Celebrate July 4th Weekend With A New Online Slot Jackpot
The July 4th holiday weekend is right around the corner. Are you looking for a safe but fun way to celebrate with a bang but coming up empty? Have no fear.
Barb’s Best Bet is here to rescue you out of your doldrums, bring a big smile to your face, and show you how to let the good times roll. It’s the brand new slot game from Inspired Gaming called Book of Independence.
Meanwhile, the Atlantic City casinos will also be open again (finally) starting July 4th weekend but with many restrictions. Wearing a mask, maintaining your distance from others, and not being able to eat or drink inside the building might not be fun, but it’s for everyone’s safety.
Or stay safe at home and celebrate Independence Day and your independent spirit another way. Open Book of Independence and play online!
Introduction to Book of Independence
Book of Independence is a new video slot consisting of 5 reels, 3 rows, and 10 fixed paylines. The manufacturer, Inspired Gaming, isn’t a household name like NetEnt and IGT, but it is a reputable global games technology company that has been in the business of making online and mobile casino games since 2014.
If you usually play slots with 40, 50, or more paylines, you might not have realized that slots with only 10 paylines are still being manufactured, or mistakenly assume that you’ll be bored playing them. So let’s put that misconception to rest.
Book of Independence is the opposite of boring. All of the symbols celebrate Independence Day and what it means for Americans in a big way, and the rousing music accompanying each spin will make you feel like a patriotic parade is due to start any minute. You almost want to get up from your chair and start marching!
The only thing missing that would make the spectacle complete are fireworks. But maybe not–if the screen lights up with big winnings. All winning spins, even the small ones, are accompanied by a cascade of gold coins falling down from the reels.
Book of Independence bet range
Book of Independence is a slot game that should appeal to a very wide range of bettors. The minimum bet per spin is only 10 cents while the maximum is $50.
Those of you who are high rollers might think that a $50 maximum bet isn’t that much, but trust me—in this game, it is plenty. For starters, Book of Independence is a high volatility slot, so betting $50 per spin is only appropriate for those with a big bankroll and nerves of steel. Also, if you want the opportunity to up the stakes, even more, you can do so by activating a special Gamble feature, which I’ll describe later.
On the other hand, if you’re not a high stakes player, consider betting a little less than you usually do. That will help you preserve your bankroll longer in the event you don’t have good luck early on.
Alternatively, if you want to get a good feel for the game before you risk any money, you can play in demo mode, with the same 10 cents to $50 betting options that you have betting real money.
Book of Independence has an outstanding RTP—just what you want in an online slot
All games that meet my stringent requirements for Best Bet status must have a return to player (RTP) of 96 percent or higher, and Book of Independence, with a published RTP of 96.23 percent, is no exception. It is well above the average for NJ online slots.
The RTP is a useful estimate of a game’s probable rate of return over the long run, not necessarily how you well you can expect to fare in any given session. Your single session results could deviate markedly from what the RTP suggests in either direction.
But even so, because no one’s bankroll is unlimited, just in case you don’t have good luck early on, a higher than average RTP will help keep you in the game longer and lessen the likelihood of losing a big chunk or all of your bankroll. A high RTP is also associated with more frequent payouts even though most of them will be small.
Of course, you can still win on a slot with an average or below-average RTP, just as you can still lose playing a slot with a very high RTP. But if you play frequently, and particularly if you need to be mindful of your bankroll, you should grab every edge you can get and play only slots with a high rate of return.
But watch out for the high volatility
Another important consideration when deciding which slot to play is its volatility or variance. The manufacturer describes the Book of Independence as having high volatility. This means that during the course of your play, you should be prepared for big swings in your bankroll.
When I tried the game in demo mode, I once had 15 consecutive non-winning spins, and the same or worse could happen to you. I also had some big wins. If you get lucky and score a big win, I strongly advise locking in the win by ending the session then rather than continuing to play and more likely than not seeing all of your winnings evaporate.
What makes Book of Independence Barb’s Best Bet for July 4th
Despite the volatile nature of this game, it qualifies for Best Bet status based on its other attributes. Not only the outstanding RTP and wide bet range, but also and even more so, I chose this game because the theme and timing couldn’t be more perfect. During these difficult times, when it is so easy to become disillusioned, this game reminds us of the great things about our country that we can and should appreciate, yet does so in a highly entertaining way. Book of Independence is as American as Uncle Sam and apple pie.
