Cameloot Slots
Video Gaming Technologies, or VGT’s, signature is making mechanical 3 reel and 5 reel slots for tribal casinos. But VGT’s Cameloot slot machine differs from these games in several ways.
First, Cameloot is a video slot that features colorful graphics and unique characters. Another way that Cameloot differs from the other games is that it offers multiple bonus rounds.
Do these bonus rounds and graphics make Cameloot a winner?
You can find out below as we cover this game’s theme, symbols, Class II status, and comparisons to other VGT slot machines.
Overview
Cameloot is based on Camelot, the fictional castle that housed King Arthur’s Court.
It’s no surprise that Cameloot’s symbols revolve around characters from these legendary tales, including Lancelot, Guinevere, Llamrei Arthur’s horse, Merlin, and the Sword in the Stone. You’llalso see a road in the background leading to Camelot.
The cartoonish graphics do a nice job of depicting these characters in a fun manner. This is a refreshing change from some of VGT’s other slots, which use bland symbols like 7s, cherries andBARs.
The downside to Cameloot’s superior graphics and unique symbols is that many people want to play this game. We had to play other VGT slots while waiting 30-45 minutes for this machine to open up.
Besides its eye-catching graphics and cabinet detail, another reason for Cameloot’s popularity is that it offers a fixed jackpot of 25,000 credits, which is higher than most VGT games.
Your best chance of finding Cameloot is in Oklahoma’s tribal casinos, where VGT sends most of its products. Some of these casinos include Apache Casino and Hotel in Lawton, Creek Nation Casino inEufaula, Glacier Peaks Casino in the Blackfeet Nation, Ioway Casino in Cimarron, Native Lights Casino in Tonkawa, River Mist Casino in Seminole, Stone Wolf Casino in Pawnee, and the Texoma GamingCenter in Chickasaw.
Cameloot Is a Bingo Class II Slot Machine
In accordance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory of 1988, tribal casinos can’t offer Class III gaming like slot machines and table games. Instead, they must offer Class II gaming machines thatrelate to bingo.
Cameloot and similar VGT slots are connected to a computerized system operator that calls numbers, much like in live bingo. Your slot machine has a bingo card programmed into it, and yougenerate numbers by spinning the reels.
When your card’s numbers correspond with the numbers being called by the system operator, you win a prize.
You’re actually competing against other slots players in the casino for a limited number of cash prizes. Once all of these payouts have been awarded, the game starts over with a new set ofprizes.
Class II and Class III machines both look like traditional slots. But only Class III slot machines operate like the slots that most people are used to.
Class III Slot Machines
Class III games each have a random number generator that determines their results. While all the prizes have odds on how often they pay out, there’s no predetermined list of prizes and you couldtheoretically win the same prize over and over.
State licensed casinos and racetracks offering Class III games must be transparent with payback. If a game offers 90 percent payback, gaming regulators and the public have a right to know thisinformation.
Tribal casinos don’t have to offer this information because they’re on sovereign land.
This is what worries some players about Class II games and tribal casinos in general. But all of the VGT slot machines that we’ve played seem fair in terms of payback and hit frequency.
Cameloot Slots Bonus Features
Cameloot shares a common thread with other VGT slot machines in that it offers red screen re-spins.
These are free re-spins that appear randomly after certain wins. When this happens, your screen will flash red and the machine will automatically re-spin the reels for extra prizes.
We’ve yet to see a VGT game that offers a clear explanation of the rules behind these re spins. But from what we’ve gathered on forums, you can expect red screen re-spins after approximately 20percent of your wins.
You’ll also experience times where you get more than one re-spin after a winning combination. Again, forum users suggest that the max number of re-spins you can get is five; we never got morethan three when playing.
In any case, red screen re-spins are always a welcome sight, and they can boost your bankroll significantly.
You can also look forward to three other bonus features when playing, which we’ll cover below.
Juggles the Jester
This is one of two-second screen bonus rounds that appear in the top screen.
Juggles the Jester begins the bonus round by juggling three balls. You choose one of these balls and you’ll receive credits.
We triggered this bonus once and only managed to win 20 credits.
Wizard’s Wheel
If you get three or more Merlin symbols on the reels, you’ll be taken to a second screen where you spin the Wizard’s Wheel. We earned 40 credits through our lone spin, but you could easilywin a lot more.
Newton the Nudger
When you lose a spin, a gremlin named Newton randomly appears and nudges the reels for you. Many times this nudge will turn your losing spin into a winning one.
