Basic information
Min bet $,€,£: 0.1
Max bet $,€,£: 1500
Max Win: x3000
Autoplay Option: Yes
Multiplier: Yes
Game Shows review
Balloon Race is a great title to try if you enjoy both live casino experience and slots. It appears in the Live Casino collection but is also a slot machine. Evolution has created a very exciting game that combines the thrill of both products.
Balloon Race Overview
This release is essentially a slot with a live bonus round. Players will first play a very basic slot game to qualify for a feature where balloons compete to get you a win. Any balloon awards a payout, but they all offer different payouts, and you obviously root for the one that brings you the highest win.
How to Play Balloon Race Live
This game consists of three parts. The first is called “qualifying”, which is simply playing an RNG slot. The goal is to qualify for a race. But as you spin wheels, you do collect payouts for winning lines, just like a regular slot machine.
The slot features 10 lines, seven regular icons, Wilds and Scatters. Balloon Race slot payouts for win lines are between x0.10 and x15. Three matching symbols are the way to get a win. That’s basically it. When 3 Wilds/Scatters or a combination of the two appear on the screen, players get a live casino bonus. Wilds in Balloon Race can expand to cover an entire reel. And that’s always a good thing, because it improves the chances of landing a win.
Triggering Balloon Race Feature
You can see the bonus feature being played in the background all the time. This is live streaming from the studio. Balloons move as balls are selected one by one. But you first need to qualify for it by landing either three Wilds or Scatters or a combination of both. Scatters can come with multipliers that are then applied to a bonus win.
When testing the game for this Balloon Race game review, I had 2 bonus triggers within around 50 spins. This is pretty impressive. But your experience will probably be different. But even though my experience was too short to make assumptions, it felt like the game on average has a high bonus frequency. Because otherwise, it wouldn’t be so appealing for live casino fans.
XXXtreme Spins
This is a bet that takes you much closer to entering a feature. It costs x5 and guarantees up to 2 Wilds/Scatters. There’s also the Super version of the bet. For x50 you get two guaranteed Wilds/Scatters. Both improve odds of landing Scatters with multipliers. And by paying more, you get higher win boosters.
Top Up
This is the opportunity to boost your bonus win. And you decide how much to spend on it. It’s an optional Balloon Race stage, and you can just skip this step. This is what happens. You see the Top Up message and the countdown to the next round. That’s the time to buy balloons.
Every batch of balloons costs money. Once you buy them, they are released and those that get to the top are collected. So, by the time Balloon Race actually begins, you can already have some multipliers.
Balloon Race Bonus Begins
Balloons are awarded random prizes that are added to the ones you got during the Top Up. Which competitors advance is determined by an automatic bingo machine, and a game presenter is there to comment on the race and add another layer of fun.
One ball drawn pushes a matching color balloon one step higher. Usually, there will be some intrigue till the end of the round. Because underdogs can suddenly win beating heavy favorites. But the race is over quite quickly as the racetrack is only 5 steps long. The first to cross the finish line wins, and its corresponding multiplier is awarded.
Balloon Race RTP
The average return is 96.09% when you play regular spins and don’t use the Top Up feature. There are three more RTP values. 96% and 96.03% for XXXtreme Spin and its Super variation, respectively. And with the Top Up feature activated, average payback is 96.05%. This is a small difference, and it shouldn’t affect short-term Balloon Race performance.
Releases Similar to Balloon Race
This isn’t the only game that combines slots with live casino. Extra Chilli Epic Spins is another alternative. And this time, instead of creating a slot, Evolution takes an iconic Extra Chilli created by BTG. It keeps all the good things from the slot and adds the live casino elements to its bonus features.
Where to Play Balloon Race
Almost any online casino that has Evolution games has this release. This means you can easily find plenty of options. Some of them are listed below. You can compare their ratings and if you want details, read our reviews where we talk about everything from games to safer gambling.
This is one of a few games where you can’t just sign up with a casino and watch the action without depositing. You’ll need to have some funds on your balance to play the slot and qualify for a bonus round and experience the Balloon Race feature. So, take your time when choosing a gaming site.
Final Thoughts on Balloon Race
Evolution offers a great slot+live gambling mix. Players have fun at all stages of the Balloon Race. The qualification period isn’t too long and can be rewarding even without bonus activation. Then there’s a short but exciting Top Up stage for those who want to boost bonus wins. Finally, there’s an exciting live casino feature.
This is an entertaining release many players will appreciate. And it’s even possible to trigger bonus rounds more frequently thanks to XXXtreme and Super XXXtreme Spins.
Balloon Race screenshots
