Juicy Joker Mega Moolah slot coming in September 2020

Microgaming have announced that there will be two new slots coming to be part of the Mega Moolah progressive jackpot network of games later this year.

One of those is the Fortunium Gold slot, which we have looked at in a separate article and for which we have clear information on what we can expect from this game which is not just a new progressive jackpot slot, but also the second game in the Steampunk-inspired Fortunium series.

However, when it comes to the Juicy Joker slot, far fewer bits of information about this other slot game are in the public domain at present. So let's take a look at what we know about the new Juicy Joker slot, and perhaps what we would like to see from the game when it is released.

What do we know about the Juicy Joker slot at present?

While details about the slot game are scarce, we do have some information about the game available to us. From Microgaming's press release, we know that Just For The Win are the team behind developing the game (Stormcraft Studios are working on Fortunium Gold) and that it is set to be a 5x3 layout for the game. We also know that a tentative general release date for the slot is the 18^th September 2020.

However, beyond that, information about the game is scarce with no video preview and very few screenshots available other than the title screen of the slot.

To be fair to Microgaming and Just For The Win, this is not unusual for releases for this company as they tend not to preview their games a huge amount before they are released, so I don't feel there is anything untoward regarding this. Plus it will make the myriad of Mega Moolah players out there all the more excited to see what the game has to offer when it is released.

So with that in mind, and taking into account the format of the three most recent Mega Moolah-linked progressive jackpot games, Mega Vault Millionaire, Atlantean Treasures and Absolootly Mad, as well as the details we know about the soon to be released Fortunium Gold slot, what do we think the new Juicy Joker slot will be like?

What could Juicy Joker be like?

Given the limited information that we have about the game, the best way to try and figure out what the Juicy Joker slot is about is probably by taking a look at what has been released, or will be released, for the Mega Moolah progressive network of late.

If we forget about the original Mega Moolah 25-pay line slot for now, the most recent releases have been the 25-pay line, 5x3 reel slot Mega Vault Millionaire, the 10 Pay Line, Win Both Ways slot Atlantean Treasures and the 5x3 reel Rolling Reels, 243 Ways to Win Absolootly Mad slot.

We also know that the forthcoming Fortunium Gold slot will also break new ground becoming the first 5x5 reel slot game to offer a shot at the Mega Moolah progressive jackpot network. This new game will also feature a Mystery Symbol and the chance to fill up to three reels with a Mystery Symbol in a bonus feature. We also know there will be 40 pay lines in play on the slot and that the game will cost between 0.10 and 30.00 to play. However, you can play an enhanced mode, called Win Booster, for double your standard bet which will see Mystery Symbols only transform into higher value symbols.

Based on what we know about those slots, it seems unlikely that the Juicy Joker slot will want to go back and tread over ground that has already been covered by these games.

I am a bit surprised the slot is a 5x3 reel game in that case. With Fortunium being 5x5 reel, I was half expecting to see a 5x4 reel slot offered with Juicy Joker, but there one positive thing about 5x3 reel slots is that there are so many different bonuses players can use with them that it could still be a completely different game to any of the other 5x3 reel Mega Moolah games.

Juicy Joker theme?

What the theme of the slot is, is going to be interesting. I did wonder with the name Juicy Joker whether this referred to the Joker that was in a pack of Playing Cards, given that playing card symbols tend to be in many Microgaming releases. However, it appears that this is going to be based on a fruit theme which makes me wonder that this could perhaps be a retro-styled fruit machine type slot, perhaps with a couple of more modern bonus features tied in.

Now a retro-styled Mega Moolah slot is something we have not seen yet and that is an intriguing prospect as could Just For The Win decide to go full retro with the game?

A full retro-styled Mega Moolah slot?

Now having retro-styled symbols on the reels is one thing but how far would Mega Moolah game designers go if the game was going to be retro styled? I don't think that they would slim the game down to its basics as that would appear to be a step back too many, but I think adding some features, such as a Nudge option, or a chance to Nudge bonus symbols onto the reels from a position of just off them, could be a great addition to the game.

I also feel that alongside retro features like Nudge and perhaps Hold, you could also use a Free Spins bonus to keep things interesting. I think that is more likely than another Respin-type game as we had with Atlantean Treasures.

The one thing to bear in mind is what role will the Joker play in a slot like this and I am wondering whether the Joker is a symbol in the game that may link to either the highest possible jackpot payout you can land in the base game, or maybe even offers you a chance of landing the progressive jackpot prize.

Of course, the other option is that Just For The Win could go for a far more futuristic theme with the slot. There have been a number of futuristic styled slots that have used Fruit symbols on the reels to great effect and it could well be that rather that a retro slot, the new Juicy Joker slot could be a more technologically advanced style of game.

Or, it may well be that Just For The Win go completely out of left field with the slot and instead of releasing a game that is based on fruit, or jokers, come up with something entirely different that only bears a passing reference to the title.

Juicy Joker bonuses and features?

We know that the Juicy Joker slot will feature a chance to win the Mega Moolah progressive jackpot prize of course and it is extremely likely that the game will use a Jackpot Bonus Wheel type game in order to decide which of the four progressive jackpot prizes you will win in the game.

Of course, this may well be personalised for the Juicy Joker slot as the round was for the Absolootly Mad and Atlantean Treasures game and I would expect that to be the case, even if the mathematical model used on the game will be the same as all other Jackpot Bonus Games available across the Mega Moolah network.

More interesting is what bonus features could be on the slot. I have already said that I expect there to be a Free Spins bonus round as I think these are regarded very positively by players but I think that the Joker aspect in the title will also play in to a bonus.

Now a Joker could refer to a Wild which would make sense on many levels and I am wondering if there will be options to have Wild bonus features in the slot, such as Expanding Wilds, or maybe even Stacked Wilds on some of the reels in the base game, or when a random base game bonus triggers. Another option is to have Sticky Wilds on the reels, which remain on the reels for a set number of spins and which offer you a chance of a good value win.

In general, Wilds have been used pretty much as standard on Mega Moolah slots, only Atlantean Treasures with its Expanding Wilds, really made this feature a little different so perhaps that Joker reference in the title hints at a Wild bonus that is not available on the Mega Moolah network as yet.

As for other details of the slot, I would expect the variance to be somewhat middle of the road and the price to play between 0.10 and 0.25 per spin. Those figures and options seem to be the 'sweet spot' for progressive jackpot games at the minute.

As for the jackpot in the game, I would expect a figure of around 1,000x your bet in the base game, increasing to around 3x that in the Free Spins, based on what has been the case on other Mega Moolah games in the past.

So while Juicy Joker may be something of an enigma at the moment, the good news is that we will be able to see whether any of the above speculation is true in around a months time, when the new game is scheduled to be released into Casinos.

And when it is, you can be assured that we will be among the first to play (for real money) and review this brand new Mega Moolah-powered slot!