The Snake Charmer is a 5-reel slot set in India, released by Light & Wonder back in 2012. It offers cash prizes of up to 5,000x your bet and includes a free spins feature with expanding Wilds, which we’ll explore in our The Snake Charmer review. This 5x3 slot has up to 25 paylines and medium volatility. It takes you to a peaceful Indian locale with elephants, snakes, and a man playing a pungi. During the Snake Charmer feature, you’ll play free spins with expanding Wild symbols that increase your chances of winning.
The Snake Charmer has 5 reels, 3 rows, and 1 - 25 paylines. Changing the number of active paylines is simple, and you can do that between spins (but only in the base game). Bets range from £0.01 to £250.00.
Line up 2 - 5 high or medium symbols on any active payline to win a prize. Low-paying symbols pay for 3 - 5 instead. As The Snake Charmer is a medium-volatility slot game, prizes are generally bigger than you might find in a less-volatile game. However, they won’t be awarded as frequently on average. The biggest payout you can expect to win is 5,000x your bet for 5 Snake symbols.
The Snake Charmer’s theoretical RTP is 95.34%, which falls below the 96% average. That equates to an average return of more than £0.95 for each £1.00 wagered on the game in the long term, though that’s not guaranteed.
You can play The Snake Charmer at a wide range of online casinos in the UK, and here are some of the best online slot sites to consider.
The Snake Charmer is set in India, featuring elephants, a dancing lady, and (as you’ve probably guessed) snakes. The presentation is fun and includes some cartoony animal designs. One of the most impressive parts is the snake charmer enjoying a snooze on top of the reels, with ‘zzz’ clouds slipping from his mouth with each breath.
The background features grassy plains, a lake, and a dusky sky. It’s a nice scene to look at while you play, and the Indian-inspired music that accompanies every spin fits it perfectly.
The Snake Charmer has 12 symbols, including 10 standard symbols, a Scatter, and a Wild. Every symbol can award three or four payouts depending on how many make up a combination.
The Snake symbol awards the biggest prize — 5,000x your bet for 5 on a payline. It’s also the Wild, and performs a hypnotic dance when it stands in for another symbol on a winning line. The Snake Charmer himself is the Scatter.
Nine
3 — 5x bet / 4 — 20x bet / 5 — 100x bet
Ten
3 — 5x bet / 4 — 20x bet / 5 — 100x bet
Jack
3 — 10x bet / 4 — 50x bet / 5 — 150x bet
Queen
3 — 10x bet / 4 — 50x bet / 5 — 150x bet
King
3 — 15x bet / 4 — 75x bet / 5 — 200x bet
Ace
3 — 15x bet / 4 — 75x bet / 5 — 200x bet
Baskets
3 — 20x bet / 4 — 100x bet / 5 — 400x bet
Pungi
3 — 20x bet / 4 — 100x bet / 5 — 400x bet
Elephant
2 — 4x bet / 3 — 50x bet / 4 — 250x bet / 5 — 750x bet
Dancing Woman
2 — 5x bet / 3 — 60x bet / 4 — 500x bet / 5 — 1,500x bet
Snake Charmer (Scatter)
2 — 2x bet / 3 — 4x bet / 4 — 15x bet / 5 — 100x bet
Snake (Wild)
2 — 10x bet / 3 — 200x bet / 4 — 1,000x bet / 5 — 5,000x bet
The Snake Charmer is a mobile-friendly slot suitable for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. You can expect the same performance on mobile as on desktop, and the controls are identical. The game works in portrait and landscape mode.
This game has just one bonus feature: the Snake Charmer round, which includes expanding Wilds to help you win.
The Snake Wild substitutes for all other symbols except the Snake Charmer.
If you manage to land 3 or more Scatter symbols anywhere, you’ll trigger the Snake Charmer feature and get 10 free spins.
Wild symbols may expand across the reels to help you build winning combinations more easily. Unfortunately, you can’t retrigger the Snake Charmer feature, no matter how many Scatters you land!
The Snake Charmer is fine overall, though it might have benefitted from more features (or at least a longer free spins round). The Snake Charmer feature offers 10 free plays and expanding Wilds, but you can’t retrigger it. That’s a shame, as it’s the only bonus available. The below-average RTP of 95.34% is another gripe.
Despite these slight drawbacks, though, The Snake Charmer still manages to impress with its top payout of 5,000x your stake. The visuals might be a bit dated in some ways, but they’re colourful and charming regardless. And the medium volatility can give you fairly regular payouts, even if they’re pretty small most of the time.
Rating: 6.5
Here are five frequently asked questions about this game: