Oriental cultures are famous for their lucky symbols and this strong belief has made its way over to slot machines. With a host of winning symbols and great ways to play, this 5 reel cracker comes with bonuses and a pooled prize to boot.
WMS originally created slots for the casino floor but soon realised the online potential couldn’t be ignored. Our 88 Fortunes review proves that this game hasn’t become a firm favourite just by chance.
88 Fortunes Slots Details
| Software Developer: | WMS |
| Reels: | 5 |
| Rows: | 3 |
| Paylines: | 243 |
| Max bet: | £88 |
| Min bet: | £0.08 |
| RTP (Return To Player): | 96.00% |
| Volatility: | Medium |
| Progressive jackpot: | Yes |
| Bonus game: | Yes |
| Free spins feature: | Yes |
| Wilds: | Yes |
| Theme: | Chinese Culture |
Free Spins And Bonuses At 88 Fortunes Casinos
Sky Vegas
New customers only. 7 day Free Spin expiry. All Free Spins will be loaded on the first eligible game selected. Deposit and stake £10 requirement must be met within 30 days of registration. Game & eligibility restrictions apply. Further T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org, 18+.
Luck.com
18+. Available to ID-verified players only. Up to 100 Locked Free Spins (10p). Wheel of Fortune (WOF) will appear as a pop-up. Available to claim for 7 days. Prize not guaranteed. Wins from free spins are credited to your Bonus Credit Account, and available for 7 days. 30x wagering. Max win post Wagering: £10. T&Cs Apply. BeGambleAware.org. 18+.
Dream Jackpot
New UK Players only, no deposit required. 5 Free Spins on Fire Joker. 50x wagering required, max conversion to real funds equals £30. Full T&Cs Apply Here. 18+ BeGambleAware.org. Please play responsibly.
Admiral Casino
18+. New customers. 50 free spins on registration & 50 free spins on first deposit (Min £10) to be redeemed on selected games. 3-day expiry on active rewards. Rewards convert in increments of £10. x1 wagering applies to all rewards, game contributions vary. T&Cs Apply. BeGambleAware.org, 18+.
MadSlots
18+. Available to ID-verified players only. Up to 100 Locked Free Spins (10p). Wheel of Fortune (WOF) will appear as a pop-up. Available to claim for 7 days. Prize not guaranteed. Wins from free spins are credited to your Bonus Credit Account, and available for 7 days. 30x wagering. Max win post Wagering: £10. T&Cs Apply. BeGambleAware.org. 18+.
Pros and Cons
- Good features
- Lots of winning combos
- Big and exciting jackpots
- Classic game
- Small bets don’t see much action
- Graphics slightly outdated
How To Play 88 Fortunes
In essence, you place your bet and spin the reels as is customary for this type of game. However, The first time you play, it can seem a little confusing. But it really doesn’t take long to figure out what’s going on and before you know it, you’ll be playing like a pro.
The game offers individual prizes based on the winning symbols, as is the norm, as well as some fantastic jackpots that are created thanks to the additional wagers that you can make on the side.
The great news is that you don’t have to pay for these pooled jackpots if you don’t want to. You can play for very minimal steaks and still win the same great prizes as anyone else on the main game board.
88 Fortunes casino slots are super fun and can be potentially very rewarding for your wallet. We will show you exactly how you can make the most of this exotic betting structure and really enjoy the whole experience.
To try this game out for free, why not have a go at the 88 Fortunes demo? It’s the perfect way to get to grips with all the settings and features without risking your bankroll. Although you won’t be able to walk away with any cash prizes if you are playing the demo version. If you want the best of both worlds and would like to play for free while still having the opportunity to walk away with cash prizes, then you’ll want to check out our no deposit bonus section a little further down.
Pay table and paylines
WMS’s 88 Fortunes doesn’t go down the route of traditional paylines. What usually happens on a slot machine is that the winning symbols need to land along a fixed line but with this game, they only need to land next to each other on adjacent reels.
Moreover, this gives you an amazing 243 ways to win a prize on every single spin!
The only downside to this is that it makes calculating a win a little more complex. So to make things easier for you in the next section we’ve got a table of all the possible wins that you can walk away with when playing this game. There’s no need for you to be busting out the calculator when your favourite slot reviewers will do all the hard work for you!
If at any point during the game you need a little recap of these winning numbers, then you can always click on the info icon and refresh your memory.
88 Fortunes wager limits
88 Fortunes has a large set of wagering options. This is all thanks to the chance of playing for the pooled prizes if you wish. Betting starts from just 8p and goes all the way up to £88 per spin. So let’s show you how this works.
In the bottom left-hand corner, you will see the ‘bet per spin’ gauge. This goes between 1p and maxes out at £1. This figure is multiplied by 8 to give you your standard game bet.
So if you choose not to play for the pooled prizes, your wagering options go from £0.08 to £8 per spin. With us so far? Good, onto the next part.
If you want the chance to grab one of the four jackpot prizes, then you need to pay into the kitty. This is where you need to take a look at the left-hand side of the screen. Here, you are able to select between 1 and 5 gold symbols. 1 is selected as the default and means that you will not be eligible for a jackpot.
Selecting 2 gold symbols opens the possibility to the first of the 88 Fortunes jackpot prizes – the mini jackpot. 3 gold symbols get you access to the minor jackpot, 4 opens the door to the major, and 5 puts you in the running for the grand prize.
But going in for these huge prizes does come at a cost. If you are going for the big one, then each spin will cost you a whopping £88 if your bet choice is £1.
The 88 Fortunes experience
So what you’re probably wondering is whether or not it is worth splashing out so much money per spin. And the answer to that is it’s definitely worth it if you have a huge bankroll and can afford to do so.
