Esmeralda is a five-reel, three-row online slot with twenty-five flexible paylines. The game was created by Playtech and offers medium volatility. It has an RTP of 91.73%. No more than 1.7% of the wagers account for the progressive jackpot pot. There are four progressive jackpots in total, each with a separate seed pot. Each jackpot is tied to a different total bet value that you have to play to qualify for it. You cannot win more than one progressive jackpot at a time. All four jackpots seed at 25,000x your line bet.
This release has a limited selection of special features to enhance your experience. The most prominent are the free spins. They are won by finding enough Scatters on the playing field, and can be retriggered indefinitely. Wilds are also enhanced by free spins, and can substitute for all symbols while they are active.
The Jackpot
Four progressive jackpots are available for players to try their luck with. Enabling each one of these jackpots requires you to meet two conditions. First, you have to play with all twenty-five paylines active. Players cannot toggle them off if they hope to get the biggest prize. On top of that, you can only play the four highest possible line bet options.
Each wager is tied to a separate progressive jackpot. Each jackpot holds different prize amounts. Furthermore, you only contribute to the jackpot you are currently playing. 1.7% of each wager you play will contribute to the currently active progressive jackpot. If you change your bet and switch the jackpots, the contribution swaps to that instead.
All four progressive jackpots are activated using the same method. You need to land five Wilds on one of the twenty-five active paylines. Assuming all other conditions are met, you will receive the relevant prize. The jackpot will not be displayed if you are not qualified for it. If you do not see the value, you may need to adjust your bet or activate all paylines.
Esmeralda Gameplay & Features
You play this slot on a 5×3 playing field with twenty-five flexible paylines. Players are allowed to turn off one or more paylines to control their costs. We do not advise doing so, as it prevents you from winning a progressive jackpot. There are twelve base game icons in the paytable and on the reels. Most of them match the theme, with just four playing card royals standing out.
Wins are awarded by landing at least three matching symbols next to one another. All wins must start with the leftmost reel, and have to follow an active payline to grant their prize. The reel design is kept simple, and there are no additions such as cluster pays.
The RTP for this release is 91.73% with an additional 1.7% being factored in for the progressive jackpot. That brings it to a total RTP of 93.43%. It lags behind the current industry average RTP, which sits at 96%. Older titles often did come with smaller expected returns to account for the progressive jackpot. Esmeralda has a medium variance, carefully balancing between keeping things fun and lucrative.
Free Spins Aplenty
Unlocking free spins requires you to land at least eight Scatters. The more Scatters you have, the larger the number of free spins you will receive. The maximum number of free spins you can win is 70 extra turns for fifteen Scatters. Additional Scatters can land during free spins, granting additional free spins. There is no limit to how many extra free spins you can win.
Wilds usually are not able to substitute for Scatters. However, that situation changes after free spins become active. As Wilds can now replace Scatters, they can help retrigger free spins and keep the bonus going for longer. Players can also win the progressive jackpot while free spins are active.
Biggest Jackpot Wins
Esmeralda’s best jackpot win may seem humble compared to games like Mega Moolah. The biggest prize ever won that we could find was just £9,284.54. A small top prize, but it makes sense when accounting for the game’s somewhat lower popularity and frequent payouts. Progressive jackpots are usually won once a day. They can range from double digits, up to just shy of ten thousand. Usually, the game pays somewhere around two or three thousand.