Yep, that’s right - Pragmatic Play is back again with another instalment in the Big Bass series. Big Bass Return to the Races marks the 24th release in the popular slot franchise, although it deviates from the usual fishing theme to take us to the races instead. In terms of special features there are two different bonus rounds that can be triggered: Free Spins and Golden Cup free spins. The game has a maximum win of 5,000x your bet, plus an RTP of 96.07% and a bet range of £0.10 to £250. In this Big Bass Return to the Races slot review I will give you my honest opinion on the game, its bonus features, design, and more.
Big Bass Return to the Races is a five-reel, three-row slot game. For most symbols, wins are achieved by landing three or more matching symbols on a payline from left to right. The exception is the bucket of champagne, which pays out for just two matching symbols.
The minimum bet in this slot is £0.10 and the maximum bet is £250, making it suitable for players with different budgets. The maximum win is 5,000x your bet.
The RTP of Big Bass Return to the Races is 96.07%. If you’re not familiar with RTP, it stands for Return to Player, and it is expressed as a percentage that represents the amount of money a slot game will statistically pay out over a long period of time.
There are lots of different online casinos where you can play Big Bass Return to the Races. Here is my pick of the best slot sites:
The Big Bass series was originally about catching fish, so the move to a racecourse seems a little strange at first. Rather than catching fish on the reels you’ll be hoping that horses appear - but you’ll also need to land a fisherman Wild on the same spin to be able to collect them. And just like in the original game, Wild only appears during the free spins round.
Although it is a bit of a stretch to link it back to the original game, we suppose even fishermen are allowed a day off to enjoy the races. When you think of it like this the theme kind of works, and you’ll also find binoculars, buckets of champagne and pints of beer on the reels. There’s also a tackle box, which we’re not sure would be very useful at the races, but it’s a playful nod to the game’s origins.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the standard symbols in the game:
Horses
5 = 20x bet / 4 = 5x bet / 3 = 1x bet
Pint of beer (pays for combinations made with the same symbol only)
5 = 50x bet / 4 = 10x bet / 3 = 2x bet
Binoculars (pays for combinations made with the same symbol only)
5 = 50x bet / 4 = 10x bet / 3 = 2x bet
Tackle box
5 = 100x bet / 4 = 15x bet / 3 = 3x bet
Champagne bucket
5 = 200x bet / 4 = 20x bet / 3 = 5x bet / 2 = 0.5x bet
Big Bass Return to the Races can be played on desktop, mobile or tablet, and uses HTML5 technology for smooth performance on your chosen device. The slot looks great on smaller screens, with no distortion or loss of quality.
The Big Bass Return to the Races slot game has a couple of special features to look out for. Here’s some more information about each of them:
The free spins round is triggered by landing three or more Scatters anywhere on the reels. At the beginning of the round, you’ll see 12 cards on the screen. Choose one to determine whether you’ll play the regular free spins round, or Golden Cup Free Spins.
During the regular free spins round, if a fisherman Wild lands on the reels on the same spin as any horse Money symbols he’ll collect the cash values attached for you. These symbols have a value of between 2x and 5,000x your bet, and there’s a chance to get more free spins if you land four or more Wilds during the round. Win multipliers can also increase for a chance to boost your wins.
This round is played on a grid where only horse Money symbols, Wild fisherman symbols and blank spaces can appear. All winlines and combinations with Money symbols receive a payout, and each Wild in view collects the values of any Money symbols on the reels. If there are Money symbols on the reels but no Wilds (or vice versa), it is possible for the desired symbol to appear on the reels to enable the Collect feature.
Big Bass Return to the Races is nothing we haven’t seen before. In fact, just last year Pragmatic Play released Big Bass Day at the Races, which on the face of it is almost exactly the same game.
Although Return to the Races certainly won’t win any prizes for originality, it’s a decent addition to the Big Bass family that will hold particular appeal for those of you who like a cheeky flutter on the races (and if you like fishing too, even better).
The mechanics of the game, with the fisherman Wild and the Money symbols is almost identical to the original Big Bass Bonanza game, and it’s a format that is clearly popular with many players. The pick-a-card feature before the free spins round adds a bit of excitement, and the Golden Cup Free Spins option offers a little something new.
The RTP of 96.07% is decent, and the maximum win of 5,000x your bet will appeal to players looking for a bit of fun without playing a super high stakes game. To wrap it up, Big Bass Return to the Races is worth a spin if you’re a fan of the races - or a die-hard Big Bass fan - but otherwise you’d be forgiven for giving it a miss.
Rating: 6.5
Here are some of the most common questions about Big Bass Return to the Races.