Gold-digger pokie themes are among the most popular, and the reason is relatively straightforward — they offer promises of huge riches!
But before you go off and spend big bickies on a random gold-themed online slot, which one is the best? Let’s test whether Where’s The Gold slot by Aristocrat is a true blue pokie or a muddy mess! We’ll also check out several other gold-digger pokies like PayDirt, Western Wilderness, More Gold Diggin’, and others to see which one is the best choice!
Firstly, Where’s The Gold contains 25 paylines and five reels on which you’ll see pickaxes, shovels, cacti, dynamite, and other symbols. There are a scatter and a wild, and the pokie includes a bonus round with free spins. Let’s check out this Where’s The Gold pokie review!
Details
| Provider | Aristocrat |
| Reels | 5 |
| Paylines | 25 |
| Coin Value | AU$0.01–AU$4 |
| Maximum Bet | $100 |
| RTP | 94.921% |
| Maximum Payout | 10,000 Coins |
| Wild | yes |
| Scatter | yes |
| Bonus Game | yes |
| Free Spins | yes |
| Multiplier | yes |
| Mobile | yes |
First Look: Where’s The Gold
To begin, players should know that this game was among the first Aristocrat pokies, developed in 2003. Back then, it was only offered in land-based venues, and the online version was available after a few years. This online pokie, which you can access on desktop as well as mobile, is the same as the classic land-based pokie machine from the 2000s. This means that it’s among the earliest Gold Rush casino games.
Additionally, you’ll find two available versions of the same Aristocrat game depending on your chosen casino, but there’s not much difference between them. The developer has updated the controls for the newer version in 2014, but everything else has remained the same.
At first glance, it’s a fairly generic pokie machine with a simple layout and some cheery symbols although the graphics are a bit two-dimensional and slightly outdated. You’ll instantly notice the 2000-ish feel to it. Nevertheless, it seems that the gameplay flows smoothly. So let’s dig into the symbols and winning options so that you can see if you should still play this slot in 2019.
Pokie Symbols
The game’s major symbols are the Miner, Mine, Cart, and Pickaxe. The minor symbols are card values A–9.
Furthermore, you’ll find scatters in the form of a Dynamite symbol. The scatters can pop up anywhere, and they will trigger a multiplier. And the Gold Symbols stand for the wild. These are any of the previously mentioned icons (without the scatter symbol) but with gold colour. However, the wilds won’t show up on your screen during the base game. The scatters and wilds will serve an important purpose during your game, so it’s best to keep a close eye on them.
While the game’s characters and symbols have a neat look to them, the minor symbols look a bit quirky, and they don’t blend in. However, most of the symbols have a comical element to them, which can enhance the gaming experience.
Gameplay
As mentioned, this game is a straightforward pokie with standard controls and gameplay options. There is a bonus mini-game feature that we’ll get to later on though. Some players love the simplicity of older Aristocrat games, and if you’re a beginner, this could be the pokie to try due to its easy controls.
Moreover, the control panel will be shown at the bottom of the pokie screen. Here, you’ll see Spin, Bet, Autoplay, Gamble, Info, and Lines buttons that allow you to modify your gameplay. The additional rules regarding wilds, scatter, and the bonus round can be found in the Info section.
Before starting, you will have to place a wager on the lines, which are variable in this game. The bet is not fixed, and you can choose between AU$0.01 and AU$4 for a bet per line. That makes the max bet $100. This betting range is quite common for online pokies, and it seems to be accessible to both high rollers and low-stake pokie fans. What’s more, you may also check out the pokie in the demo mode before you decide to put up a real-money wager.
Bonus Round
If you get anywhere from three to five dynamite scatters, the pokie will offer you up to ten free games. It’s a fun feature since the screen will start to shake. Then, you’ll get to choose between five additional symbols (Finda the Dog, Prof. Gold, Nugget Ned, Mary Money, and Happy Lucky). Depending on which one you pick, the pokie will give you a set number of free spins, wilds, and retriggers. You’ll get the wild symbols in this round, and they will swap out the regular symbols (up to three). This round is retriggerable. It’s a fun feature. However, it will take a while for players to activate it.
Furthermore, this game has a “Gamble” option. This feature will allow you to guess the colour/suit of a card. If your guess turns out to be right, the prize will double or even quadruple. But if your prediction is false, you’ll lose any winnings for that round.
