Barcrest has been around for more than 50 years; the company began in 1968 in the city of Ashton-Under-Lyne, Manchester, England.
During the 1970s through the 1990s, nearly every slot machine in Great Britain was made by Barcrest. At the time, Barcrest brought Britain’s mechanical slot machines up to date by manufacturing multi-line 5 reel slot machines, replacing the antiquated 3 reel machines.
By the 1980s, Barcrest began basing its land-based slot machines on popular movie franchises such as Star Wars and The Terminator. This helped Barcrest further expand its loyal following through the end of the 20th century.
IGT acquired Barcrest in 1998, and the company was acquired by Scientific Games in 2011 for around $33 million. Despite the passing decades, the Barcrest brand is going strong. To its advantage, Barcrest has a lot of positive name recognition, especially in Great Britain, the UK, and Europe.
Barcrest, a Pioneer in Video Slots
As video slot machines began to emerge in the early 2000s, Barcrest was at the forefront of the trend. The company released some of the pioneering titles, such as Monty’s Millions and Ca$ino. In fact, Monty’s Millions remains very popular to this day among New Jersey online players.
As the years passed and video slots became more sophisticated and advanced, Barcrest Gaming kept pace, releasing visual masterpieces based around clever themes with user-friendly interfaces.
While online slots have gained in popularity in New Jersey, you can still find Barcrest land-based video slot machines in casinos all over the casino floor in Atlantic City. Barcrest machines maintain the classic styling with a mechanical arm on the side, but with a brilliant, 24” display, showcasing the signature eye-popping animations.
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Barcrest Enters the World of Online Slots
As a subsidiary of Scientific Games, Barcrest was propelled into the world of online slots, and naturally, Barcrest games use SG software to run their interfaces. However, many of the New Jersey online casinos that offer Barcrest games utilize NetENT software, and a few use IGT software, Barcrest’s previous parent corporation.
Barcrest’s developers use the latest versions of HTML5 so that the mobile versions of Barcrest games are compatible with Android and iOS.
One thing you’ll notice about Barcrest online and mobile slot games are that they’re silent between spins. While many of the games do have soundtracks, the music stops when you stop spinning; you won’t be as annoyed by beeping or obnoxious tunes as with other digital slots.
Barcrest Innovations
During its long history, the company has continuously been an innovator in the gaming industry. From updating the UK from 3-reel slots to 5 reels, and its early, innovative land-based video slot machines, Barcrest continues to strive to be ahead of the game.
Some of Barcrest’s innovations include the first break-out bonuses, where a player can accumulate additional prizes.
Barcrest’s current lineup of internet slots includes the ‘high roller’ playing option. This allows the player to choose a lower number of spins at a higher price. The advantage of this is that it unlocks extra features and enhanced payouts. One example of High roller options is the ‘try again’ free spin on the Ooh Aah Dracula game if you’re not satisfied with your total. This adds an extra dimension to the play and further engages the player.
Barcrest also featured breakout bonus games before other online slots. These early bonus features were wheel bonuses and simple picks games, such as on the original Rainbow Riches game. Since then, the bonus features have become much more complex; some Barcrest games have at least four different bonus games, ensuring that the player stays engaged.
Barcrest Online Slots Pros and Cons
Just like anything else, playing Barcrest online slots has its pros and cons.
Pros
- Barcrest slots have a wide range of appealing themes
- The company has a 50+ year history as a slot machine brand
- They keep a current game release schedule
- The games are less noisy compared to other brands
Cons
- No jackpot games
- No table or live games
- A somewhat limited selection of games
- The graphics are not as trendy or as flashy as some other companies
Popular Barcrest Online Slot Games
Having been producing top-notch games for over 50 years, Barcrest has more than a few time-tested slot games you’ll love to try. We chose five favorites for a quick review.
Monty’s Millions
This has to be Barcrest’s longest-standing popular game. A rich guy named Monty is your host for this quest. The theme is Monty’s mansion, and the symbols include the mansion’s safe, and the wild symbols feature Monty throwing money, gold bars, a luxury car, and a pile of cash. You can also expect playing card symbols including the ace, king, queen, jack, and 10.
During play, there are stacked wilds and scatters for big base game hits. Stacked wilds can stack as high as four. The goal is to unlock the safe and trigger free spin bonuses, where multiplied wins are possible. The Safe only appears on reels 2, 3, and 4. If a player gets at least 3 safes on the reels, they will be rewarded with 5 five free spins initially, but more free spins can be triggered until the maximum of 255-spins is reached.
Rainbow Riches
Rainbow Riches is another Barcrest classic, first launching in 2006. Rainbow Riches has proved so popular, it’s spawned an astounding nine sequels. This Irish-themed slot featuring a leprechaun with a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Rainbow Riches features bonuses like the Wishing Well, the Road to Riches, and the Pots of Gold, all of which combine to craft a thrilling and unpredictable gaming experience with medium volatility.
Rainbow Riches has five reels with 10 pay lines and 18 winning combos. The gameplay is quite simple. While the simplicity is profound, the Pots of Luck bonus features make Rainbow Riches one of the most intriguing, enduring, and entertaining slot games around.
Ooh Aah Dracula
This lively game based on a hipster Dracula is wildly popular. The frantic music and cartoonesque symbols come together for a light-hearted version of the typical dark vampire theme. The action unfolds at Dracula’s castle, there’s a female vampire and a bright red heart with a stake through it that triggers the bonus game.
Throughout this game, the player will encounter frees spins, free bonus games, as well as an opportunity to win extra prizes by choosing a gravestone. While Ooh Aah Dracula is designed for high rollers, casual players can also enjoy playing.
Lady of Avalon
This is one of Barcrest’s newest games, released in 2019. The fantasy-themed slot has smooth animation and crisp graphics. The setting is the mysterious island of Avalon, a mystical otherworldly Eden. Ruling over this land of starlight is the beautiful goddess, the Lady of Avalon.
Look for the Wizard; he pays out quite well and has a free spins bonus. This high volatility, five-reel, the three-row slot game has 10 fixed pay lines. While the Lady of Avalon has an airy-fairy look, the game can offer some serious wins.
You can play the Lady of Avalon on desktop or mobile. While the top potential win during a game round is 5,000x your bet, however, the actual amount is limited to 250,000 credits.
Hercules High & Mighty
This game breaks the mold of what you expect from a Barcrest slot; from its campy interpretation of Greek mythology to its 5×5 reel. The reels are wedged between two marble columns, topped by heavy chains and numerous command buttons on the right side of the screen. The animations are smooth and the colors are light.
As well as the in-game features, including free spins, mighty reels, and expanding wilds, Hercules also lets the player buy enhanced spins with the Big Bet mode. Overall, the game is easy to play, and its intuitive command buttons make things easy for every player.
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