Barb’s Best Bet: Road To Riches Race Day Online Slot Game
It’s every slot player’s dream to find their “road to riches.” Will a new game by SG Digital called Road to Riches Race Day live up to its title and win you a fortune?
Probably not. But with a return to player (RTP) of over 96 percent, this thrilling online slot that’s as much fun as a day at the races is this month’s Barb’s Best Bet to put you in the winner’s circle.
Feeling lucky? Bet on and watch the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 1!
If you’re not already a horse racing fan, playing Road to Riches Race Day will make you one. But if you’re already a fan, be sure to highlight Sat., May 1, 2021 on your calendar. That is when the first leg of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby will take place.
2020 was an unfortunate exception when the Kentucky Derby had to be postponed to a later date. However, this year the Derby is back on schedule to take place as usual on the first Saturday of May. It’s the biggest horse racing day of the year.
The current betting favorite is Essential Quality. The horse’s name alone sounds like he has what it takes to win the Derby. But the same can be said about many of the other competitors–A Known Agenda, Dynamic One, Highly Motivated, and Rock the World, just to name a few. Likewise, based purely on the horse’s name, although logical handicapping might tell you otherwise, you might want to take a second look at the 50-1 shot, Keep Me in Mind!
This year’s Derby field includes 19 horses. So, all of them have their work cut out for them trying to reach the finish line first in the mile and one-quarter race. And so will you in trying to pick the winner!
You may like your chances better in the slot game Road to Riches Race Day, where there are only five horses to choose from. You can also try your luck as often as you want any day of the year!
Road to Riches Race Day basics
Road to Riches Race Day is an online video slot by SG Digital consisting of six reels, four rows, and 4,096 ways to win!
The reason there are so many different ways to win is that winning combinations occur whenever three or more matching symbols occur in any position on consecutive reels starting with the reel farthest to the left. The symbols do not need to be adjacent.
The setting for the game is a racetrack on a beautiful, sunny day, with the stands filled with fans.
Above the reels, you will see pictures of the five horses and the pot that each one will pay you if it wins the race. These amounts will vary considerably depending on your bet size. However, the favorite is always the horse with the red saddle, followed in order of increasing odds by the horse with the yellow, green, blue, and purple saddle. The longest shot on the board is always the horse with the purple saddle.
Nonstop action, just like a day at the racetrack should be
Each time you spin the reels, any horses that land will move forward on the track. This will also cause a cascade, where another symbol falls down from above to take its place. Likewise, whenever you get a winning combination, all of the symbols contributing to the win explode and new symbols cascade downward to replace them. The sequence continues, at no additional cost to you, until no new winning combinations or horses fall on the reels.
Meanwhile, the race continues until a horse reaches the finish line, at which time you will be awarded the prize indicated for that horse. If more than one horse reaches the finish line at the same time, you win the prize for each of those horses. Then, if you wish to continue playing, all of the horses return to the starting position for a new race.
Road to Riches Race Day bet size
At the racetrack, the minimum bet is usually $1. However, in this game, the minimum bet can be as little as 20 cents. High rollers might be disappointed that the maximum bet is only $30. However, one $30 bet after another can add up quickly. Also, keep in mind that Road to Riches Race Day is a high-volatility slot. So, it is probably a good thing that the maximum bet isn’t higher.
In any case, this is a game where you can keep your bet size very low if you’re so inclined. Or, if you’re not sure what would be a good bet size for you, another option is to play for free in demo mode.
Road to Riches Race Day RTP and Volatility
Contrary to what you may think, all online slot games are not the same in these respects. Both factors are important considerations in deciding whether or not a particular slot is a good fit for you.
RTP
The return to player or RTP of a game matters because it tells you how well you are likely to fare over the long run. Even though the RTP is not designed to predict individual session results, your best bet, particularly if you need to watch your bankroll closely, is to steer clear of games with a below average RTP. Instead, play the highest RTP games in that game category exclusively.
