Mr Money Bags Slots
The thought of 3 reel slot machines with 7s, cherries, and BAR symbols is as cliché as they come in the gaming world. That’s why Mr. Money Bags, which fits this description, seems like any otherclassic slot.
But Mr. Money Bags actually has a few notable differences from the average 3 reel slot.
Let’s discuss these notable aspects below along with this game’s bingo angle, bonus round, betting options, and other versions of the game.
Mr. Money Bags Overview
Developed by Video Gaming Technologies (VGT), Mr. Money Bags centers on a flashy businessman who’s holding money bags. While this isn’t the most inventive theme, it does give you something toidentify Mr. Money Bags with.
The symbols in this game hearken back to slots’ early days because you’ll see 7s, cherries, single BARs, double BARs, and triple BARs. The only unique symbol is the Mr. Money Bags icon, whichfeatures the cigar toting businessman.
Based on the generic symbols and single pay line, it feels like you’re playing an old slot machine. But we have to give credit to the artwork on the outside of the machine, which sells Mr. MoneyBags’ theme.
Regardless of the simplicity, this slot machine is really popular in Native American casinos in Oklahoma. Some of the different Oklahoma casinos where you can enjoy this game include the ChoctawCasino Resort in Durant, Downstream Casino Resort in Quapaw, Osage Casino in Sand Springs, River Spirit Casino in Tulsa, and Sugar Creek Casino in Hinton.
If you ever get a chance to play Mr. Money Bags in a casino, you’ll notice that it’s one of the most popular games available. In some cases, you’ll be waiting 20 to 30 minutes before you get yourchance on this machine.
One big reason why is because VGT linked Mr. Money Bags to a wide area progressive jackpot that’s available in Oklahoma casinos. This jackpot is seeded with $250,000 and grows with each betthat’s made at qualifying casinos in the Sooner State.
Other games linked to this jackpot include:
- 777 Bourbon Street
- Crazy Cherry
- Hot Red Ruby
- King of Coin
- Lucky Ducky
- Smooth as Silk
Another reason why Mr. Money Bags is popular is because it’s not your typical slot. Instead, it’s a hybrid between bingo and slots, which we’ll discuss next.
Live Bingo Call
Mr. Money Bags is powered by VGT’s Live Call Bingo feature, meaning it looks like a slot machine but operates like a bingo game. This is confusing to players who are used to traditional slotsbecause Mr. Money Bags looks like any other mechanical, 3 reel slot machine.
The key difference appearance wise is that you’ll see a small grid at the top, which represents the bingo card.
You’ll also see numbers underneath the bingo card that flash from white to yellow. These numbers keep changing as you spin the reels, and your bingo card will slowly fill up.
You may have difficulty understanding what all this means in the beginning, especially since the game’s cabinet does a poor job of explaining the card aspect. Furthermore, the reels don’t alludeto anything that’s happening with the card / numbers above.
But this is all cleared up if you understand what a Class II bingo slot machine is, which we’ll discuss next.
What is a Class II Bingo Slot Machine?
Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, Indian tribes can operate Class II games, which equate to bingo. Given that tribal casinos aren’t supposed to operate classic slot machines (Class III),they get around this by offering bingo / slots hybrids.
Unlike a Class III game, which creates its own results through a random number generator (RNG), Class II machines operate through a system controller. This program works like a bingo drawing andgives numbers to the game every time that you perform a spin.
This doesn’t mean that the machine is fed standard bingo numbers like B12 or N41. But the numbers do show up on a grid, and the grid’s pattern is linked to the slot machine’s payouts.
Bonus
Another feature that separates Mr. Money Bags from most 3 reel slots is that it offers a bonus called red screen re spins – a feature common to many VGT games.
Regardless of if you win or lose, the screen will flash red, indicating that you get one or more free re spins. The reels will then automatically re spin, and you’re guaranteed to at least win anamount equal to your original payout.
One frequently discussed topic on casino forums is that there’s a pattern to these red screen re spins. Players have noted that the red screen flashes one out of every five winning spins. You canalso expect anywhere from one to five re spins, and the amount depends upon the size of the triggering win.
Unlike most slots, Mr. Money Bags doesn’t clearly define how the red screen re spins work. This is why it’s taken the experiences and a discussion of players to get a read on the re spins.
But on the plus side, this adds intrigue to what you can expect from any individual red screen re spin.
Betting Options
Just like many other 3 reel slots, Mr. Money Bags allows you to bet from 1to 3 coins per spin. But it also gives you more coin denominations than most 3 reelers, including:
- $0.25
- $0.50
- $1
- $2
- $3
- $5
- $10
- $25
When we tried Mr. Money Bags, we used the $0.25 coin denomination and played for a while. Wins came frequently in comparison to most slots, and our bankroll lasted longer than it would in theaverage slot machine.
One thing that really helped sustain our bankroll was the red screen re spins, which provide a few dollars here and there.
