Bigger Bass Bonanza slot review

Bigger Bass Bonanza against the original Big Bass

Big Bass Bonanza arrived in December 2020 and turned Reel Kingdom into one of the best-known names in UK slots. Bigger Bass Bonanza followed in 2021 with the obvious upgrade in its name: a taller grid. Pragmatic Play's launch notes described an extended set of reels, and our checked specifications put it at 5 reels by 4 rows with 12 fixed paylines.

Same top RTP, same volatility label, nearly double the ceiling. The sequel keeps the parts that made the first game popular and asks you to accept a wider spread of outcomes in return for that higher cap.

For the studio behind the distribution, see our Pragmatic Play profile; the company's own site at pragmaticplay.com (opens in a new tab) lists its current slot range.

How the features work in Bigger Bass Bonanza

Bigger Bass Bonanza plays on five reels and four rows, with 12 paylines spread across the extra space. The base game is about line wins; the feature that defines the game is the free spins round, opened by scatters.

Three, four or five scatters give 10, 15 or 20 spins. During the round the Fisherman wild collects the cash values on the fish money symbols in view. If only one Fisherman lands, a random feature can add fish to the reels so that he has something to collect.

Every fourth Fisherman collected retriggers the round with 10 extra spins and lifts the multiplier on fish values, in three steps:

The jump from 3× to 10× at the third retrigger is the big one. A catch worth £3 at a 30p stake pays £3 before any retrigger, £9 at 3× and £30 at 10×. Rounds that get that far are rare, which is why most bonuses pay far less than the 4,000× cap. OLBG’s Bigger Bass Bonanza review (opens in a new tab) sets out the same ladder. Every part of this round is included in the 96.71% top RTP, so the ladder decides when the big payouts come, not how much the game returns overall.

What the fourth row and 12 lines change

Adding a row takes the grid from 15 positions to 20. More positions mean more room for money fish and wilds to land on any spin, which matters most in the bonus, where the fisherman collects every visible fish value. The paylines rise only from 10 to 12, so the base game doesn't suddenly connect far more often; the extra space mostly serves the collection mechanic.

Fixed paylines also mean your stake always covers all 12 lines. You can't trim lines to lower the cost per spin; you lower the stake instead. Each spin's result is drawn by the game's random number generator, so the extra row doesn't change the fact that every spin is independent.

Bigger Bass Bonanza free spins explained

Pragmatic's launch description sets out the round. Three or more scatters in the base game trigger 10 free spins, with more spins for extra scatters. During the round, money fish land with randomly assigned values, and wilds build up on a meter above the reels. Every four wilds collected retriggers the feature and raises the multiplier applied to the symbol collector.

So the round has two moving parts. Each wild that lands collects whatever fish values are on screen at that moment, multiplied by the current level. Every fourth wild then adds spins and bumps the multiplier up. The bonus pays well only when both happen: several wilds to climb the meter, and valuable fish on screen when the later wilds land. The features section above gives the extra spins per retrigger and the multiplier at each level.

Bigger Bass Bonanza RTP in pounds

The top version returns 96.71% over the long run, so the margin is 3.29%: expected loss is 3.29p per £1 staked. The two lower versions raise that to 4.33p and 5.38p. The RTP is decided by the casino's choice of version, not by anything you do in the game, and it is the same at every stake.

Those are long-run averages. Over a few hundred spins, a high-volatility game can land a long way from them in either direction. The house edge tells you the direction of travel; volatility tells you how bumpy the road is. For the general method, see Wizard of Odds on slots (opens in a new tab), which explains how slot returns are set.

High volatility on Bigger Bass Bonanza: the £20 test

High volatility means the game pays less often in the base game and saves more of its return for bigger, rarer wins. On a £20 budget, that makes the stake choice decisive.

• 10p: 200 spins from £20 before recycling wins. Expected loss on that turnover: about 66p at 96.71%. The best result is capped at £400.
• 50p: 40 spins. Same 66p expected loss on £20 staked, but far fewer chances to see a bonus. Cap: £2,000.
• £1: 20 spins. A single bonus can decide the session; the cap is £4,000, but the most likely outcome is that £20 is gone before free spins arrive.