The reason for this advice is that you never know ahead of time what your initial luck will be. No one has an unlimited bankroll to risk, and it would be a shame to deplete most or all of it without ever having an opportunity to recoup. A high RTP doesn’t assure you of winning. But it keeps you in the game longer, and even if you don’t win, you are more likely to still have the bulk of your bankroll intact.
My minimum requirement for considering any slot game a Best Bet is an RTP of 96 percent or higher. Road to Riches Race Day has an RTP of 96.25 percent.
Volatility
Volatility refers to the extent to which a particular game can potentially produce huge swings in your bankroll. A game can have both a high RTP and high volatility, and Road to Riches Race Day is one example.
High volatility isn’t necessarily bad. In fact, many players like this feature because along with the high variance, the top payout tends to be higher than on many other slots. The high volatility also makes the game much more exciting.
The downside is that you need to be very careful not to bet more than you can afford. In fact, the top bet of $30 for Road to Riches Race Day is plenty, and most players should bet a lot less.
Limiting your playing time and avoiding marathon sessions is also highly recommended. If you’re ahead, don’t give the machine a chance to take all of your winnings back and more.
Which NJ online casinos offer Road to Riches Race Day?
Road to Riches Race Day can be played either on your computer or on mobile devices. It is available at the following NJ online casinos.
- BetMGM
- Borgata
- Caesars
- Golden Nugget
- Hard Rock
- Mohegan Sun
- Resorts
- Stardust (formerly Betfair)
- Unibet
Road to Riches symbols
Besides the five horses, this game contains nine regular symbols plus a wild symbol and a scatter symbol.
Regular symbols
The higher paying lucky regular symbols include the Road to Riches logo, a harp, Derby hat, four-leaf clover, and horseshoe. The playing cards J-A constitute the lower paying regular symbols.
Wild symbol
The wild symbol is a gold coin with the word WILD. It can land on any reel other than reel 1 or 6, where it can substitute for any other symbol except the scatter symbol or horse symbols to help form winning combinations.
Scatter symbol
You need four or more symbols labeled Grand Derby FREE SPINS to land simultaneously anywhere on the reels to trigger the Free Spins feature (described below).
Road to Riches Race Day Special Features
Unlike some slot games where nothing much happens until you trigger the bonus round, Road to Riches Day at the Races is packed with action and excitement from the get-go. This is exactly what you would expect from a day at the races, The featured race may be the highlight of the day. But it may not come for a while, so you’re counting on having a good time and, hopefully, winning earlier, too. Road to Riches Day at the Races delivers on all of these counts.
Horse feature
During the base game, every time the five horses line up at the starting gate for a new race, regardless of which horse wins, you win, too!
Cascade feature
As described above, every time you get a winning combination or a horse advances in a race, a cascade occurs. The contributing symbols explode and get replaced by new symbols cascading down from above. The sequence continues until no more horses or winning combinations appear on the reels.
Free Spins feature
This is the big race where you are given a large stake to bet on any way you wish based on which of the five horses you think will win. You can play it safe and divide the money among all five horses. Or you can load up on a particular horse. The Free Spins continue until one horse reaches the finish line and is declared the winner.
The bottom line
Road to Riches Race Day is an exciting new slot game that I think any slot player will enjoy. My advice is to put some money on each horse during the Free Spins. You won’t win as much as if you put all of your money on just one or two horses. However, there is no way you will come away from the race empty-handed.
If you wish to bet on the Kentucky Derby and can’t make the trip to Monmouth Park or the Meadowlands, your only option in Atlantic City is the Race & Sportsbook at the Borgata. However, Road to Riches Race Day can be played on many NJ gambling websites, and you don’t have to travel anywhere!
Road to Riches Race Day is a game you can play over and over again. You can make any day of the year a day at the races!
Another great online slot with a horseracing theme is the previous Barb’s Best Bet Scudamore’s Super Stakes.