Whenever a new mining slot lands on our proverbial desk, there is always excitement in the air. It’s so easy to identify with the lone prospector and his grueling search for riches in the form of gold nuggets and/or gems. We therefore had our hopes set on Pragmatic Play’s Drill That Gold, but we also had the creeping feeling that this would be one of their many run-of-the-mill efforts.

Our suspicions proved to be correct. Just as the intro to the bonus round leads you to a visual mine shaft ride that ends where you started, the game is mostly visual tricks dressing up familiar features. The base game is all about the extended drill wild, and it can award a cash prize that is guaranteed if the ante bet is activated. In the bonus round, you get more of the same, with increased cash prizes up to 1,000 times and a decent 5,000 times potential.

Drill That Gold Slot Features

The premium symbols pay out between 4 and 12.5 times your bet for 5-wins, and the Detonator wild substitutes for regular payout symbols to complete winning combinations. The wild also pays the same as the premium dwarf/miner symbol when you land 5 on a payline. The Ante Bet option can be turned on and off between spins and costs 25% more per spin .

Landing a full stack of the Dwarf/Mineworker symbol in the base game triggers the Drill feature. When the ante bet is disabled, the stack turns into a silver drill symbol , which is basically a full wild reel. The silver drill can also reveal an instant cash prize of x2 to x100 . However, when the ante bet is enabled, you get a gold drill that always awards a random instant cash prize.

The miner dwarf plays around with his broken wire ends, and this sometimes triggers a modifier on non-winning spins . This guarantees a win of at least 10 times your bet and can also give you enough bonus scatters to trigger the bonus round.

The Gold Spins bonus round is triggered when you land 3, 4 or 5 bonus scatters anywhere in sight, and this gives you 6, 8 or 10 free spins respectively . The feature includes both silver and gold drills, and the extended gold drill wild guarantees an instant cash prize. The Silver Drill wild can also earn you cash prizes from the same range of 5x, 10x, 15x, 25x, 50x, 75x, 100x, 200x, 500x or 1,000x of your bet , but it is not guaranteed.

It is easier to get the drill feature in the bonus round, as even a single Miner/Dwarf symbol in view will trigger the nudge feature. This means that the entire stack will be pushed up or down to fill the reel, giving you a silver or gold Drill Wild reel. Finally, you win 4, 6, 8 or 10 extra spins if you land 2, 3, 4 or 5 scatters on the same free spin.

The 200 Spins Drill Has Gold Slot Experience

You can see some decent gold drill instant cash prizes in the base game, before the miner dwarf helps us trigger the bonus round at 2:36 in the 4:37 minute highlights video. You’ll then be taken for a tour of the mineshaft before returning to what looks like the original reel set, and we have 6 free spins to start. See for yourself by clicking the play button below.

Summary

There is a prefabricated and hasty atmosphere over this Pragmatic Play production, which is not unusual for this developer. The drilling feature is mainly for show, as it is basically a full-reel wild that may or may not award an instant cash prize. The ante bet is probably a good idea, as you’ll then get an instant cash prize every time, although in the base game you’re mainly looking at top-up wins anyway.

We wouldn’t have minded a few more modifiers to expand the Miner’s Dwarf repertoire, but he can be very helpful when it comes to triggering the bonus round. The biggest difference from the base game is the higher drill wild cash prizes, and a 1,000x prize is admittedly a decent nugget. You’ll probably need a few of these to crack the 5,000x potential, as 250x your bet is the most you can hope for from a regular symbol win.

Pros

Full reel drill wilds award possible prizes up to x100
The ante bet guarantees an instant prize per drill wilds
The dwarf modifier can give you the bonus round
FS with up to 1,000x drill wild prizes
Win up to 5,000x your bet

Cons

The maximum win on a regular single spin is 250x

Christmas Carol Megaways Slot FAQs

What is the Return to Player of Christmas Carol Megaways slot?

The default payout percentage of the game is 96.58, but you can get a lower payout due to the RTP ranges. Available RTP values are 96.58%, 95.59% and 94.69%.

How volatile is Christmas Carol Megaways?

Volatility is high here and you can expect longer dry spells in the base game before a bonus round rewards you for your patience.

What is the biggest possible win?

You can win up to 20,000 times your bet, which is in the upper range of most Megaways games.

How does the Ante Bet feature work?

It costs you 25% more per spin, but doubles your chances of triggering the bonus round.

Is there a free spins mode in Christmas Carol Megaways slot?

Yes, you can choose between 4 different free spins modes, each with its own number of spins, volatility and starting win multiplier.

How many winning ways are available?

You can play here with up to 200,704 Megaways, which is above average in this popular genre.

Can I play Christmas Carol Megaways for free?

Yes, you can try our free demo game Christmas Carol Megaways at the very top of this page (UK players must confirm their age first).