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Balloon Race Live – Review & Casino Bonuses (Evolution Gaming) Slot Demo & Review

Balloon Race from Evolution Gaming is an exciting blend of slot mechanics and live game show thrills, transporting players into a high-stakes hot air balloon race. Featuring vibrant visuals, escalating multipliers, and interactive gameplay, this three-phase game culminates in the captivating Balloon Race Bonus round. Whether you’re collecting scatter symbols, boosting multipliers in the Top-Up phase, or cheering for your balloon in the Bonus race, this might turn out to be the live casino game you’ve been searching for.

Casino bonuses

Balloon Race Live
Provider Evolution Gaming
Reels0
Rows0
Bonus Rounds1
Bet Range0.10 - 6000
VolatilityHigh
Max Win3,000x
Bonus BuyNo
RTP96.09%
Our Rating6.5

How To Play

Balloon Race consists of three distinct phases: the Qualification Phase, the Top-Up Phase, and the Balloon Race Bonus Game. The goal is to qualify for the live Bonus round, where coloured balloons race to the finish line, and the winner determines your payout multiplier.

Qualification

The game begins with a five-reel, three-row slot featuring ten fixed winlines, eight paying symbols (10, J, Q, K, A, Bronze Ribbon, Silver Ribbon), scatter symbols, and Expanding Wilds. To qualify for the Bonus round, you must collect three scatter symbols or Expanding Wilds in any combination.

  • Scatter Symbols: These symbols may include multipliers that boost your total winnings.

  • Expanding Wilds: These substitute for any symbol except the scatter and cover the entire reel, increasing your odds of qualification.

Once you qualify, the scatter multipliers (up to 30x) are added to your Bonus round total. Any winning combinations formed during this phase are paid out according to the paytable.

To maximise your chances, you can choose from three spin modes:

  1. Normal Spin: The default mode using your base bet.

  1. XXXtreme Spin: Costs five times your base bet and guarantees one scatter or Expanding Wild symbol per spin, increasing the likelihood of better multipliers.

  1. Super XXXtreme Spin: Costs 50 times your base bet and guarantees two scatter or Expanding Wild symbols, further enhancing your multiplier potential.

All payouts during the Qualification phase are calculated based on the base bet amount.

Top Up

After qualifying, you can participate in the optional Top-Up Phase before the Bonus round begins. This is how it works:

  • Click the Top-Up button to release 3–6 balloons (maximum of two per colour).
  • Each balloon contains a possible Top-Up value. Balloons that ascend to the top add their Bonus value to the corresponding finish target.
  • The Top-Up bet is at least equal to your base bet, but increasing the Top-Up bet raises potential multiplier values.

After the Top-Up phase ends, a plane releases random multipliers for each balloon colour. These are combined with your scatter and Top-Up multipliers: (Scatter multipliers × Bonus round multipliers) + Top-Up multipliers = Final multipliers)

If you qualify for the Top-Up phase shortly before the Bonus round starts, a pop-up will prompt you to choose:

  • Join the Bonus round immediately by clicking BONUS.
  • Stay in the Top-Up phase and join the next Bonus round by clicking TOP UP.

If no choice is made, you’re automatically transferred to the Bonus round.

Balloon Race Live Evolution Gaming
Balloon Race Live Evolution Gaming

Bonus Game

The Balloon Race Bonus round is the highlight of the game, blending live action with a colourful race to the finish.

Once the main bonus begins, the game features:

  • A ball drawing machine containing 80 balls (20 each in yellow, purple, green, and red).
  • Four corresponding balloons, each aiming to ascend five positions to the finish line.

As the machine draws balls, the balloon matching the colour of the drawn ball rises one step. This process continues until one balloon reaches the top after five ascensions, determining the winner.

The winning balloon’s colour sets the final multiplier for all players. The total multiplier which applied to your base bet is calculated using:

(Scatter multipliers × Bonus round multipliers) + Top-Up multipliers = Final multipliers)

Balloon Race Paytable

SYMBOLPAYOUT
10x3 = 0.1x x4 = 0.3x x5 = 1x
Jackx3 = 0.2x x4 = 0.5x x5 = 1.3x
Queenx3 = 0.3x x4 = 0.8x x5 = 1.5x
Kingx3 = 0.4x x4 = 1x x5 = 2x
Acex3 = 0.5x x4 = 1.5x x5 = 3x
Bronze Balloonx3 = 1.5x x4 = 5x x5 = 10x
Silver Balloonx3 = 4x x4 = 7.5x x5 = 15x

Balloon Race RTP Table

BETRTP
Normal Spin96.09%
XXXtreme Spin96.00%
Super XXXtreme Spin96.03%
Top-Up96.05%

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Pros

  • The gameplay can commence from just €0.10 spin.
  • There is an opportunity to top up the multipliers before the bonus begins.
  • Genuine excitement as the bonus plays out and you cheer the best balloon to the top.

Cons

  • Although it's only €0.10 a spin, realistically, you'll need much more to have a chance of winning anything good.
  • Of all the live games from Evolution, this is probably one of the weaker titles.

Balloon Race Live Casino Game Review Final Thoughts

Balloon Race reminds me of Crazy Coin Flip, where you initially need to qualify for the bonus round before having the option to top up your bonus and increase the volatility. This is ok for players with bigger balances, but if you're not looking to spend a huge amount on each round of the game, you'll be better off looking for something else to play.

6.5

Reasonable

Author Bio

Patrick Owen

Article by Patrick Owen

8 Years Slots Playing Experience

About Patrick Owen

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