Mining slots are one of the most popular slot theme genres in the online casino world. Perhaps it’s because online gambling is a bit like mining for gold or gemstones. While playing online slots, for example, is a fun thing to do, there is always the thought that you might strike it rich, too.
In this GamBonus blog, we review a few of the best mining themed slots you can play today, starting with Gem Elevator, a slot that is perfect for newbies to online slot machine play, but with large prize money on offer, it also attracts seasoned pros.
Gem Elevator by Pragmatic Play
Screenshot of the Gem Elevator slot by Pragmatic Play, courtesy of 7bit Casino
It has to be said that the symbols used in the Gem Elevator slot by Pragmatic Play are not the most exciting or original we’ve seen. Gemstones as symbols appear in tons of mining slots, but we do quite like the animation with the Dwarf Miner standing by, ready to tirelessly crank the elevator lever to help you land some winning combos.
The mechanics of this 6×5 include a tumble or cascade engine and a nudge feature. As with most online mining slots, the gameplay of Gem Elevator also features a Free Spins Round. You can also win up to 10,000x your wager, so with a bet range running from $0.20 to $240, if you keep digging, sorry, spinning, you could strike it rich, big time.
Let’s take a look at the symbols and their payloads.
The Symbols and Paytable
Gem Elevator is one of the mining slots that uses a cluster pays mechanic. Also, as Pragmatic Play is one of the software providers that allows you to choose a coin value and a bet size, the payouts shown in the table above refer to a Bet Value of 5, a Coin Value of $0.01 and a Total Bet Value of $1.00 per spin.
Special Symbols
The Wild
The Wild is the Gold Nugget Symbol. It works as a substitute for all other game symbols except the game’s Bonus Symbol. Wilds can appear on any of the 5 Reels.
The Bonus Symbol.
The Bonus Symbol is the Miner’s Drill Bit. Can appear on each of the slot’s 5 Reels.
Before You Start Playing
With all mining themed slots, and indeed when considering playing any type of online slot machine, GamBonus recommends you always seek out a free demo version of the game in question. You can read the instructions and play the game for free to familiarise yourself with its gameplay. As regards Gem Elevator, one of the best platforms carrying a free demo version is 7bit Casino.
Before activating play, choose your size of bet. Bear in mind that when you play for real money, the more you wager, the bigger the prize. But always remember to gamble responsibly. The bigger the bet, the quicker you’ll use your bankroll.
Special Features of Gem Elevator
Some mining slots are feature-rich, but not Gem Elevator. It has just the 3. They are:
The Tumble Feature
After each spin, any winning combos you land will be paid, and then the winning symbols disappear. The empty spaces that are left are then replaced by new symbols that tumble down from above. This will continue until no more winning combos are landed.
The Elevator Nudge Feature
All mining themed slots have features of some sort, and this Nudge Feature is unique to Gem Elevator. After all winning tumbles have ceased, the Bearded Dwarf, stood to the RH side of the grid, will activate the Elevator. This is an entirely random feature during which any number of Reels can be chosen and nudged either up or down, up to 5 times. If a nudge results in a win, the money is paid, and the nudges continue.
If your luck is in, you might land a Gold Nugget Wild in nudge. They can display multipliers of from 1x to 10x. If a nudged Wild doesn’t form part of a winning combo, any multiplier it carries will be doubled.
Gem Elevator Free Spins
You activate the Free Spins round when you land 4 or more Bonus Symbols. Free Spins work in different ways in different online mining slots. In Gem Elevator, it works as follows:
- Land 4 Bonus Symbols – Get 10 Free Spins.
- Land 5 Bonus Symbols – Get 15 Free Spins.
- Land 6 Bonus Symbols – Get 20 Free Spins.
At least 1 Reel will be randomly selected to nudge up or down at least 1 row. If you land 4 or more Bonus Symbols while the Free Spins Round is still playing, you’ll be awarded:
- 5 more Free Spins for 4 Bonus Symbols.
- 8 more Free Spins for 5 Bonus Symbols.
- 10 more Free Spins for 6 Bonus Symbols.
