Big Bass Return to the Races (Pragmatic Play) – Review & Demo Play

The Big Bass Return to the Races Slot Game

Reel Kingdom heads back to the track with Big Bass Return to the Races, a straight reskin of Big Bass Secrets of the Golden Lake. You get a 5x3 grid with 10 paylines, stakes from €0.10 to €375, and a default RTP of 96.07%. The ante bet adds 50% to the stake for a higher chance to trigger free spins. Bonus buys are here as well, with a standard entry and a pricier Golden Cup option. It’s a high-volatility run in familiar shoes.

Symbols and Payouts in Big Bass Return to the Races

There are 10 standard symbols. Low pays are 10 to A, landing three or more for returns that top out at 10x for five-of-a-kind. High pays include horses, binoculars, beer, a baitbox, and a champagne bucket, with five-of-a-kind worth from 20x up to 200x. The champagne can pay from two-of-a-kind for 0.5x, then 5x, 20x, and 200x for three to five. Payouts scale with stake, so the dynamic paytable tells you the exact figures at your bet level.

Horse symbols act as the Money symbols during bonuses, showing values from 2x to 5,000x bet. Wilds only appear in the free spins, substituting in wins and collecting all Money symbol values in view. That cash collection is where the game does its business, with wilds also feeding a progress trail that can retrigger the round and add multipliers. In the base game, wilds don’t show, so you’re mostly lining up the regular paytable until the scatters do their work.

Big Bass Return to the Races Symbols and Paytable

Symbol	Quantity	Payout
	5	x200
	4	x20
	3	x5
	2	x0.5
	5	x100
	4	x15
	3	x3
	5	x50
	4	x10
	3	x2
	5	x50
	4	x10
	3	x2
	5	x20
	4	x5
	3	x1
	5	x10
	4	x2.5
	3	x0.2
	5	x10
	4	x2.5
	3	x0.2
	5	x5
	4	x1
	3	x0.2
	5	x5
	4	x1
	3	x0.2
	5	x5
	4	x1
	3	x0.2
	Scatter
	Wild

Big Bass Return to the Races Slot Bonus Features

Hit 3, 4, or 5 scatters for 10, 15, or 20 free spins. If only two scatters land, a respin can nudge them down while other reels spin, or a third scatter can drop in at random. Before the round starts, pick one of 12 cards to decide the mode. A Bonus card gives regular free spins. A Golden Cup card awards Golden Cup Free Spins. That pick is the fork in the road and sets the tone for what follows.

Regular free spins add wilds that collect every Money symbol value on the reels. All wilds that land are collected at the top. Every fourth wild retriggers the feature with +10 spins and raises the Money collection multiplier to x2, then x3, then x10 on the fourth stage. After the fourth level, you can’t retrigger again. It’s the standard Big Bass routine, with the multipliers doing the heavy lifting if the Money symbols line up with the fisherman.

Golden Cup Free Spins use special reels with blanks, Money symbols, and wilds only. Three random modifiers can fire during any free spin: Money symbols can appear when wilds land alone, a lasso can pull a reel to bring a wild when only Money symbols show, and a curtains animation can change all non-wilds. You can buy free spins for 100x bet, or buy Golden Cup directly for 270x bet. The ante bet adds 50% to your stake and raises the chance of a natural trigger.

Bonus Buy Feature

Free Spins Feature Pay 100x to activate free spins.
Feature Cost:	x100 Bet
RTP:	96.07%
Volatility:	-
Super Free Spins Feature Pay 270x to activate super free spins.
Feature Cost:	x270 Bet
RTP:	96.07%
Volatility:	-

How to Win at Big Bass Return to the Races Slot

Set a stake between €0.10 and €375, then spin. Wins pay left to right across 10 fixed paylines, with three, four, or five of a kind needed in most cases. The base game is about keeping the balance steady while chasing scatters. Use the autoplay if you prefer hands-off sessions, or stick to manual spins if you like pacing the bankroll. The ante bet can help speed up bonus access, but it also raises your cost per spin, so pick a level that suits your risk.

Big Bass Return to the Races Slot RTP & Volatility

The default RTP is 96.07%, with alternate settings of 95.07% and 94.07% at some sites. Volatility is high, so expect patches of nothing followed by bursts when the round lands. The max win is 5,000x bet. At €375 per spin that tops out at €1,875,000. On average, free spins trigger about once every 113 spins, and the base game hit rate sits around 14.29%. It’s the usual Big Bass math, with the Golden Cup mode trimming the reel strips to focus the action.

The Final Thoughts on Big Bass Return to the Races

This feels like a straight reskin of Secrets of the Golden Lake, right down to the soundtrack. The base game is bog standard Big Bass, with the same wait for scatters, the same wild collection, and the same multiplier ladder. The horse track skin looks fine on a lush green field, but I’ve seen this routine rolled out so many times that the novelty has packed its bags. It’s serviceable and predictable in equal measure.

Golden Cup Free Spins is the one twist that kept me interested, as the stripped reels produce cleaner setups and fewer dead symbols. Whether that translates to a better crack at the 5,000x cap is debatable, but it does feel punchier. If you’re still keen on the series, you’ll get what you came for. If you wanted fresh mechanics, this isn’t the ticket. Been there, done that, card pick and all.