The gamble feature in online slots allows players to risk their winnings for a chance to increase them further. Such features are becoming increasingly common in modern online slots because they’re easy to implement, fun to use, and don’t really have any downsides because they’re completely optional.
For players who like to take big risks to chase even bigger rewards, the gamble option can be a welcome addition to any slot game. It’s a versatile way to allow willing players to increase a game’s maximum payout without affecting the average volatility of basic bets.
In this article, we’ll explain how Gamble features in slots work as well as their benefits. We’ll also go through several common types of gamble features and point out any differences or pros and cons. Lastly, the article also includes recommended top slots with gamble features enabled.
What is the Gamble Feature in Slots?
Gamble features in slots activate only when a player wins. Typically, such features can be used with any sort of payout, regardless of its size, nature, or timing.
Whenever you record a win of any kind, the game will offer you a chance to increase your payout before it’s transferred to your casino balance. The actual action you need to take varies from game to game. Some slots prompt you with a question or pop-up notification after every individual win. Others require you to manually select the ‘gamble’ option, which has to be done before you spin again.
Either way, the actual gambling is usually handled through some sort of minigame. Predicting playing cards or tossing a coin are the most common variants of slot gamble features, but they’re not the only ones.
In most cases, winning the minigame will double the initial payout you decided to gamble. However, if you lose the minigame, you lose the entire payout as well.
As such, most Gamble features are a kind of “double or nothing” bet. However, most also have a straight 50/50 shot at winning. This means that most such features actually offer fair odds, which is quite unusual in the world of casino gaming.
Lastly, most Gamble slot features can be activated multiple times in the same round. The first successful gamble will double your initial payout, the second gamble can quadruple it, the third will be 8 times larger, and so on. Most slot games can repeat this process up to 10 times, leading to a total maximum increase of 1,024x the starting amount.
However, every successive Gamble has the same 50% chance of failure, in which case you still lose the whole payout. While a 1,024x multiplier sounds enticing, keep in mind that your chances of actually winning 10 times in a row are under 0.1% (assuming, of course, every Gamble is a 50/50 shot.)
How to Use Gamble Features in Slots
To make things a bit clearer, we’ll go through the process of using gamble features step by step. Keep in mind that this guide is for illustrative purposes. The exact process may vary depending on the software provider who made the game as well as the specific title in question.
- Play an eligible slot game normally – Set your stake and hit ‘spin’ like you would in any slot machine.
- Win a payout – Gamble features can be used on wins of any size – even the shortest winning line of the game’s lowest-value symbol is enough.
- Select the option to Gamble – The option is usually available through a button on the game’s main interface.
- Play the minigame – This will involve a card flip, coin toss, wheel spin, or some other form of minor bet.
- Collect your winnings or Gamble again – If you win the minigame, you will be able to collect your doubled payout. Alternatively, you can play again using your fresh, increased winnings. This is even riskier but allows you to exponentially increase your prize.
Gamble Feature Odds
If you’re wondering about your actual chances of winning multiple rounds of Gamble minigames, here’s a brief statistical analysis.
The table below details the probability of winning multiple 50/50 gambles as well as how much your winnings will increase should you win. Note that this table only applies to slot Gamble features that have a 50/50 chance to win or lose, like a coin toss. This isn’t strictly true for every iteration of this feature, so make sure to read the in-game help screen to make sure how it actually works.
Note that the payout increase is listed relative to the initial payout you’re gambling with. Also, the probability column describes the chances of winning all of the consecutive gambles up to that point. Every individual gamble has a 50% chance of winning, which is fixed.
Gamble Attempts | Total payout increase | Probability |
1 | 2x | 50% |
2 | 4x | 25% |
3 | 8x | 12.5% |
4 | 16x | 6.25% |
5 | 32x | 3.125% |
6 | 64x | 1.562% |
7 | 128x | 0.781% |
8 | 256x | 0.391% |
9 | 512x | 0.195% |
10 | 1024x | 0.098% |
Any additional 50/50 Gambles continue this same pattern. Every successive attempt doubles the previous payout increase but halves the previous probability.
