Christmas themed slots are the greatest thing since sliced bread in December until January 2nd comes around. I wanted to find the other popular slots that captured players’ attention throughout the rest of 2024.
So I scoured all of the top sweepstakes casinos like Hello Millions, McLuck and Chumba to find, play, and review the six slots that defined January through November. 2024 was a huge year for sweeps casinos with tons of new slot games being added and more software providers were integrated into sweeps platforms.
Let’s dive in with the top contender at Hello Millions from 2024: Joker’s Jewels.
1. Joker’s Jewels (Pragmatic Play)
Joker’s Jewels is a five-reel game that blends regal music with silly spins. That’s not to mention the SC jackpot prizes available at Hello Millions – I opted into jackpots for an extra 0.1 SC per spin. This gave me a chance to win progressive jackpots including Minor, Major, Mega or Grand Jackpot of 167,382.67 SC.
At Hello Millions, jackpots drop at the end of any spin during the base game. This machine has no true bonus feature, but matching five “Bonus” symbols results in winning 250x your play size.
Beyond Hello Millions’ independently established prizes, Joker’s Jewels boasts a 96.49% RTP and delivers medium-volatility gameplay. Wins are calculated from left to right across five paylines, promising old-school action. Connect as few as two gems to win back your original spin value.
Longer symbol combinations deliver more tempting wins. Matching five Joker symbols from left to right delivers 1,000x your GC/SC spin size. I appreciate this slot’s budget-friendly versatility.
I had fun playing 70GC/0.2 SC per spin, but you can play up to 777,770 GC or 100 SC per spin on Hello Millions.
2. Fire Stampede: Connect & Collect (Pragmatic Play)
I hopped over to McLuck for more Pragmatic-sponsored action on Fire Stampede: Connect and Collect. If you’re familiar with buffalo-style slots at brick-and-mortar venues, Fire Stampede is a lovely substitute. It re-purposes Buffalo Gold with similar bonuses, symbols, and graphics in tow.
You can play this game with Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins at McLuck. There’s a minimum wager requirement of 70 GC/0.2 SC per spin, but this machine’s extremely high volatility rewards large play sizes. If you hit the Grand Jackpot while playing 300 SC per spin, you’ll earn 1,200,000 SC.
No matter your risk tolerance, jackpots are calculated using your current GC/SC spin size. I did the math. The Minor Jackpot grants 25x your spin size, while the Major Jackpot delivers a 200x win. Catching the Grand results in 4,000x wins, but the game’s largest multiplier rises to 4,275x.
Fire Stampede has 1,875 paylines, a bonus buy feature, random wilds, free spins, and retrigger opportunities. Land three, four, or five scatters to unlock 7, 10, or 15 free games at your current GC or SC play value. The bonus rounds are probably my favorite part of the experience. This machine’s primary claim to fame is the “Connect & Collect” symbol.
Starting from left to right, you can link adjacent Connect & Collect symbols to win jackpot prizes.
For example, had I gotten two Connect & Collect symbols instead of a K and J in row 5, I’d have won the Minor Jackpot of 1,750 GC. If you can’t stay away from the savannah, give this a shot.
3. Candy Land (Golden Feather Studios)
When I migrated to Chumba, I didn’t expect to find VGW’s all-exclusive Candy Land rendition. They’ve achieved the impossible, partnering with Chumba’s in-house development team (Golden Feather Studios) and Hasbro to bring pop culture to life.
And who hasn’t played Candy Land at least once? Lollipop fields, color-coded pathways, sugary rainbows, and shimmering green pastures characterized my gaming experience at Chumba. GC and SC wins are plentiful, as three profitable features could enhance your balance on any spin.
I found “Grandma Nutt’s Nutty Feature” by accident, but that didn’t stop me from winning 10,000 GC at random. Lord Licorice’s Royal Robbery Feature steals from the grid to remove 3 – 6 minor letter symbols from the reels mid-spin.
Connecting three bonus symbols activates the board game feature, which gives players extra opportunity to win GC and SC prizes as they draw cards and walk along color-coded pathways.
4. Aztec Fire 2: Hold & Win Multi (3 Oaks Gaming)
Aztec Fire 2: Hold & Win Multi features a top prize of 459,795 SC exclusively at Pulsz Casino (review). I enjoyed high-volatility action accompanied by low-risk requirements. You can play for 0.2 SC or 50 GC per spin. Max bets are limited to 50 SC/500,000 GC, leaving plenty of room in between.
Here’s the gist – if you collect forty bonus symbols and survive the gauntlet of hellfire, you win the Royal Jackpot. This prize supersedes the Grand by a factor of 10x, and this is one of my top recommendations for jackpot hunters. There are six potential prizes available during any bonus.
Landing six or more Bonus symbols anywhere on the 5 x 5 grid brings users to an ancient Aztec temple, where they’re given three chances to climb the bonus ladder with fireball after fireball. I didn’t get a chance to evaluate this feature in action, but I was only two smoldering orbs away.
5. Sweet Bonanza (Pragmatic Play)
Sweet Bonanza likely needs no introduction as it’s one of the most popular online slots of all time. This year, Sweet Bonanza stepped outside the shadow of its sister slot Sugar Rush and gained a massive following.
Sweet Bonanza is a fruit-themed game that features the same popular cascading tiles of Sugar Rush. Sweet Bonanza’s major claim to fame is the ability to win over 21,000X on a single spin. This time around the board is limited to 5X6 reels.
The free spin mode cranks the game into overdrive. You’ll encounter multiplier bombs during free spin mode that will multiplay your total score (after tiles stop cascading). The multipliers start at 2X but go all the way up to a staggering 100X. It can make for particularly juicy jackpots.
If the game gets too slow, you can double your chance of hitting a feature by spending a bit more on each spin. You can also just buy the feature outright (but get ready to spend!).
I enjoy playing Sweet Bonanza on Pulsz but it’s available at any casino that offers Pragmatic Play Games.
6. Rush Fever 7s (Ruby Play)
Last but certainly not least, I brought the heart of Sin City to my desktop screen at WOW Vegas.
Rush Fever 7’s is equal parts simple and exciting. This medium-volatility machine boasts a max multiplier of 8,600x your play value. With top limits reaching 150 SC per spin, you do the math!
Each clack of the reels delivers countless possibilities across 243 paylines. Landing five triple sevens across the grid results in 1,000x wins, but this game’s selling point is the “Rush Fever” feature. Collect three Rush Fever symbols to win back your last spin or earn four to double it.
If you get lucky enough to watch nine Rush Fever symbols appear on the grid, you’ll win 2,000x your GC or SC spin size. That’s not to mention Rush Fever’s star symbol – collect three stars on the reels to unlock 12 free games at seven times the amount of your current GC or SC bet size.
