I usually have my favorite slots- the ones that have proven ‘lucky’ for me- and stick to those. Every once in a while I get in the mood to try something else though, and I like 3D video slots as much as the next person, if they are engaging and well-done. That is exactly how Enchanted, the new online 3D slot from BetSoft, is. It’s beautifully designed, well themed, engaging and interactive, and there are no less than four special bonus features.

I say it’s beautifully designed because this game was clearly well-thought out before being launched. It has actual atmosphere; it’s both light-hearted and darkly mysterious at the same time. The characters are not completely original but they are well-animated and entertaining. The music suits the overall theme perfectly. Enchanted is 5 reels with 30 paylines. However, it’s not the paylines that will bring you the big bucks. If you want to play casino games for real money, it’s the special features that deliver in this one.

There’s a Crazy Hat free re-spin bonus. Even if the only redeeming aspect of one spin was that you got the 2 crazy hat symbols, you still have the opportunity to make some money, as he’ll choose reels at random to respin in the hopes of forming a winning combination.  3 golden keys will set off the elf Tonk’s ‘tinkering doors’ Pick Me feature. Choose 3 of the golden doors and he’ll use the keys you’ve collected to open them. Whatever amount is dispayed behind the door gets added to your bankroll. The magic spell book triggers 9 free spins with a 3x multiplier on all wins, plus the chance to win additional prizes if you get the ‘Enchanted’ logo symbol on the 3^rd reel. Lastly, if the ogre and fairy show up next to each other on the reels, you get to play a gorgeous second screen adventure bonus level. The ogre has stolen the fairy’s bird- use magical blasts to zap him and free the bird for bonus credits. This one was my personal favorite and the easiest to trigger.

Trust me when I say that even if you like the old tried-and-true slotys that you’re used to, you’ll be sure to have a good time with this one. Even in free play mode, it’s well worth your time. Give it a go and see what happens- you won’t be sorry.

Early in December, a 26 year old Swiss man, Behar Merlaku, hit a jackpot worth over $54 million (42 Million Euro) on a slot machine at Casinos Austria in Bregenz, Austria. The story goes that he and his wife were playing in the casino at around 4 a.m. when they heard an announcement for ‘last call’ on bets. Merlaku distinctly remembers placing 2 final bets on the Aristocrat slot machine. The first of those 2 bets resulted in nothing. The second bet, however, flashed and sounded the alarm for a jackpot win worth many millions. Merlaku was naturally overjoyed.

Only, much to his dismay, the casino officials informed him that the jackpot had been caused by a glitch in the software. Reports vary as to whether Merlaku matched all 5 symbols (necessary for a jackpot win) or if he only matched 4. Merlaku claims to have taken a picture of the win with his camera phone. In any event, the casino refused to honor the alleged jackpot win, but did offer Merlaku $100 and a free meal.

Software glitches are not unknown in either online slot games or in land-based casino machines. They actually operate using the same kind of random number generator in their programs, and many casinos have stickers on the sides of their machines that state something along the lines of ‘malfunctions void all wins’. What’s interesting in this case is that the casino officials cleared the machine display, confiscated Merlaku’s player’s card, and brought in police to register a statement- but the police never got a statement from Merlaku. Completely outraged, Merlaku took himself straight to an attorney’s office to dispute the casino’s claim that he did not win.

It’s hard to say which way the case will go. Merlaku supposedly has a picture of his win. On the other hand, the casino has their police statement and the slot machine with the glitch has since been removed from the casino floor (lost?). There should also be a record somewhere of the last plays before the machine was removed, but only the casino has those and is unlikely to turn them over easily if they substantiate a win. In the end, the very behavior of the casino is suspicious.

Merlaku claims that he will fight for this case for the rest of his life if need be. He claims he can’t sleep, and is suffering psychological problems because of being denied his winnings. This is generally accepted to be the largest casino dispute in history. It could be Merlaku is not the only one losing sleep over the its outcome.

The little girl in me is having a minor cow just now because WagerWorks just released an awesome new fantasy slots game featuring some very attractive pixies. What can I say? I’m a sucker for pretty young things with wings. The overall design of the game looks fresh and well-planned out. I’m used to the more pixilated (no pun intended- if I even made a pun) look of Enchanted Forest, which is a very popular slot that’s been out on the internet for as long as I’ve been playing. In the background you can hear birdsong and little pixies laughing merrily, which seems to suit the game’s overall forest theme very well. The character designs, as I said, are top notch and very attractive. There are 3 lovely pixies who offer jackpots of 1,000 coins, 400, and 150 (awww- I feel sorry for the one that’s rated so much lower than her sisters).

The grand jackpot can be won with the game’s logo piece and it’s 2,000 coins. There are 99 paylines, and work on the WagerWorks’ concept of ‘connected lines’. This basically means that the paylines are formed by a symbol sharing a side or corner with matching symbols on the reels next to it. Players get 3 paylines for each coin they wager, which is pretty interesting and I have to assume they did this on purpose to go with the 3 pixie girls that are the slot’s main icons. The Wild only shows up on reels 2, 3, and 4 unless you win free spins.

If a player gets 3 Bonus symbols on an enabled payline, they get to choose a fairy symbol. She will reveal the number of free spins (5-11). This is when an extra wild appears on reel 1 for the duration of the free spins. Sadly, the free spins cannot be retriggered. WagerWorks did include an extra tumbling symbol feature to make up for this though. When you have a winning payline, there’s a chance that the winning symbols will disappear and new ones will fall down from the top of the screen to fill their space, potentially increasing your winnings. The wins from before and after the tumble feature are both added to your bank roll. Any winning combo can set this off, whether in regular game play or free spin mode.

The overall payout percentage for players is supposed to be somewhere around 94%. I think this is pretty respectable for any gambling game. The only issue with it is that it isn’t offered on casinos that currently accept US players . Sorry, guys.