While the adage may say otherwise, to bring you a complete Time is Money slot review, we will take as long as needed! Time Is Money is a 5-reel, 20-payline slot game from Realistic Games that celebrates clocks, watches, and all things timey-wimey in a slight steampunk style. The game features a free spins bonus with nearly 100 spins to be won, plus a maximum multiplier of 12x. If this intrigues you, then it is time to read on to discover more.
Time is Money has a typical 5x3, 20 payline construction (although this is slightly atypical for the developer as Realistic Games usually prefers 3x3 retro configurations). The control bar found underneath the reels is relatively simple and includes up and down arrows and the menu button. The up and down arrow buttons let you choose how much you want to bet. It is important to note that the amount presented here refers to your wager per line, and as all lines are fixed, it will be multiplied by 20 to form your total wager. This means if you enter £1 here, you will be spinning the reels for £20 per spin; a costly mistake to make for a small budget player.
The Time is Money slot accepts wagers starting from £0.01 per line to £10.00 per line, which equates to a total wager of £0.20 to £200.00 per spin; a budget which most players should be comfortable with.
By clicking on the three-line menu icon found on the command bar, players can view useful gameplay information such as the paytable. Players from permitted regions (non-UK) can also configure autoplay here (or on the main screen by clicking on the symbol found beside the reels. As with almost all slots, the "Start" button is on the right side of the screen.
Time is Money operates using an RTP of 95.45%, which, while below the modern market average of 96%, is in line with a slot released back in 2017. The low volatility offered in this game should suit new and casual players well.
As with many other slot games, all payouts, including the top payout available, are presented in coins. 8,000 coins is the top prize on offer, which equates to 250x the total stake - not the most enticing of prizes, but we have seen worse.
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Given the name of the game, you will not be surprised to see plenty of clocks within the game’s theming. Clocks appear as some of the symbols, but all the gears and mechanisms inside are also used to decorate the reels. While the graphics are not as crisp as they may have seemed in 2017, the design culminates as a steampunk theme complete with gears, valves, and fizzing electricity.
There is a clock above the reels that will be important during the Bonus Spins feature too, but more on this later. The soundtrack for the Time is Money game is a quiet and inoffensive piano track which can be easily muted if required.
Joining the lowest value A to 9 playing card symbols, higher-paying symbols include a time machine, a Victorian-era inventor, and his female assistant. It seems this slot is making subtle references to H.G. Wells' iconic Sci-Fi novel, 'The Time Machine'. The full paytable for Time is Money is as follows:
Nine
3, 4, or 5 matching symbols across a payline award 0.2, 0.4, and 5x the total stake, respectively.
Ten
3, 4, or 5 matching symbols across a payline award 0.2, 0.4, and 5x the total stake, respectively.
Jack
3, 4, or 5 matching symbols across a payline awards 0.3, 0.6, and 7.5x the total stake, respectively.
Queen
3, 4, or 5 matching symbols across a payline awards 0.3, 0.6, and 7.5x the total stake, respectively.
King
3, 4, or 5 matching symbols across a payline award 0.4, 0.8, and 10x the total stake, respectively.
Ace
3, 4, or 5 matching symbols across a payline award 0.4, 0.8, and 10x the total stake, respectively.
Golden Robot
3, 4, or 5 matching symbols across a payline award 4, 16, and 40x the total stake, respectively.
Lady
3, 4, or 5 matching symbols across a payline award 4, 16, and 40x the total stake, respectively.
Pilot
3, 4, or 5 matching symbols across a payline award 4, 16, and 40x the total stake, respectively.
Time is Money Logo
3, 4, or 5 matching symbols across a payline awards 10, 125, and 250x the total stake, respectively. This is also the wild symbol and can stand in for all other non-special symbols to form a winning combination.
Clock
This is the scatter symbol and can trigger the bonus round.
Despite being released 8 years ago, Time is Money has kept up with the times and can be played on all mobile devices regardless of their operating system (Android/iOS/Windows). There is no need for additional downloads, and players can load the game directly from their phones’ browsers or the dedicated app of their chosen online casino. Incomplete games (such as those interrupted by a dead phone battery or wi-fi disruption) are held for 48 hours, which can come in handy when gaming on the go.
Time is Money includes the standard array of bonus elements such as scatters, wild symbols, and free spins. It does, however, add a new twist to the free spins bonus round, which we will explore further below.
The Time is Money slot includes a wild symbol, which is the game’s logo. Alongside standing in for all non-special symbols, the wild symbol is the highest paying symbol, awarding up to 250x the total stake amount. The scatter symbol is a clock, and when three or more of these appear on the reels in any position within a single spin, the free spins bonus round will activate.
The free spins bonus round is triggered by scatters as usual, with the number of Scatter symbols influencing how many free spins you earn:
The free spins round is when we see some storytelling come into play. The reels change, and we are sent back in time. Our three protagonists (the highest paying ‘human’ symbols) are replaced by dinosaurs of matching colours. Their respective payout values remain the same, and the change is little more than cosmetic, but it does add a dash of unique flair to proceedings.
You cannot earn more free spins during the bonus game, and the feature cannot be retriggered, but there is one small twist that makes Time Is Money's second bonus feature: clock multipliers.
The clock above the reels comes into play during free spins whenever a player lands a winning combination. The dials will turn until the minute hand stops on a certain number. That figure represents the multiplier that will be applied to the current win (i.e. a clock stopping at 3 pm will apply a 3x multiplier to all wins). You cannot use the same numbers more than once in the bonus game. If you can utilise all 12 numbers, a jackpot prize is awarded. Multipliers apply to all winning combinations aside from the wild symbol, meaning the top payout remains capped at 250x the total stake.
Realistic Games often gain middling scores from me with their slots as many of which are basic and dated, with no redeeming features such as low wagering requirements or top-tier payouts. When first examining this slot, I feared that Time is Money was going the same way (albeit on a 5x3 format instead of a 3x3 one). While I will make no bones about the fact that the slot feels very basic, and its math model, including its below-average RTP of 95.45% and low top payout of 250x the total stake, there are some aspects to praise about this game.
Many of the elements of the bonus round are genius, and it is frustrating that they are so held back by the math model of the game. I love the added story element with the characters becoming dinosaurs as the free spins teleports us back in time. The number of free spins on offer is incredibly generous, and the clock multipliers add another element that not only has the potential to greatly increase payouts but also enhances the overall time travel theme. I think the originality seen here shows the ideas that the team at Realistic can come up with when given creative liberty. Therefore, it is all the more frustrating to see that the wild symbol cannot have multipliers applied to it, which forces the top payout to be 250x the total stake as in the base game, thus dulling the excitement of triggering the bonus feature.
Overall, I feel like Realistic Games needs to revisit the Time is Money slot in the future, as a game of this type, with updated graphics, more storytelling elements, and greater possible payouts, would be a smash hit with modern online slot players. As it stands, the Time is Money slot gets a respectable rating of 6/10.
Rating: 6.0
Here are some of the most common questions we get asked about Time Is Money.