If you like to get a lot of value out of your slots play, then Mr. Money Bags is a good game to play. It doesn’t seem to offer many big payouts – aside from the progressive jackpot – but mostplayers would rather win frequently than put $100 to $200 into a machine and watch it quickly drain out.
Other Mr. Money Bags Games
While the wide area progressive version of Mr. Money Bags is the most popular, it’s not the only game available. You can see a few other variations below:
Mr. Money Bags: Red Spin Deluxe
Mr. Money Bags: Red Spin Deluxe allows you to play 5 pay lines instead of one, which offers additional excitement because you have more chances to win on each spin.
Another big change is that Mr. Money Bags: Red Spin Deluxe is a video slot rather than a mechanical game. This makes sense considering that many multi pay line games are video slots.
You’ll also notice that the bingo display above the reels is gone. We thought that the bingo card and numbers added to the original version’s festive atmosphere; but we can also see the good inhaving less clutter at the top of the screen.
Another change to expect is that the red screen re spins have a 3x multiplier. This is definitely an upgrade because it makes you even happier to see the red screen flash.
One more thing worth mentioning about Mr. Money Bags: Red Spin Deluxe is that this version’s cabinet does a better job of advertising the game’s features.
You can clearly see at the top that re spins have a 3x multiplier, and the maximum possible win is 25,000 credits. On the downside, this max win of 25k credits means that you won’t be playing fora big progressive jackpot.
Mr. Money Bags w/ Second Screen Bonus
Although not clearly indicated, one version of Mr. Money Bags offers a second screen bonus round. This appears randomly when the red screen flashes, and the top area with the bingo card opens upto reveal a series of vault and portal looking doors.
You’ll also see another bingo card in the upper right hand corner along with piles of gold and money on the ground.
Given that this isn’t a touchscreen game, you use the Bet1 and Bet2 buttons to move from door to door. You then push the Spin button to select the desired door.
You continue selecting doors and collecting prizes until you reveal Add ‘Em Up, which adds your credits up and takes you back to the main game.
Other than this second screen bonus round, which is fun by the way, we didn’t see any noticeable difference between this game and the original Mr. Money Bags. The businessman at the top of thecabinet does look slightly different, though.
Mr. Money Bags 2
The sequel to Mr. Money Bags differs in that you can’t select coin denominations like in the first version. The only coin denomination that you can play is $0.25, which takes away from bettingflexibility.
On the other hand, you can play anywhere from 1 5 pay lines like with the Red Spin Deluxe variation. Even if you max out the pay lines, you’re only risking $1.25 per spin.
If one Mr. Money Bags 2 symbol appears in a winning combination, your payout is doubled. If two Mr. Money Bags 2 symbols appear in a win, your prize is quadrupled.
The largest win in this game is 5,000 credits, but this is only possible on a 5 pay line bet. Considering that there’s a slight progression in payouts as you bet more coins (800, 1,600, 2,500,3,500 and 5,000 credits), it’s to your advantage to play all five pay lines.
Even if you don’t want to bet this much, at least wager 3 or 4 coins because you get a slight progression on the jackpot.
Comparison to Original Mr. Money Bags
Looking at all of these games compared to the original version, we’d say that Red Spin Deluxe offers the most changes. It’s a video slot, you won’t see the bingo card, and there’s a 3xmultiplier.
If you can find the version with the bonus round, this is worth playing too. Second screen bonus rounds are always fun in slots, and the vault bonus is no different.
We have to say that Mr. Money Bags 2 is disappointing as a sequel.
The fact that you can play all five pay lines for $1.25 makes this game inexpensive, which is a plus. But we just don’t see enough changes to warrant a sequel, or at least calling this Mr. MoneyBags 2.
Conclusion
Despite looking like an old, 3 reel slot machine, Mr. Money Bags is a favorite at Indian casinos in the Midwest.
What we like
- One obvious reason why is because this game has a jackpot that’s seeded at $250k. We’re not sure how large this progressive prize grows on average – it was just over $286k when we played. Butit’s certainly big enough to draw a crowd.
- Another aspect in Mr. Money Bags’ favor is that it works differently than the average slot machine. It has a bingo card at the top, which generates numbers that determine your wins. You mayhave difficulty understanding this concept initially, but it’s not hard to get the hang of.
- We assume that the artwork and attention to detail on the cabinet has helped Mr. Money Bags become popular too. This isn’t to say that Mr. Money Bags is a visual marvel, but it does stand outfrom typical 3 reel games.
- One more good point about Mr. Money Bags is its red screen re spins, which give you a chance to build up small wins and sustain your bankroll.
What we don’t like
- The only downside that we can see to this game is its generic symbols and lack of outstanding special features. If you’re used to playing 5 reel, 3D video slots with bonus rounds, multipliersand scatter symbols, then you may not like Mr. Money Bags.
- On the other hand, if you enjoy slots of any kind, then you’ll appreciate this game along with its extra frills.