BetMGM and Swedish-based slots studio Relax Gaming have expanded their exclusive partnership to Pennsylvania. That means BetMGM’s players in Pennsylvania will join their New Jersey neighbors in enjoying Epic Joker and other Relax titles.
Relax operates as “RLX Gaming” in the US and received interim authorization from the Pennsylvania Gambling Control Board last month. Pennsylvania will be Relax’s second market in the US, following its debut in New Jersey in December 2023.
So far, BetMGM is the only online casino company to have struck a partnership with Relax, so its sites—which include Borgata Online and Wheel of Fortune Casino—are the only places to find its slots.
BetMGM Casino players in Pennsylvania already have access to a few Relax Gaming slots, including:
- Epic Joker
- The Great Pigsby
- Temple Tumble
- Snake Arena
More are likely coming soon.
Martin Stålros, CEO of Relax Gaming, shared his excitement for the company’s growth in the US:
We’re extremely excited to continue our US ambitions with the go live in Pennsylvania. We have had a very encouraging start in New Jersey together with BetMGM and we’re delighted that our games resonate so well in the market. Launching in a new state allows us to continue our upward trajectory and progress further in the US market in 2024.
Oliver Bartlett, BetMGM’s Vice President of Gaming Product and Content, confirmed that some of Relax’s titles have done well in New Jersey, mentioning The Great Pigsbyand Epic Joker in particular. He expressed his excitement at bringing them to Pennsylvania players as well.
One reason players may appreciate Relax’s games is that many of them offer an above-average return to player, or RTP. Epic Joker, for instance, offers an even 97.00%, while The Great Pigsby returns 96.55%. The typical range for slots at US online casinos is around 94% to 96%.
Internationally, many of Relax Gaming’s slots contribute to its Dream Drop progressive jackpot network. According to its website, the average win for this is between €2.56 million and €3 million ($2.74 million—$3.21 million). However, US laws prevent regulated casinos from participating in such international networks. If its slots become sufficiently widespread, Relax could set up Dream Drop networks for individual states. However, the player pool for these would be smaller, so the jackpots wouldn’t grow quite as large.
Relax Titles Feature Prominently at Sweeps Casinos
Relax Gaming serves 700 operators worldwide, though BetMGM’s sites in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are the only real money US option for now. However, it’s among the most popular studios serving play-money social and sweepstakes casino sites. Many of the most popular sites—including Chumba, High 5, Zula, Fortune Coins, and McLuck—offer a wide selection of Relax games.
That includes the Book of 99, which is famous for its 99% RTP, placing it high on the list of highest payout slots in the US. Another high-RTP Relax slot at sweeps casinos is Marching Legions, with a 98.12% RTP. Neither of these is available for real money play in the US at this time.
Perhaps the studio’s best-known series at US social casinos is Money Train. Some games in the series are also available at BetMGM, but they have been rebranded as Great Western.
Game in Focus: Epic Joker
Epic Joker is a stepper slot featuring a basic 3×3 reel grid with five paylines. It’s easy to understand and suitable for novice slot players, especially because of its high RTP and low volatility, both of which increase the odds of coming out ahead over a short session.
Respins are a signature mechanic for Relax Gaming—whether in the base game or as part of a bonus round. Epic Joker is no exception, with a hold-and-respin feature that becomes available during the bonus round.
Epic Joker uses traditional slot symbols: fruits, bars, and 7s. It adds two high-pay symbols: a star and the Epic Joker, which acts as the wild.
The gameplay of Epic Joker is straightforward and has two connected special features: Super Mode and Joker Re-Spin. The Epic Joker symbol appears only in these two features.
Super Mode triggers whenever the player fills the entire grid with the same symbol. Doing this awards five free spins, during which the wild jokers can appear on the reels. Landing nine identical symbols during the free spins can retrigger the feature.
Joker Re-Spin is a secondary bonus feature that can only occur during the Super Mode free spins. It triggers when three Jokers appear in the same column—or six in two columns. When this happens, the Jokers lock in place, and the remaining reel or reels respin. If all three reels are filled with Jokers, no additional respins are awarded, but the player receives the game’s top prize—500x the bet.
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