Slingo Capital Gains Slot Review

The Slingo Capital Gains game features a simple green and gold look that reminds us of conventional casino tables. Given the game's name, "Capital Gains," the focus will most likely be money, investments, and wealth building. Expect icons representing money, stocks, assets, and financial instruments. The design has a clean and professional appearance, with visuals reflecting the world of high finance with the background being the perfect ‘money green’. Four Money Charge jackpot amounts are highlighted to the right of the grid, and you will have a chance to win them if you activate the Money Charge bonus game; but more on that later in our review.

When the game loads a short trumpet tune is played, which verges on a jumpscare. Outside of this, simple sound effects and a smooth jazz soundtrack play once a round is started. The overall soundscape of the slot is nothing annoying or jarring but can be easily switched off so you can enjoy your own tunes. 

Before you begin playing, you should become familiar with some of the essential symbols that will appear throughout the game. As this is a Slingo game, you will not find the traditional pay table, instead, you will encounter a variety of classic Slingo symbols with the majority being the numbers you need to match. Here is a rundown of what to expect:

• Numbers: The numbers 1-69 are used in the game and players will need to match them to complete Slingos
• Wild Symbol: Has the word ‘Wild’ written in gold across a red background. Wilds allow you to mark off any number in the column above its reel position. 
• Super Wild Symbol: Has the words ‘Super Wild’ written in gold across a purple background. Super Wilds allow you to mark off any number across the entire grid, regardless of reel position.

• Free Spin Symbol: Has the words ‘Free Spin’ written in gold across a green background and will add an extra spin to your tally to be played at the end of the core 5 spins.

• Blocker: Looks like a black ‘x’ on a white background. This symbol has no value and prevents a potential match from being made by blocking a space on the reel.

Unlike other Slingo titles which are often low on the number of bonus features offered, the Slingo Capital Gains game offers a variety of bonus elements more akin to those of a slot. This should add an extra layer of appeal for slots fans looking to try a Slingo game for the first time. The bonus features of the Slingo Capital Gains game are explored in more detail below:

Vault Bonus

To unlock the silver or gold Cash Vault Bonus, create 5 or 6 Slingos throughout the base game. These will provide you with a choice of two vaults, each containing either instant winning symbols or triggering the Money Charge Bonus.

Money Charge Bonus

This is a free spins bonus that offers the possibility of hitting instant winning symbols and jackpot payouts. Land 12 Slingos on a 5x5 grid for expanded prize potential.

Additional win multipliers are available to increase your overall win when you complete Slingos. There is the potential to double the money you collect by up to 5 times. There is also the possibility of a grand jackpot with a maximum win multiplier of 10,000x.

You can get the bonus by making a Cash Vault pick or collecting at least one of the Money Charge scatter symbol icons throughout the base game. You can also activate it by achieving at least 7 Slingos.

The Money Charge feature is a hold-and-win bonus, like those found in many online slots. The scatter symbol locks when it lands and resets the spin metre. Your total win is determined using the cash amounts indicated on the scatter symbols and any multipliers applied.

Sticky Symbols (Money Charge Bonus Only)

During Money Charge, the scatter symbol icons are locked on the grid, and if you gather Slingos or scatters, you will receive three initial games on a 5x3 grid. If you trigger the feature with the Cash Vault, you will receive one free spin on a 5x3 grid.

Pay Ladder Boosts

You can also trigger Money Charge from the Payladder, which increases the number of spins you receive, the multipliers offered, and the size of your grid based on how many Slingos you complete. You can earn 1 to 3 free spins in this way.

Jackpot Prizes (Money Charge Bonus Only)

The Money Charge Bonus has 4 fixed jackpot prizes; mini, minor, major, and grand which award the following prizes:

• 10,000x Grand jackpot win
• 500x Major jackpot
• 50x Minor jackpot
• 10x Mini jackpot

Free Spins

Landing the free spin symbol on the reels will award one free spin. This spin is to be played at the end of the core 5 spins.

Extra Spins

When all core spins and free spins have been used up, players have the option to purchase extra spins in the hope of completing a few more Slingos. The cost of each extra spin will change to reflect the current state of play. Extra spins are completely optional, and you do not need to purchase any when playing if you do not want to.

Slingo games can often feel very formulaic, with exactly the same elements forming in exactly the same ways, albeit with a different theme. For players who like familiarity, this can be a good thing, but for the more diverse player, this can give the overall impression of Slingo games being bland. 

When first loading the Slingo Capital Gains slot you might think that this is also the case here. I have to admit that the overall appearance of the game is very dull, and the graphics make it hard for me to believe the game was released this year - put simply if you are a fan of aesthetics you are not going to like the outward appearance of the game.

However, the saying goes that true beauty is more than skin deep, so if you can check your preconceptions and overlook the poor graphics, what you will find is a Slingo game, unlike the majority of the current Slingo titles out there. The sheer number of bonus elements and the top prize of 10,000x stake found in this game leans more towards the slots side of the fusion making the game a great opportunity for players of said slots to try out a Slingo game for the first time. The  94.68% RTP and medium-to-high volatility rate are nothing to write home about but are decent averages when compared to other Slingo titles.

Overall, I think Slingo Capital Gains displays an interesting shift into more slots-adjacent gameplay which we might see more of in releases in future years. Personally, though, I find the overall appearance of the game very drab and low-effort and that is a big turn-off for me. However, I know that this game was inspired by the Capital Gains slot, and it has recreated its source material well, not to mention that there are plenty of players out there who care little for the aesthetics or theming included in their chosen game.

For these reasons, I rate Slingo Capital Gains a strong 7.5/10.

Rating: 7.5