Payouts and Prizes
So now we’ve come to the main question — where is the actual gold? How much can you truly win? Well, the max in normal play is 1,000 coins if you collect five Miner symbols (the gold digger). The second highest is the Mine. What’s more, scatter wins will bring in some bigger prizes since they will be multiplied by the total bet. The game doesn’t have a linked progressive. However, there’s a jackpot worth AU$4,000 that could come about at the end of a spin if the player is lucky. Lastly, the total prize in the game is 10,000 coins.
Our Take: Are There Any Similar or Better Games?
We’ve already mentioned some of the drawbacks of this pokie, including a fairly primitive look and feel.
It’s not a big deal; however, some players who are seeking out the newest and latest will not be entirely pleased. But if you look over that, you’ll find a decent betting range and an exciting bonus feature. The game could benefit from a linked progressive though. Additionally, it appears that this pokie’s RTP is around 94.9%, which is a bit lower compared to others with similar Gold Rush themes. All in all, you could dig up some nuggets in this pokie, but if you love the theme or wish to try other similar games with different winning options and features, take a look at some brilliant alternatives below!
The Best Gold Rush Pokies
Gold rush and Wild West are highly popular pokie themes due to the fact that they provide plenty of action, great visuals, and a punt on winning big. Check out some of the best pokies with similar themes that we recommend:
- Gold Rush — This pokie was designed by Rival, and it comes with a superb Western theme. It has a vintage vibe to it, and the reels look very neat. Plus, there are three reels, a fixed 400-coin jackpot, and wild multipliers.
- More Gold Diggin’ — BefSoft’s gold-digger-themed game has exploding symbols, a free spins feature, and awesome 3D graphics. It’s among the best-looking pokies on our list. What’s more, this slot has a whopping 15x multiplier and a max base play win of 2,500.
- Texan Tycoon — And here’s a digging style pokie with a slight twist in the theme. Here, it is oil mining, and you could certainly get high prizes in the bonus feature that offers up to 25 free spins. This pokie also includes a progressive jackpot.
- Trigger Happy — Trigger Happy is another rustic Wild West pokie by RTG with fixed paylines and four brilliant bonus features. These bonus rounds will give you free spins, multipliers, extra scatters, and sticky wilds. Plus, you can attempt to score the Major and Minor progressive jackpots.
- Western Wildness — This Rival slot is slightly older, but it features cartoonish graphics that will surely entertain you. Just like Where’s The Gold, this older pokie also has a basic look. However, it outmatches the previous one in terms of prizes. Here, you can win as many as 100 free games including a 3x multiplier!
- Coyote Cash — This game will remind you of the famous Road Runner cartoon, and one of the greatest things about it is its jackpot, which is fixed at 10,000. But the prizes don’t end there since Coyote Cash also offers a progressive. If you want a shot at some jackpots, this game is the way to go.
- PayDirt — Lastly, PayDirt is among the best RTG pokies, and it is our favourite gold-mining slot! There’s a progressive jackpot, multipliers and substitute wins 3x, along with three bonus features. These bonus features offer some truly impressive free spins and chances to win huge prizes. Moreover, the game’s RTP is an incredible 97.5%, and the most you can win is 50,000x line bet!
Availability
All of the previously mentioned pokies games are very easy to access in Oz. The pokie machines will let you test your fortune on desktop and mobile, and it’s best to try them at some of the most secure and popular Aussie online casinos. Our favourites are Two-Up Casino, and you’ll find most of the games from the list here. Others are Cherry Gold Casino as well as Golden Lion and Eclipse Casino. They offer some of the best online gaming options in Oz.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, you’ll surely have fun with Where’s The Gold, but the pokie feels a bit limited. It offers some entertaining ways to win during base play, and the bonus round is quite humorous while providing a decent amount of free spins. However, you can expect to spend a little more on it due to the lower RTP rate.
Plus, the jackpot is rather low compared to the higher RTP, which might disappoint some players.
If you look at the other similar games from our list, you’ll notice that they have a broader range of various prizes, bonus options, as well as substantially larger progressive jackpots that will bring in big dollarydoos. If you’re having doubts, it’s better to check out some of the games we’ve listed and go off on an epic Wild West adventure in search of buried gold! Happy trails!