Gem Elevator also features an auto-play facility, a turbo mode and ‘Buy Free Spins’ options.
GamBonus’s Concluding Thoughts on the Gem Elevator Slot by Pragmatic Play
Although the Gem Elevator slot machine is as simple as they come in terms of mining slots, it’s enormously enjoyable to play. Yes. It’s a high volatility slot, but with an above-average RTP of 96.53% you can have a lot of fun with this game, and if you gamble responsibly, you can enjoy some long sessions without overspending.
Golden Mine by Mancala Gaming
Screenshot of the Golden Mine slot by Mancala Gaming, courtesy of Wild.io Casino
Golden Mine by Mancala Gaming is a 5×3, 20 fixed payline slot. With a Wild and a Scatter, which help to land wins and trigger the game’s special features, this is a fun game, with a jaunty soundtrack, and with a hit rate of 23.83%, you can enjoy some nice, steady wins, as you work your way to hopefully landing its elusive 525x max win.
The Golden Mine Slot Paytable
| Symbol | 3 of a Kind | 4 of a Kind | 5 of a Kind |
| J | 10 | 15 | 20 |
| Q | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| K | 20 | 25 | 30 |
| A | 25 | 30 | 40 |
| Miner’s Lantern | 30 | 40 | 50 |
| Pickaxe | 40 | 75 | 125 |
| Miner’s Helmet | 50 | 100 | 250 |
| Miner | 100 | 150 | 500 |
Special Symbols
The Scatter is the Dynamite Symbol. It lands only on Reels 3, 4, and 5. Scatters can trigger the Free Spins Bonus Game.
The Wild Symbols
only turns up on Reels 2 and 4. It can move vertically from Reel to Reel. It can be used as a substitute for any of the regular symbols.
Special Features
Being one of the lesser feature-rich mining slots, the Golden Mine slot only has the normal special features, i.e. Respins and Free Spins. But what it lacks in quantity is more than made up for by the quality of the features.
The Respin Wild Feature
Each time you land a Wild (yes, even 1 Wild only), it triggers a Respin. Not only that, but the Wild moves vertically down the wheel where it is in place for the next Respin. This keeps happening until no Wilds are in view.
The Free Spins Bonus Feature
The Free Spins Bonus round is kicked into action by landing 3 Scatters with 1 spin. You’ll be awarded 15 Free Spins, quite generous by any online mining slots standards. Respins can also come about during the Free Spins round, and when they do, the feature can continue for a considerable time, yielding significant prize money.
GamBonus’s Concluding Thoughts on The Golden Mine Slot by Mancala Gaming
If you’re looking for easy-to-play mining themed slots that offer regular winnings, then Golden Mine by software provider Mancala Gaming is for you. With a bet range of 20 to 1800 and a max win of 525x your wager, this is one of the mining slots that is suitable for all players, from rookies to pros. Although the RTP is just below the average, at 95%, the game’s low volatility means landing winning combos with relative ease.
We’ve left the best of the mining themed slot to the last – NoLimit City’s Dead Canary.
Dead Canary by NoLimit City
Screenshot of the Dead Canary slot by NoLimit City, courtesy of bitStarz Casino
If you’re a mining slots enthusiast who’s followed the exploits of NoLimit City’s Angry Dwarf, you get your chance to renew your relationship with the determined little miner in the Dead Canary slot. Originally launched in December 2022, this high-variance slot. Its innovative 3-3-2-2-1-1-reel setup that can expand to 4-3-4-3-4-3-4 during the spins, and a starting ways-to-win mechanic of 36 (which maxes out at 1728), this game offers a top prize of 65,000x your wager.
This time, the Angry Dwarf is in search of love. He finds it in the form of what appears to be a mermaid. Quite why a mermaid should be the Angry Dwarf’s desire is not explained, but it could be that she lives in the liquid gold that can be seen at the bottom of the screen Whatever the explanation, she’s just a small part of this extraordinary online mining slots storyline, which only get to see if you reach the ‘Happy Wife, Happy Life’ win screen having landed the 65,000x payout.
