Barcrest Gaming is a famous name in the gambling industry, with one of the richest histories in the sector, dating back several decades. It made its name as a supplier of analog gambling machines in the UK, reportedly, at one time running over forty thousand spread out throughout the United Kingdom. It is most famous as the company behind the renowned Rainbow Riches slots, which have helped this entity sustain its name in the online realm. Show more
Nowadays, Barcrest’s team continues developing physical slots for Light & Wonder, its parent company, and it is best recognizable for its cabinets with halo-effect lighting and mechanical arms, which many praise on account of the authentic old-school gaming experiences they deliver. These can be found in many brick-and-mortar gaming venues across Europe and North America, including in some Las Vegas establishments. Barcrest too maintains a presence online, but it rarely churns out interactive gambling products, even going a few years before unleashing any. Before we posted this page, the last Barcrest title that appeared online was KingsTimer, a vintage-style slot, which hit the Web in January 2024.
This is a company that got founded way back in 1968 in Manchester, England, and is now a subsidiary of Scientific Games, or should we say, Light & Wonder. It has been under this land-based machine juggernaut’s banner since 2010, and before that, it was under the IGT (International Game Technology) one, which had acquired it in 1998. Today, it still ranks high as a top player in the stepper cabinet section of the sphere and in the slot one.
Most UK gamblers know of Barcrest as a fruit machine creator due to the fact that loads of this provider’s games populated British pubs and arcades for decades in the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1990s, Barcrest decided to dabble in online gaming, per various sources, as this landscape was just getting established, but all the games we know from this developer appeared on the Web much later. That maybe is so because many of its earlier titles have gotten discontinued.
In terms of size, Barcrest’s portfolio is smaller than that of giants like NetEnt and Play’n GO, as based on our research, it features around eighty products at the time of writing. Its Internet games are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority and are most popular with primarily British game-of-chance enthusiasts, tested by Gaming Laboratories International for fairness.
Barcrest’s online department primarily sticks to making slots, but they have also explored developing some novel gaming picks like the instant game Rainbow Riches Leapin’ Leprechauns, part of their Rainbow Riches franchise, which consists of all slots except for this product, and they also have a unique Monopoly creation called Hot Property.
Those familiar with it are likely to say that Barcrest Gaming’s slots are renowned for their classic charm. We will be honest with you and say that while this developer has implemented famed engines like the Megaways one, and has cluster-pay spinners, cash-collector ones, and has innovated a few things, its products are not the most modern in presentation and in gameplay when one looks at the entirety of the Barcrest catalog.
Some of this Light & Wonder subsidiary’s games partake in the SG (Scientific Gaming) Mega Drop jackpot system, which is a must-drop progressive network that pays out three-tiered prizes – Minor, Major, and Epic, seeded at £500, £2,000, and £5,000.
Barcrest does not create any crypto-specific games, and most of their slots have RTPs in the 95% and 97% range, playable on iOS and Android devices, with wagers that go as low as a penny, and ones that go as high as $500 in specific titles like Beetlejuice Megaways. For the most part, the graphics in spinners from this provider have a retro vibe. They do not feel very modern or slick. This also applies to even some of Barcrest’s newer slots.
Even though it is a super seasoned sector entity, one with decades of industry experience under its belt, sadly, Barcrest does not put as big of a focus on its online releases as its team does on their physical machines, which are a priority for this company, something that is also valid for all under the Light & Wonder umbrella. Thus, their slots in presentation, as explained above, do not stack up well against those from the very best sphere studios.
What we will say about Barcrest is that their portfolio has a few branded releases, for which this provider probably sent a pretty penny. But we assume these were licenses that got bought for cabinets, with the option for them to get exploited in online titles as well. Their Rainbow Riches slots also seem to be doing very well in the UK, and some other European markets. Barcrest’s Monopoly collection of products has also raised some steam in specific places.
That said, it is surprising to see that this supplier has not put out anything else online other than slots and instant games. Therefore, their arsenal lacks the diversity present in many other famous providers’ libraries.
Aside from the noted SG Mega Drop jackpot system, Barcrest is well-known for its Big Bet feature, which lets you place a higher wager for five linked spins. That option usually comes with extra bonuses or an enhanced RTP.
In our experience, Barcrest games tend to favor medium to high variance math models, and they are typically straightforward releases that stick to tried-and-tested bonus modes and mechanics. We already mentioned that a few incorporate the Megaways engine, and you have several Barcrest cluster slots. For the most part, Barcrest’s creations are unlikely to wow modern Internet gamblers, who are looking for a higher level of engagement than what these titles can bring. Nevertheless, they do enough to immerse most casuals, old-school players, and newbies.
We should tell you that Authentic Gaming has bought the license for Rainbow Riches and has made a Live Roulette version of this renowned Barcrest slot, meaning it utilizes its visual look and some of its elements, incorporated in the roulette format.
From its catalog of over eighty, we will note these three as the most popular products this developer has put out for remote play:
Other quality games from this company worth checking out are – Dr. Jekyll Goes Wild, Hot Frootastic, Himalayas Roof of the World, Monopoly On the Money, Hercules High and Mighty, and Reel ’em In Lobster Potty.
If you still have questions about Barcrest Gaming, before asking any other gamblers and shooting us a message, here is a short FAQ guide for you to check out:
The most-played games from this long-standing company are – Rainbow Riches, Beetlejuice Megaways, Hot Frootastic, Action Bank, Rainbow Riches Free Spins, Himalayas Roof of The World, Rainbow Riches Cluster Magic, Rainbow Riches Megaways, Dr. Jekyll Goes Wild, Rainbow Riches Midnight Magic, Rainbow Riches Race Day, MONOPOLY On The Money, 7s On Fire, Cash Stax, Rainbow Riches Leprechauns Gold, Rainbow Riches Reels of Gold, Reel 'em In Lobster Potty, Rainbow Riches Power Mix, Rainbow Riches Pots of Gold, and Rainbow Riches Cash Cluster.
Yes, of course. They have gotten licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, which is the most stringent European regulator, which means they have met this body’s fairness standards. The random number generators that Barcrest products use also have gotten tested by Gaming Laboratories International and by agencies such as eCOGRA or iTech Labs, depending on the market they have gotten offered in and the time period.
Yes. You should easily be able to find crypto casinos with Barcrest Gaming’s slots that offer a demo play option. Please note that while all games from this supplier can have this capability, whether a gambling site includes it is up to them. Furthermore, be aware that Barcrest Gaming’s products are not as widely available as ones from Pragmatic Play or NetEnt, for example, and on some platforms, they may get listed under Light & Wonder, not Barcrest, this developer’s parent entity. If you wish to just test out a title from this provider, a quick Google search will take you to another review or sector site that will have an embedded demo-play version of the game you are looking to try out.
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