Interestingly, if we look at this option as a bet, it offers 1:1 odds for a 50% chance to win. This means that the RTP of a Gamble feature bet is actually 100%. In other words, it has no house edge.
However, this does not negate the house advantage of the initial wager you used to get a payout in the first place. The house still has an overall advantage, but it remains the same whether you use the Gamble option or not.
Types of Slot Gamble Features
We already noted that gamble features vary greatly in terms of implementation.
Most of these variations are purely stylistic – predicting a card colour has the same 50/50 chance to win as a coin toss. However, a few gambling features stand out with different rules and odds, which we’ll point out as we go along.
1. Coin Flip
The most common approach to slot gambling features is to present them as a coin toss.
When you open up the gamble mini-game, you’ll be presented with two options – heads or tails. Pick your side, and wait for the game to calculate the results.
Some versions of the coin toss use colours or other symbols to differentiate between the two sides of the coin. Red or Blue is a common example. Again, this is purely cosmetic.
It goes without saying that it doesn’t matter which side of a coin you pick. Both have an equal chance to win every time, and both will double your investment if you win.
Example: Glory of Rome by Habanero
2. Wheel of Fortune
Some slots present their gamble features as a kind of Wheel of Fortune, which we consider an influence of live casino game shows.
The wheel spins, and the outcome of the minigame is determined by which part of the wheel the pointer lands on. Parts of the wheel are marked as winning segments while others result in a loss.
If the Gamble feature with a wheel offers the same 50/50 chance to win as a coin toss, half of the wheel will result in a win. However, this isn’t necessarily always the case.
Theoretically, the wheel can be divided differently, which results in different odds and is reflected in the payout. For instance, if a quarter of the wheel is covered in winning segments, you have a 25% chance to win. In this case, the Gamble minigame would offer to quadruple your winnings.
Example: Sakura Fortune – Epic Bloom by Quickspin
3. Ladder
Sometimes, the gamble minigame looks like a multi-step ladder. Every time you successfully gamble, you move up to the next level, increasing your payout by a factor of 2.
Most examples we’ve seen are just a coin toss with some fancy clothes. The ladder structure implies that losing a Gamble will only move you down one step, but this is not the case.
The idea behind this design is to encourage players to gamble as many times as possible in the hopes of climbing up the ladder. However, the odds are still the same, so be careful not to overextend yourself.
4. Card Gamble – Red or Black
Besides the coin toss, a simple card-picking minigame is the most common type of Gambling feature in online slots.
This variant presents you with a single face-down card. Your job is to correctly guess whether the card is red (hearts or diamonds) or black (clubs or spades.) Once you’ve made your selection, the card flips over and shows you the results.
From a statistical perspective, this gamble is identical to a coin flip.
Example: Prosperity Palace by Play'n GO
5. Card Gamble – Suit Prediction
A card-guessing gamble minigame can also ask you to correctly predict the suit of a face-down card. This is an extremely uncommon variation, but there are some examples among niche slots.
In this case, you’ll have to accurately predict whether the card is clubs, hearts, spades, or diamonds.
Unlike most other gambling bonus features, this minigame has a 25% chance to win. This means that your winnings are increased 4x for every successful prediction instead of the usual 2x. However, the increases are still exponential, meaning two consecutive wins result in a 16x increase in your initial payout.
6. Card Gamble – Higher or Lower
This type of Gamble bonus slot feature is much different from all others. In many ways, it’s actually better. It’s primarily found in Endorphina slots, though we wouldn’t be surprised it exists with other providers as well.
This type of minigame presents you with two playing cards. One of them is face up while the other is face down. Your job is to predict whether the face-down card has a higher or lower value than the face-up one.
In most cases, the minigame only allows you to predict that the face-down card will be higher. If it is, your money is doubled. If not, you lose the whole stake. If the two cards are of the same rank, the bet is considered a draw and you get your stake back.
However, the chances of winning a Hi-Lo minigame are actually not 50/50. The odds depend on the up-card: the lower the up-card, the higher your chances to win.