A Slot With a Difference
To say that this is a mining slot with a difference is a huge understatement. Not only is the grid layout unique, but the gameplay is intense, and when played for the first time, is somewhat complex.
The game begins with a 3-3-2-2-1-1 setup. You’ll see that the bottom rows are blocked, but they can be unlocked when you create wins. Unlike the majority of mining themed slots, Dead Canary has a somewhat unusual and intriguing structure, but one which is fascinating once you get into it.
When you make a winning combo by landing 3 or more like symbols on adjacent reels starting on the far left, it will explode and be replaced by new symbols cascading into place. After a win, an X-Bomb detonation, or the appearance of a Mining Feature Wild, one of the blocked rows will be opened.
The Paytable
Special Symbols
Canary Scatter Symbols
appear anywhere, but when they appear behind the barrier, they don’t come into play until the barrier gets removed.
Most online Mining slots, if they have a Scatter Symbol, have only one. In Dead Canary, there are 2. One is the Canary in a Gold Cage; the other is a Canary in a Silver Cage. The type doesn’t matter. Not in the base game. Any 3 Scatters, regardless of cage colour, will trigger the Canary Free Spins.
The xBomb Wild Multiplier
is able to act as a substitute for all other symbols, but not the Scatter. When this symbol explodes, it does so in the X pattern. It blows up any symbols next to it within the aforementioned X, providing they are not other X Bomb or Scatter symbols. They explode before the next collapse takes place, and when they do, they increase the Multiplier by a factor of 1.
The X Bet Symbol.
With this symbol, you are guaranteed a Scatter Symbol, plus, the first of the locked barriers will be unlocked. However, it soars an extra 40% on your wager, and it doesn’t increase the size of any wins.
Special Features
Most mining slots come with special features, but the Dead Canary slot machine by No Limit City is littered with them. They include:
Wild Mining
The Wild Mining Feature is brought into play in the base game by landing 3, 4, or 5 like-symbols that line up diagonally, but there is no win. The symbols that trigger this feature will be removed and replaced by a Wild in the middle position of the alignment. 3 Symbols earn 1 Wild Bomb, 4 earn 2, and 5 earn 3.
Each time one explodes, it increases the Multiplier by 1 prior to the next collapse.
The other symbols (but not the Bomb itself) will explode. If the Scatter explodes, it will reappear somewhere in the next collapse.
Canary Free Spins
The Canary Free Spins Feature is triggered by landing 3 Scatters. The grid changes to a 4-3-4-3-4-3-4-reel setup, and the ways to win increase to a max of 1,728. The four corner vaults at the corners of the grid are locked.
The Locked Vaults
collect coins and multipliers (from 1x to 100x) from the 3 adjacent positions. They can be opened with xBomb explosions. When a vault is unlocked, its value will be paid out at the end of the bonus round. You’ll start with 3 Free Spins, and the xBombs landed will then reset the spins to 3.
You can also land Canary Scatter, and in this feature, the colour does matter. The Silver Cage Scatter collects coins, multipliers, upgrades, rat and dwarf enhancers in an X pattern from itself. The Gold Cage Scatter collects in an X pattern from complete lines. They each have 3 lives.
Happy Life, Happy Wife
Mining slots can be fun to play and rewarding too. Dead Canary can be particularly rewarding.
If Lady Luck smiles on you, you’ll turn the Angry Dwarf into a Contented Dwarf by reaching the Happy Life, Happy Wife finale. It comes courtesy of the fact that you land the top prize of 65,000x your wager. However, it’s not an easy thing to do. The Dead Canary slot is an extremely high-variance game.
GamBonus’s Concluding Thoughts on the Dead Canary Slot by NoLimit City
If you thought that all online mining slots were easy to understand and play, think again. Dead Canary will challenge the skills of all slots enthusiasts, even the pros. If you want to get the best experience from the slot machine, start out with one of the free demo versions, like the one at bitStarz Casino. Read the instructions first. We guarantee you still won’t fully understand it until you play it, which you need to do in the free demo, of course. When all is said and done, we here at GamBonus take our hats off to NoLimit City’s game designers. As regards mining slots, they don’t come any better. above.