None of these is the 'right' stake. If you want the session to last, smaller stakes give the high-volatility maths room to breathe. Remember too that re-staking small wins increases total turnover, so the real expected cost of a session is usually higher than the first-£20 figure. Our high volatility slots page compares similar games.

Bigger Bass Bonanza max win of 4,000×

The ceiling is 4,000 times your stake: £400 at 10p, £2,000 at 50p, £4,000 at £1, and £20,000 at £5, the top stake for UK players aged 25 and over. For players aged 18 to 24 the stake cap of £2 puts the ceiling at £8,000. Pragmatic's own announcement used the same 4,000× figure.

A max win describes the best possible single round. It is a limit on the game, not a figure anyone should plan around. The developer doesn't publish how often the cap is hit, and it is designed to be very rare.

How to play Bigger Bass Bonanza

1. Open the game and check the RTP in the information screen: 96.71%, 95.67% or 94.62%.
2. Pick a stake. All 12 lines are always active, and UK caps are £5 (25+) or £2 (18–24).
3. Check the paytable at that stake to see what each symbol and fish value is worth.
4. Press spin. Each spin needs its own press and lasts at least 2.5 seconds under UK rules.
5. Land three or more scatters to start free spins, then follow the wild meter as wilds collect fish.
6. Keep an eye on the net position display and stop when you reach your planned limit.

Bigger Bass Bonanza and UK slot rules

Three rules matter here. First, the slot stake limits: £5 a spin for players aged 25 and over since 9 April 2025, and £2 for those aged 18–24 since 21 May 2025, as set out in the Commission's stake limit guidance (opens in a new tab). Second, the autoplay ban and game design rules: no autoplay, no turbo, at least 2.5 seconds per spin. Third, bonus buys: since a Gambling Commission warning in January 2020, feature buy-ins are not offered to British players, so the free spins only come from scatters.

Developer pages and international listings sometimes mention options that UK versions don't include. If something you read elsewhere isn't in the game you load, the UK rules are usually the reason.

Bigger Bass myths, corrected

For the reasoning behind each row, see do online slots have memory? and the gambler's fallacy.

Similar slots to Bigger Bass Bonanza

If you like the collecting mechanic, the wider Big Bass series has a version for most tastes. Big Bass Bonanza Megaways moves the formula to Megaways with up to 46,656 ways, 96.7% RTP and a 4,000× cap. Big Bass Splash keeps 10 lines with a 96.71% top RTP and a 5,000× ceiling. For fishing games from another studio, try Fishin' Frenzy, or browse the full slots hub.

Keep play affordable. If you want to stop altogether, GAMSTOP (opens in a new tab) blocks you from every British-licensed gambling site at once.

Playing Bigger Bass Bonanza at our partners

These are slot offers. None names Bigger Bass Bonanza, so check the casino's lobby to see whether it carries the game, and look at the RTP version there. 18+ and terms apply.

• PlayOJO: a first deposit of at least £10 gets new UK customers (not Northern Ireland) 80 free spins on the original Big Bass Bonanza, at 10p each, with winnings paid as cash and no wagering. It can't be combined with other offers and works only through the designated offer link.
• Coral: new players who deposit (some types excluded) and bet £10 or more on slots receive 100 free spins on selected games, 10p each, to accept within 48 hours and use within 7 days; no wagering on winnings. Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don't count. Offer period: 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027.
• Ladbrokes: spend £10 or more on slots after depositing to get 50 free spins a day for 10 days, 500 at most, on selected games at 10p. Claim each day's batch before 23:59; spins last 7 days; no wagering. Deposits via prepaid cards, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill or Moneybookers are excluded.

LC International Limited runs both Coral and Ladbrokes, so holding new accounts at both may not be possible. Our page on no-wagering bonuses explains how this type of offer works.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.