Which NJ online casinos offer the Book of Independence slot game?
Book of Independence can be played either on your computer or on iOS or Android mobile devices. However, I was hoping that this game would be more widely available than it is. Only two NJ gambling websites offer it:
Alternatively, here are two other July 4th-related slots from IGT that you can play instead:
- Fantastic Fireworks
- Red White & Blue
Book of Independence symbols
This star-spangled salute to America contains nine regular symbols plus one additional special symbol that does double duty as both a wild symbol and a bonus scatter symbol, and all of them directly relate to the July 4th theme.
Regular symbols
The six higher-paying regular symbols, in descending order of value, are as follows:
- American flag
- Bald eagle
- Star
- Bell
- Hat
- Fireworks
And here’s another welcome change. There’s not a playing card in sight! Instead, the remaining lower paying symbols in red, white, and blue, respectively, are three letters—U S A!
Book of Independence Paytable
Winning combinations are formed in the usual manner. You need either two or more or three or more like symbols to appear adjacently on consecutive reels, starting with the reel furthest to the left.
The following paytable shows what you will be paid for each winning combination involving each symbol.
Book of Independence Paytable
Multiple of Bet Paid Out for Different Winning Combinations
|
Symbol |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
|
American flag |
500 | 100 | 10 | 1 |
|
Eagle |
200 | 40 | 4 |
1/2 |
|
Star |
75 | 10 | 3 |
1/2 |
|
Bell |
75 | 10 | 3 |
1/2 |
| Hat | 15 | 4 |
1/2 |
|
|
Fireworks |
15 | 4 |
1/2 |
|
|
U |
10 | 2 1/2 |
1/2 |
|
|
S |
10 | 2 1/2 |
1/2 |
|
|
A |
10 |
2 1/2 |
1/2 |
Wild symbol
The wild symbol is the Book of Independence over an American flag. It can appear on any reel during either the base game or the Free Spins, so you will encounter it frequently. It can substitute for all other symbols except the identical symbol when it becomes a bonus symbol instead and the specially designated expanded symbol during the Free Spins round. So even though the wild symbol has no monetary value on its own, it helps create and add to winning combinations with other symbols.
Bonus scatter symbol
The bonus scatter symbol is also the Book of Independence over an American flag. The way to tell it apart from the wild symbol is that you need three or more of them to appear anywhere on the reels. Once that happens, you trigger the potentially very lucrative Free Spins bonus round. As indicated below, your prize depends on how many bonus symbols—3, 4, or 5, land on the reels simultaneously.
- 3 bonus symbols: Awards 10 free spins and 2x your bet.
- 4 bonus symbols: Awards 10 free spins and 20x your bet
- 5 bonus symbols: Awards 10 free spins and 200x your bet
Book of Independence special features
This game includes two special features: the just mentioned Free Spins bonus round and an optional Gamble feature.
10 Free Spins, with one randomly assigned expanded symbol
When the free spins start, one symbol is randomly chosen to expand vertically and add to your winnings.
Gamble feature
You decide if you want to play with this feature on or off. If you leave the Gamble feature on, after any winning combination with a payout equal to or greater than 5x your bet, you can use this feature to try to increase your winnings.
You will see two wheels and will be asked to pick which one you want to spin. The left wheel offers the chance to increase your winnings by 1/3, or double or triple your winnings. The right wheel gives you the chance to win up to 20 free spins.
If the pointer stops on the green segment, you win the cash prize or number of free spins indicated. You can then either end the Gamble feature and collect your winnings or keep going to try to win more. However, if the pointer stops on the red segment of the wheel, you lose all of your winnings.
Given the highly volatile nature of this game, if you decide to use the Gamble feature at all, I recommend that you be conservative. For example, after winning $400 on a $20 bet in demo mode, I spun the wheel once and doubled my win to $800 but chose not to try again.
The bottom line: Book of Independence is a great online slot choice for July 4th
If you’re looking for a great way to stay safe but still have lots of fun on July 4th and beyond and maybe even win a nice pile of extra holiday cash, look no further than Book of Independence.