An 88 Fortunes winner playing for £88 per spin could potentially walk away with £200k. So you see the rewards are there but they certainly come with their own risks. Simply playing the regular game and excluding yourself from the jackpot prizes can still see some amazing wins come your way all the same.
We’re going to take a look at those winning symbols and their potential in just a second.
Graphics and theme
As you know, the 88 Fortunes slots have a delightful oriental theme. All of the stereotypical elements that you may imagine come together in one place to create a top experience.
WMS has left no stone unturned in its quest to create an authentic feel that will not disappoint.
There is a looping soundtrack that can become a little repetitive if we’re being honest. But some nice little touches help to break that up such as the gong icon. When this comes into play you will hear the loud gong being struck.
Little extras like this help make a game stand out from the rest.
88 Fortunes symbols
The 88 Fortunes slot presents lots of top symbols. As you know, they don’t need to line up along any win-lines as this game makes use of a different type of system. All of the symbols, apart from the Fu Bat symbols, appear on all of the reels and can make a win starting from the 1st reel on the left. Subsequent symbols need only appear on adjacent reels in any position.
So what are the Fu Bat symbols? We’re glad you asked! Fu Bat basically translates as ‘lucky bat’ in English.
These versatile icons take on the image of a red bat surrounding pieces of gold. They have two important functions so pay close attention to these.
They only appear on reels 2, 3 and 4 and can be used as wilds as well as being your key to entering the jackpot bonus round. Our bonus round section below tells you all you need to know about this feature.
As wilds, they will substitute for any other symbol in the game to help increase your chances of winning.
Here’s a rundown of the potential value of all the symbols based on a bet total of £0.80 per spin with only one gold symbol selected.
The following 10 symbols all produce a payout of £0.50, £1 or £5 when you get 3, 4 or 5 of them. 9, 10, J, Q, K, A, silver ingot, turtle, boat and bird.
The gold coin is worth £1, £2, £10 for 3, 4 or 5. And the gong pays £4, £8 and £40. Gongs have another special power besides their standard payout so check out the free spins round below for more info on this.
Features of 88 Fortunes
This 88 Fortunes slot machine has a couple of nice added extras. And they revolve around the gong and Fu Bat symbols. Unfortunately, neither of these bonuses will come around very often and their frequency does seem to favour the brave. By that, we mean playing with higher wagers.
Bonus rounds
The main bonus round is where you get to play for 1 of the 4 pooled jackpot prizes. These aren’t created by a network of machines like some games out there. The prizes are only created for this slot.
When you want the chance to win one of these, you need to play with more gold symbols than the standard 1 gold coin, which is the minimum. It sounds more complicated than it is. On the left-hand side, you’ll see the 5 options to choose from. You play with 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 gold symbols in play during each spin. The more you select, the more jackpots you could win. Although it also costs you more money as well!
To trigger the chance of winning the jackpots, you need to see a Fu Bat symbol roll in. This may or may not send you to the bonus game, it’s completely random.
When triggered, you’ll get a scenario similar to a scratch card. There’s a grid of 12 coins and you keep selecting different ones until you get 3 matching symbols. Each symbol represents a different jackpot.
The other difference between the 88 Fortunes jackpots and other progressives is that this game doesn’t keep pushing the jackpot up the more it’s played. It simply has a fixed 4-tired prize. Therefore, it’s best not to think of it as progressive.
The more you bet, the bigger each prize gets so 88 Fortunes jackpot winners can walk away with £2,000, £3,750, £75,000 or £200,000 if playing for the max £88 per spin.
Free spins rounds
3 or more gong symbols, starting on the left reel, as usual, will give you 10 free spins. If more gongs roll in during this round, then you get more free spins, which is a nice addition.
You tend to win more prizes during the free spins round than you do during the main game. The 9 through to ace symbols disappear as well leaving you with higher value symbols only.
88 Fortunes free spins
To play this game for free at one of the top casino sites, you can keep an eye out for the awesome welcome bonuses. There are several types available and they all have their advantages.
A free spins no deposit offer allows you to play without depositing any money, as you might imagine. The free spins may be limited to a couple of slots but if this game is on the list, then you’ll get to spin those reels for free.
Simply sign up to a participating site with this offer available and the freebies are yours!
Always check the T&Cs before you play.
88 Fortunes progressive jackpots
You could argue that this game has a progressive jackpot, although the jackpot limits are fixed so it is slightly different in that respect.
Anybody who wants to play with the opportunity of winning one of the 4 jackpots needs to make extra contributions every time they take a spin. This additional money goes towards creating those big prizes.
88 Fortunes slot RTP
88 Fortunes RTP is a little varied owing to the fact that you can play with or without the jackpots. The RTP figure averages out around 96%.
It’s definitely not the worst we’ve seen and would say it’s about average.
Our Rating
The 88 Fortunes slot UK is an enjoyable game but there’s not much of a story to it. You will have fun for a while. But if big prizes are your thing, then the lack of distractions could be a blessing.
Rating Summary
Theme and design: 3.5/5
RTP: 4/5
Originality: 3.5/5
Features: 4/5
Overall rating: 4/5
FAQ
Is it possible to play 88 Fortunes for free?
Yes. You can find 88 Fortunes free play at many top casinos by grabbing yourself a welcome bonus. Take a look at our selection of brands and see which deal you like the best. If you choose wisely, then you could be playing this game for free in no time.
Is it hard to play 88 Fortunes?
Initially, the 88 Fortunes game may seem a little complicated, but trust us when we say that there are some far more involved games out there on the market! It won’t take long to get to grips with this title.
Who created 88 Fortunes online slot games?
This game started life as a vegas casino slot and soon made its way online. The creator, WMS, has been in the industry for many years and has a good reputation for creating interesting slots with many winning possibilities.