Gold Rush Gus Slot
Software | Bovada Gaming |
Slot theme | Adventure |
Reel | 5 |
Paylines | 10 |
Progressive | Yes |
Reviewed & updated:
27.09.2024 By gambling expert
Brad I.
Gold Rush Gus Slot Review
The Gold Rush Gus slot machine is an in-house creation of Bovada Gaming and as such it is an exclusive game available to players from the USA only in online casinos belonging to Bodog Group network. The game is also exclusive in its general visual presentation which is fairly outstanding to say the least. The video slot mixes an exciting plot, grasping gameplay, crisp graphics, superb animation and enticing bonus features as well as decent winning capacity. US players signed up with any online casino belonging to the Bodog network will be most pleased with entertaining capacity of the slot and the scale of payouts when the game is played for real money. Besides line wins reaching $5,000 in the base game and $20,000 during free spins, this 5-reel 10-line slot also awards three progressive jackpots including one of a life-changing scale. This scale of wins is a perfect match to the theme of the slot, which is gold rush and gold mining. A charismatic character named Gus will guide players through all bottlenecks and help them find gold and gemstones straight in an online casino.Bet options, symbols and payouts
The intro video that starts immediately after the game launch introduces the main aspects of the gameplay and bonus features. The slot accepts bets within a range from $0.2 to $10 per line. As soon as 10 lines of the slot are fixed and always on, players do not need to activate them, so the total bet ranges from $0.20 to $100. If the player opens the game in a bitcoin casino, he is allowed to wager bitcoin and win that cryptocurrency instead of US dollars. This scope of betting makes the game an affordable solution for all categories of low rollers and is interesting enough to attract high rollers from the United States.
The reels in this slot machine are of a very special kind. They do not spin in the conventional way and in fact they are not even visible. The slot pays tribute to the situation of a miner looking for treasures deep underground. All the miner can see is what his pickaxe unearths: rocks, stones, mud, or gems. The same happens to Gus and the player: every hit of the pickaxe unearths the reels that reveal symbols.
The regular icons are six playing cards from 9 to A and five gems of different colors (green, orange, pink, red and blue). They earn when at least 2 or 3 icons of a kind hit any line starting from the leftmost reel. Playing cards pay between x2 and x150 the line bet so up to $1,500 at the max bet. Gemstones are much more generous and offer x10 to x500 the line bet ($100 to $5,000 at a $10 line bet if played for real money).
Helping players win these nice cash prizes is a wild symbol: it does the job of substituting for any regular icon when they build line combinations. Wilds land on any reel in the main game and during free spins. They cannot substitute for feature symbols.
Each spin is made an intrigue: as soon as symbols are hidden under rocks, players would see only glimpses of gemstones. Then the pickaxe unearths symbols to let players see what is laid inside the rocks. This solution adds a lot of thrills into the gameplay and increases suspense which rockets through the roof when a prize is won or a bonus feature is activated.
There are two feature icons, scatters and bonus symbols, which activate features. Scatters appear on reels 1, 3 and 5 and award free spins. A key serves as a bonus symbol; it lands on reel 1 and 3 and awards a second-screen mini game. Neither feature symbol pays any cash prize directly.
Diamond-shaped gemstones, one red and one green, award respective mini jackpots. It happens when five identical gems are collected in the course of the gameplay. Special meters above the reels display the number of collected gemstones and current values of 2 mini jackpots and 1 major jackpot. The major jackpot is won when a large white diamond is found.
Free spins
The feature activates when 3 scatters land in any positions on reels 1, 3 and 5. The online casino game awards 15 free spins and makes a spectacled mole appears from under the ground with a win multiplier in his paws. This win multiplier may have value of x2, 3 or x4 and applies to every line win during the feature.
Besides, the mole brings an assistant: he is a bit slow and misses a few teeth but he is extremely strong. He hits the stone so hard that rocks start falling on his head making him dizzy and generating little stars circling around his head. This is not just a useless visual effect: one or more of those stars fall on random positions on the reels and turn into wild symbols.
Given these extra wilds and the win multiplier delivered by the mole, the bonus feature makes the slot machine much more generous as compared to the base play. Depending on the win multiplier fetched by the mole, the game pays out 2, 3 or 4 times the basic level so the best win can reach $20,000 at max. Besides, the game awards more frequently due to star wilds produced by rocks falling on the assistant’s head.
As soon as scatters appear on reels 1, 3 and 5 during free spins, the feature is retriggerable. Landing 3 scatters during the feature awards 15 extra free spins.
Treasure chest bonus game
This is an amazing bonus feature meeting the highest standards of animation and providing good opportunities of earning some extra cash or even jackpot prizes. The feature initiates when 2 keys land on reels 1 and 3. The mole pokes from under the ground and delivers a treasure chest. Gus opens the chest and reveals the prize, as simple as that. The prize is instant cash or any gem required to win one of three jackpots (red, green or white) or a treasure map. The latter triggers a second-screen game.
When Gus finds red or green gems, they are added to respective meters. It takes 5 green or red gems to win either mini jackpot. To hit the top jackpot of the biggest value, Gus has to find a big white diamond.
Second-screen bonus game
When 2 keys hit the reels and the mole delivers the chest with the map, Gus takes the map and puts it under his hat. The reels disappear and a vintage mining cart arrives. Gus jumps into it and the cart is then transferred to a starting platform, or the Booster Area from which a mind-blowing ride begins.
To start the ride, slot machine players are asked to click on any position of the Booster Area. The cart sets in motion and begins the ride. This long drive is to finish within a limited time so the cart speed is of utmost importance. The faster the cart moves, the more coins Gus collects. A lucky click on the Booster Area gives the cart such a powerful push that Gus can cover the whole distance at once and collect all coins along the way. In other situations, he collects only a few coins.
It is recommended to try clicking different spots on the Booster Area to explore all the opportunities of the feature and get the best of it. Besides, all sections on the path glowing green are also booster areas: clicking them while riding gives an extra speed boost to the cart. The online casino prize earned during the ride is paid in coins with their monetary value depending on a total bet in the triggering round.
Summary
The Gold Rush Gus slot machine is a 10-line mobile-compatible video slot by Bovada Gaming developing the theme of gold rush and mining. It accepts bets between $0.01 and $10 per line and awards up to x500 the line bet in the main game and x2,000 during retriggerable free spins. Online casino players may win instant cash and three progressive jackpots during a bonus feature.