Bankin’ Bacon: Slot Overview

You’ve probably come across the phrase “making bank,” a casual way of saying someone has raked in a lot of money quickly. What many non-German speakers may not know is the expression “schwein gehabt,” which literally translates as “got pig,” and is used to mean something like, “wow, he got lucky.” In Germany, pigs have long been linked with good fortune and wealth, and some even trace the idea of pig-shaped money boxes back to that tradition. Wherever the concept started, pigs are everywhere in slot games, and Bankin’ Bacon is another entry in the piggy bank/cash/prosperity category—this time from developer Blueprint Gaming.

Blueprint places Bankin’ Bacon in a setting that brings to mind Big Time Gaming’s Royal Mint Megaways. The presentation here is more playful and cartoon-like, which makes sense given the piggy bank theme. The reels sit above a staircase leading up to an opulent bank topped with a glass dome. It’s the kind of establishment that doesn’t exactly invite everyday people in to deposit their wages—more a venue for aristocrats and high net worth clients. Everyone else gets to appreciate the grand design from outside. When Banker Spins activate, though, players finally get access for a more inclusive dash for riches from the vault.

Play takes place on a 6-reel, 4-row layout, paying left to right on adjacent reels for 4,096 ways to win. The hit rate isn’t stated, though in testing it often felt like you either benefited from the collection mechanic or got stung by the relatively limited ways wins. That impression isn’t helped by Bankin’ Bacon’s notably low return to player of 94%. For the remaining stats, the game is set to medium/high volatility and supports bets from 10 p/c to $/€100 per spin.

A quick rummage through the paytable reveals 9 standard symbols. The first five are colourful 10-A card royals, followed by coin bags, bundles of banknotes, weighing scales, and vintage cash registers—sticking firmly to the money motif. Hitting six premium symbols across the reels delivers wins of 50 to 200 times the stake. Cheque symbols can land anywhere and serve two purposes in Bankin’ Bacon. First, they award a modest payout of up to 10x the bet for six of a kind. Second, during Banker Spins, their individual values are gathered.

Bankin’ Bacon: Slot Features

If you know the classic slot Fishin’ Frenzy, you’ll spot the link straight away, as both titles use a similar collection-style mechanic in the bonus. Landing 3, 4, 5, or 6 gold coin scatter symbols awards 10, 15, 20, or 30 Banker Spins. Alternatively, instead of collecting the awarded number of free spins, players can take a gamble with the Mystery Choice. Choosing that option spins a prize wheel which can grant either more or fewer spins than initially won, plus one cheque value that remains in effect for the entire Banker Spins session. With set cheques, only a single value will appear on the money scatters, which can work out either very nicely—or not at all.

After that, the action moves into free spins where cheque and piggy bank symbols can land in any position. When both are in view at the same time, the cheques are collected by the pig, and their values are added to the free spin win total. If more than 1 piggy bank wild appears on the same spin, every cheque on display is collected by each wild in turn, one after another. When Banker Spins finish, the combined total from line wins and scatter wins is paid out.

Bankin’ Bacon: Slot Verdict

Once it clicks that Banker Spins are essentially a rework of Fishin’ Frenzy‘s feature, Bankin’ Bacon becomes fairly easy to read. The base game rolls along with a lively feel, helped by the familiar jazzy soundtrack common to this type of slot and the bright, cartoon visuals. In that sense, Bankin’ Bacon starts off strong, giving off a buoyant, upbeat vibe. A handful of spins later, that energy can fade as it becomes more about enduring a base game with little happening and waiting for Banker Spins to arrive.

Bankers Spins are the point where players ditch the figurative fishing gear and focus on pulling in cheques instead. Do people even use cheques outside the USA anymore? Either way, you’ll want them appearing in bulk during Banker Spins, which they often do—yet the piggy bank wild shows up far less frequently. It wasn’t unusual for a Banker Spins round to end without collecting even a single cheque. On the flip side, other bonuses vacuumed up cheque scatters as if they were genuinely about to disappear.

The main element that sets Bankin’ Bacon apart from Fishin’ Frenzy is the Mystery Choice option. As you’d expect, it’s a classic high-variance gamble that can swing strongly your way if fortune smiles—or go the other direction. When it lands well, totals around 2,000x should be within reach. The problem is the underwhelming RTP, which is unfortunately low enough to be a deciding factor. At 94%, it feels uncomfortably tight and may be more than enough to push players toward other piggy bank/wealth themed slots—of which there are plenty.

Overall, it’s a Fishin’ Frenzy style successor that could have been a solid pick for fans of scatter collection mechanics. Instead, Bankin’ Bacon undermines itself with that eye-watering RTP figure.