins. Then there's the Wheel feature, where the flute soloist launches into what sounds like a full-on Jethro Tull impression.

Maybe forget about the base game, though. With no features to speak of, titillation is going to come from normal line wins, anticipation caused by landing Bell Subsymbols, and the Bossa Nova Austin Powers-ish tunes. Lucky Bells feels more old school than Juicy Joker MM or Joker MM, so players who prefer a straightforward, no-nonsense traditional game might prefer it. Free spins were surprisingly entertaining too. The first trigger, for example, produced several Plus One Symbols, which not only stretched the round, it meant a higher win multiplier, ending with an 831.2x hit. There's no mention of what the non-jackpot max win is, but whatever it might be is unlikely to matter too much anyway.

What is bound to be more important to most is the chance to play for those progressive jackpots. Well, they're there, as is a funky as fudge backing track, making Lucky Bells ideal for Mega Moolah players who want a game steeped in classic slot iconography to go with them. It's a bit cheesy perhaps, but anyone in Mega Moolah Lucky Bells' scope should be well satisfied with the groovy jam Gold Coin has produced.