Barcrest is a slot manufacturer that needs little introduction if you’re a slot lover who’s been betting on machines in the arcades and pubs in the old days. The company was founded in 1968 in the UK and at one point nearly all the slot machines in British pubs and casinos were manufactured by Barcrest. It’s safe to say that this company has been revolutionising the world of casino gaming for decades, and it has managed to keep pace with modern technology in the sense that it has started developing top-notch gambling games easily compatible with and accessible on standard browsing devices. IGT acquired Barcrest in 1998, and then the label was sold to Scientific Games in 2011. Still going strong, the firm is headquartered in one of the expensive quarters in London, employing a highly motivated team of casino experts and keeps delivering masterful video slots.
The UK-based company has successfully transferred some of its best known land-based titles to the virtual environment, keeping not only the same impressive quality in graphics, but also enhancing them with fresh, new features, like grand jackpots and availability in multiple languages. Barcrest does not have a massive collection of titles, but the several dozen games that circulate are extremely popular. Here’s a quick overview of a handful of slots:
Lady of Avalon - Barcrest's Lady of Avalon is a 5-reel, 3-row, 10-payline video slot with a fantasy theme and some similarities to slots of the “Book of” style. Remember the legends of King Arthur and the mysterious island of Avalon where his magnificent sword Excalibur was forged and you will embrace the visuals of Lady Avalon and get invested in the story. The high-value symbols include Merlin, a spell book, Camelot and a horse, whereas Lady of Avalon herself takes on the roles of both the Scatter and the Wild. Land three, four or five of the Lady of Avalon symbols and you will trigger free spins with expanding icons. The developer will reward the players who play with higher bets with a higher RTP up to 96%.
Super Star Turns – a 5-reel game with 40 paylines to bet on. Super Star Turns is inspired by television programs such as Wheel of Fortune; the action happens under bright lights of a television studio. Apart from standards Q, K, and A icons, you’ll see several things you might buy if you hit the jackpot on the reels, from a holiday and champagne to clean cash and a red sports car. Keep your eyes on the Super Star Turns bonus symbol, as three or more of these lay anywhere in view you will activate the green, blue or red wheels of prizes. They will award up to 50 freebies or cash prizes worth up to 500x your total bet.
Rainbow Riches Pick'n'Mix - Rainbow Riches (the original) is the most popular slot game in all of UK. The Pick'n'Mix version is a feature-rich video slot set against a familiar green and eye-pleasing Irish landscape. The paytable contains the standard 10, J, Q, K and A icons, the Rainbow Riches logo and a big gold coin as the Wild. The game contains an array of special bonus symbols, and these are responsible for the following bonus rounds: Road To Riches, Pots of Gold, Free Spins, Cash Drop and Magic Toadstool. The Rainbow Riches Pick'n'Mix RTP goes from 94% to 98% depending on the size of your wager.
Rainbow Riches Leprechaun’s Gold – another product from the hugely popular Rainbow Riches series. You will see the Rainbow Riches logo, the harp, a rainbow, a horseshoe, a toadstool and a four leaf clover on the screen and match these icons to create wins. The gold coin is Wild and the leprechaun is the Bonus symbol. Rainbow Riches Leprechaun’s Gold packs special features such as the Rainbow Ring Bonus Spinner. By triggering it, the player gets one spin of the Bonus Spinner which then awards a mysterious prize, extra Wilds or between 8 and 25 free spins. By turning on Big Bet, some reels become ‘Super Rainbow’ reels with multipliers. The RTP is at its highest when Big Bet is active.
Monopoly Bring the House Down – Apart from the Rainbow Riches slots, the Monopoly series is the most recognisable Barcrest’s project. The Bring the House Down slot is a 5-reel, 40-payline game, playable on all devices. Obviously, it was inspired by the board game and you will see symbols like the car, dog, ship and cat on the reels. The game features Hot Zone Wild patterns, 3 randomly triggered base game features (Chance Card feature, Bonus Selector feature and Bonus Drop feature), an optional Big Bet feature and a Free Spins feature. Monopoly Bring the House Down is a medium-variance slot with the RTP of 98.10% when the Big Bet is activated.
Monopoly On the Money – a slot with five reels, three rows and ten fixed paylines. The symbols are similar to those featured in Monopoly Bring the House Down (logo, top hat, cat and dog). Piles of cash are added to the paytable and the ‘Go’ symbol is Wild, as well as the Scatter. Land three, four or five of the Wild/Scatter icons on the same spin and you will receive 10, 15 or 20 free spins respectively. Mr Monopoly appears during free spins to secure additional Wilds and multipliers. Like several other Barcrest’s titles, this one also utilises the Big Bet option. The RTP increases to a beneficial 97.75% when playing with the Big Bet on.
While Barcrest does offer a wide range of themes and slot game styles (traditional fruit machines, video slots and 3D) we must admit that the graphics can sometimes look a little behind some of the brand’s major competitors. This tells us that rather than focusing too much on visuals, the developers invested more effort into providing a high level of playability for the customers.
Barcrest slots go from titles that are very lucrative, with fast-building multipliers to unique slots that often reference popular culture. Among innovations introduced with Barcrest products we wish to mention board-game type rounds and high-roller options.
Numerous online casinos feature Barcrest slots, but you will often find them under Scientific Gaming, even Playtech (as these corporations work closely together). VideoSlots.com has a separate section with Barcrest titles only, as well as SlotsMillion, where you can choose among dozens of evergreen options and new releases.