However, Endorphina still offers to double your money for every successful prediction. This means that the bet has variable risk but the exact same reward. In other words, the bet’s RTP is actually not a fixed 100%. Instead, it depends on the up-card.
The table below shows you the probability of winning this bonus gamble feature depending on the up-card. We’ve also included the RTP of every possible permutation. Of course, the table assumes the payouts are fixed at 1:1 like they are in Endorphina slots.
Up-card rank | Probability | RTP |
2 | 91.66% | 162% |
3 | 83.33% | 121% |
4 | 75.00% | 113% |
5 | 66.66% | 101% |
6 | 58.44% | 100% |
7 | 50.00% | 100% |
8 | 41.66% | 100% |
9 | 33.33% | 92% |
10 | 25.00% | 78% |
J | 16.66% | 69% |
Q | 8.33% | 66% |
K | 4.16% | 64% |
As you can see, choosing to Gamble is a smart decision only if the up-card is 8 or lower. If it’s 5 or lower, you actually have an advantage over the house, which means you should definitely choose to gamble. If the up-card is a 2 or 3, Gambling is practically a must.
Example: Joker Ra Dice by Endorphina (and most other new games from this provider.)
Gamble Features and Free Spins
Some slot games, such as Extra Chilli Megaways by BTG, allow you to gamble with bonus free spins.
In this case, the option to Gamble will become available after you trigger free spins. It also involves a betting minigame. However, instead of risking the winnings you scored, you’re risking your free spins for a chance to get more of them.
If you win the Gamble, you get additional free spins. If not, you lose your free spins and go back to the base game.
Note that most free spin gamble features in slots don’t actually double the number of spins. That’s because many slots with free spins also activate additional features during the bonus round. The most common example is a win multiplier that increases as the bonus round progresses and stays active for as long as you have free spins.
This means that having twice as many respins is not just twice as good – it’s much, much better. The math behind it all can be a bit confusing. However, software providers are legally obligated to tell you the exact RTP of every player option. If you’re not sure whether gambling free spins is worth it, check the in-game paytable. If the RTP of the Gamble option is less than 100%, you should probably avoid it.
Pros and Cons of Gambling Features
So are Gambling bonus features in slots worth it? Here are some pros and cons to consider.
Pros
- Increased payouts – the most obvious advantage is the ability to increase your winnings by a significant margin.
- Additional player control – Gamble features provide an interesting new option to players who want to play risky. Additional betting options are always welcome in slots.
- Fair odds – Minigames used for Gamble features typically offer fair odds, which means a 0% house edge. Playing them has no statistical downsides.
- Optional – These bonus features are purely optional, and there’s no downside to ignoring them. You can ignore most of the disadvantages if you just choose not to gamble.
- Player advantage (in some cases) – The Hi-Lo variant of card-based Gamble features can potentially offer RTP over 100%, which is incredibly rare in the casino world.
Cons
- Risk of ruin – Every Gamble feature has a strong chance to take away all of your winnings.
- Potentially addictive – Software providers offer the Gamble option for a reason – they’re trying to push you to risk your money as many times as they can. Resisting the urge to chase after huge wins can be difficult.
- Rare – Actually valuable gamble features, such as the Hi-Lo minigame, are exceedingly rare throughout the slot industry.
Conclusion
All bonus gambling features in slots are an absolute dream for adrenaline junkies. They can turn even the most tame and low-paying slot machine into a powerhouse of massive wins. However, they also encourage risk-taking behaviour that isn’t always ideal from a strategic perspective.
That said, we can safely say that this feature is a welcome addition to pretty much any slot machine, online or otherwise. Our reasoning is simple – implementing a Gamble option has no downsides. If a player doesn’t want to risk it, they can simply choose never to use the feature. The rest of the game is completely unaffected.
For more information on online slots and casino games, check out our game reviews to find out about everything and anything the online casino world has to offer. For more useful guides, tutorials, and articles such as this one, see the CasinosOnline.com blog.