Betting Options
Cameloot allows you to play anywhere from 1 to 9 pay lines, and you can also change your coin size from $0.05 to $0.25.
Both the number of pay lines and coin denominations are vastly different from what you’ll see with most VGT slots.
Other VGT multi-pay line games only allow you to play up to 5 pay lines, and coin denominations range between $0.25 and $25.
Based on this, Cameloot is the perfect slot machine for low rollers because you only have to risk a nickel per spin. But this isn’t a very good game for high rollers because even if you max outthe coin size and pay lines, you’ll only be wagering $1.75 a spin.
We played a nickel on all 9 pay lines and, just like with other VGT slots, we were able to sustain our bankroll throughout a half hour session.
At one point our bankroll dropped much lower than its starting amount, but three red screen re-spins boosted our bankroll to around the original amount. We quit playing after this and only lost$5.
Based on this, we’re confident that Cameloot falls in line with other VGT slots in paying frequently and rewarding you often through the re-spins. We also love how you can wager as little as anickel for each coin.
Comparison to other VGT Slots
Cameloot is an outlier when compared to many other VGT slot machines, which feature more basic designs.
Many of the VGT games that we’ve played run on mechanical reels, and some of these machines offer multipliers and second screen bonus rounds as well. But if you’re looking for a host of features,you won’t find them in VGT’s classic 3 reel series.
Cameloot offers more possibilities with its 5 reels, 9 pay lines, and multiple bonus features.
None of these bonuses are unique when looking at the slots world as a whole, because wheel spin and pick’em rounds are common. But they do give you something to look forward to beyond spinningthe reels over and over.
As for the cabinet designs of Cameloot and other VGT slots, this is a draw.
Whether an older 3 reel game or a 5 reel video slot; VGT always does a good job with the artwork on their slots cabinets. Cameloot is no different because it offers a detailed depiction ofCamelot on the top screen.
Moving to betting options, we like the flexibility that this game offers you. Not only can you play up to 9 pay lines, but toggling between $0.05 and $0.25 coin denominations is also nice.
Many other VGT slots either offer a single pay line or 1 5 pay lines along with coin denominations ranging from $0.25 to $25. Unless you’re a high roller, we like Cameloot’s betting options morebecause you have additional flexibility with the pay lines.
Overall, we’d say that this is definitely one of VGT’s best efforts.
Comparison to Microgaming’s Avalon II
Since being released in 2014, Microgaming’s Avalon II has set the standard for slots about Camelot.
Avalon II offers you 243 ways to win, which makes every spin exciting. But the reality is that Avalon II’s win frequency isn’t any higher than Cameloot, despite 243 pay lines being in play.
It costs about the same to play either game. Avalon II requires a minimum of €0.30 to spin the reels, while Cameloot costs $0.45 when you put a nickel on all 9 pay lines.
Regarding bonuses, Avalon II takes the edge because it has 8 different second screen bonus rounds. From fighting the Black Knight in the Hall of Shadows to choosing shields in the WhisperingWoods, Avalon II is unparalleled when it comes to bonuses.
This isn’t to say that Cameloot does a bad job with its two second screen bonus rounds and nudge feature. But few slots come anywhere close to Avalon II in terms of bonuses.
As for which game offers better graphics, this all depends on your preference. We like the realism and dark element to the graphics in Avalon II, but there’s also nothing wrong with thecartoonish visuals in Cameloot.
All things considered, Cameloot isn’t far off from the standard that Avalon II sets for King Arthur related games. But there’s no denying that Avalon II has a decided edge in the bonus category.
Conclusion
VGT has carved out a niche for itself in the tribal gaming market, despite making a lot of mechanical 3 reel slots that look dated. A big reason why is the red screen re spin, which many playerslove since it offers a bankroll boost every so often.
Cameloot also includes the red screen re-spin, but it offers more in the way of superior graphics, unique symbols, and multiple bonus features.
The graphics are similar to a cartoon from the 80s or 90s, which plays out well on the slots reels. And the character symbols are more appealing than the 7s, BARs and cherries that you’ll seewhen playing VGT’s line of mechanical reel slots.
Cameloot isn’t the first VGT slot machine to offer a second screen bonus round. But it’s the only one we’ve seen that has multiple bonus rounds and a nudge feature.
The superior graphics and bonus features put Cameloot far ahead of most VGT slots. This game also ranks well when compared to modern 3D video slots at both online and at land based casinos.
While we don’t think that Cameloot matches Avalon II, the gold standard for the King Arthur genre, it trumps the majority of other slots out there.