Playboy Gold Jackpots (Triple Edge Studios): Overview

Hugh Hefner, the man behind the legendary adult magazine Playboy, may no longer be with us, but the brand he built continues to endure. He did at least get to witness his name become attached to what many considered one of the strongest online slots of its time. Launched roughly four years before he died, the Playboy slot exploded in popularity and stayed highly sought-after until around 2017, when the Flash version was discontinued—leaving players stuck with the clunky mobile version because, apparently, Microgaming couldn’t be bothered to roll out a html5 version?

Fortunately, Hefner didn’t have to watch his brand get mishandled by the 2018 follow-up, Playboy Gold. The attractive presentation and mild volatility may have suited casual players, perhaps, but the more demanding crowd wasn’t buying it.

So where does this third entry go from here? You can probably already pick up on our muted excitement, but we’ll still give it a fair look. Right away, the setup feels a bit unusual, with 5-reels, 6-rows and 30 paylines in play. Either Triple Edge Studios decided to get a little adventurous, or they’re hoping the layout pulls focus away from the uninspired substance. As you’d expect, volatility sits in the medium bracket, while RTP comes in at a respectable 96.08%. It’s available on all devices, with stakes ranging from 0.15 up to $/€60 per spin.

On the visual side, there isn’t much to criticise—at least if you’re the intended male audience. A few of the playmates shown here will be familiar from the earlier title. They appear to the left of the reels in a variety of poses. The overall vibe is suitably luxurious, and the symbols feature the standard low-value card suits alongside 4 different playmates – Stephanie, Gia, Hiromi, and Carly. Stephanie is the top payer (yes, that reads oddly), awarding 8.75 times your stake for landing 5 of a kind. You also get three separate wild types – 2x, 3x, and 5x multiplier wilds which show up on the first and last reels.

Playboy Gold Jackpots (Triple Edge Studios): Features

Before we start tearing it apart, let’s cover what’s actually on offer. Up first is the Jumbo Block feature. Watch for the stacked picture symbols—these can line up across the three middle reels to create a 3×4 block, which boosts payout potential. The other key symbol is the wheel symbol—when a complete wheel block lands in view (and it can also be nudged into position), the Wheel Bonus feature triggers. Once it’s active, the wheel spins and, when it stops, you receive the matching reward: either a fixed jackpot win of 20, 100, 500, or 2,500 times your stake, or entry into the Free Spins feature.

In the Free Spins round, you’ll get a full jumbo block on every spin. That improves your chances of hitting larger wins and also of setting off the Wheel Bonus again for another chance at the jackpot prizes—or even additional free spins.

Playboy Gold Jackpots (Triple Edge Studios): Verdict

Sadly, Microgaming and its partner studios appear to have largely ignored the criticism they’ve been getting from the casino community in recent years. Too many releases feel short on creativity, character, and excitement—Playboy Gold Jackpots fits that pattern. It comes across as though Microgaming has effectively stepped away from the core casino audience to prioritise family-friendly slot production. We genuinely struggle to make sense of it. Clearly, they’ve landed on an approach that works commercially, but from our standpoint as hardcore players, a title like this offers no real draw.

Playboy Gold Jackpots is presentable enough, and the brand will certainly bring eyeballs. Still, for a branded slot, it feels extremely standard. On top of that you’ve got a strange grid design (a huge reel set with only 30 paylines—really?), weak symbol payouts, old-fashioned gameplay, and only average upside. To give credit where it’s due, Triple Edge Studios are among the stronger independent teams working with Microgaming, even if their output has been inconsistent. If we had to file Playboy Gold Jackpots into one of those two buckets, it firmly lands in the latter.