Big Benji Bonanza
Big Benji Bonanza
They say you should steer clear of talking about politics, religion, and money at family gatherings. But in the world of online slots, money is fair game—and no slot is more “cash-obsessed” than Big Benji Bonanza from Yggdrasil partner Jelly. Let’s address the elephant in the room right off the bat: Big Benji Bonanza is not only all about the money, but it’s also strikingly similar in style to Nolimit City’s East Coast vs West Coast. While the gameplay differs, there’s no denying these two slots share a certain swagger. So, the question is: which one rocks the hip-hop vibe harder?
This slot drips with attitude, loudly flaunting its obsession with cold, hard cash. Set in the heart of Wall Street—a location with a rich history, once literally walled off by the Dutch in 1653—Big Benji Bonanza fully embraces its finance theme. You’ve got the iconic Charging Bull statue on one side of the grid, the New York Stock Exchange in the background, and ex-presidents reimagined in hoodies, flaunting their newfound street cred.
It’s clear Jelly was inspired by the East Coast vs West Coast vibe, though Big Benji Bonanza puts its own playful spin on high finance.
Playable across all devices, Big Benji Bonanza lets players bet as little as 20 p/c or as much as $/€20 per spin. It’s not quite as volatile as its rival but still packs a punch with a medium-high volatility rating. You’ll hit wins at a decent frequency of 29.01%, and the RTP comes in at 95.5%.
The game grid is a classic 5-reel, 3-row setup with 243 ways to win. The pay symbols are a quirky mix of ex-presidents and traditional slot icons. On the lower end, you’ve got the 10-A royals, which pay out 1-1.5x your bet for five of a kind. Moving up the paytable, there are cherries, bells, diamonds, and lucky 7s, with the top prizes coming from the “president symbols,” paying 2.5 to 5 times the stake for five of a kind. Wild symbols, which appear on reels 2, 3, or 4, help boost your chances by substituting for anything except the Money, Cash Machine, or scatter symbols.
In terms of looks and vibe, Big Benji Bonanza may not be quite as flashy as East Coast vs West Coast, but its tongue-in-cheek take on finance and playful design make it a fun contender in the “cash-meets-cool” slot arena.
If you’re aiming to fatten your wallet in Big Benji Bonanza, the game has a few tricks up its sleeve to help boost your potential wins. These come in the form of the Super Staxx feature, a Money Symbol collect system, and a classic Free Spins bonus round. Let’s break down how each one works.
Super Staxx™
This feature spices things up during the free spins round, and if you’ve played ELK’s Nitropolis series, especially Nitropolis 3, it might feel a bit familiar. When Super Staxx symbols land, they come with a frame displaying a number between 2 and 10. This indicates how many instances of that symbol will appear, expanding your chances of landing winning combos by increasing the number of win ways. Up to two Super Staxx symbols can land on any reel, and they can be regular paying symbols, wilds, or even Money Symbols, significantly ramping up your potential payouts.
Money Symbols
The Money Symbols are a key part of the action in Big Benji Bonanza. These symbols can land on any reel and come with a preset bet multiplier. The symbols are represented by former presidents or figures like Georgie, Jeff, Abs, Hamilton, Jacko, Grant, or the big man himself, Benji. Each of these carries a multiplier of 1x, 2x, 5x, 10x, 20x, 50x, or 100x your bet, respectively. If a Cash Machine symbol lands on the fifth reel during the base or bonus game, you’ll collect the values of all Money Symbols currently in view, giving you a nice payout boost.
Free Spins
The Free Spins bonus round kicks off when you land 3 or more scatter symbols, which grants you 10 free spins. But before you start spinning, a special wheel determines which Money Symbol will be the only one to appear on the reels during the bonus. The more scatters that trigger the feature, the better your starting position: 4 scatters remove the lowest Money Symbol from the wheel, while 5 scatters remove the two lowest, giving you a better shot at hitting higher multipliers.
During the free spins, landing 2, 3, 4, or 5 scatters upgrades the active Money Symbol to the next highest value. Plus, you’ll also get extra free spins—3, 5, 10, or even 20 additional spins, depending on how many scatters land.
Bonus Buy
If patience isn’t your strong suit, you can opt to use the Bonus Buy feature where available. For 100x your bet, you can skip straight to the free spins round, giving you a shortcut to the most exciting part of the game.
With these features in play, Big Benji Bonanza offers plenty of chances to cash in, especially if you can trigger the Super Staxx and Money Symbol features during the free spins. It’s all about stacking up those ex-presidents and watching your bankroll grow!
Let’s give credit where it’s due. Big Benji Bonanza does have its own charm, even if it borrows heavily from other games. There’s a clear influence from Fishin’ Frenzy and Big Bass Bonanza—this time, swapping out the fish for blinged-out ex-presidents as Money Symbols. Having only one Money Symbol active at a time during free spins is an interesting twist, although it’s a bit of a mixed bag. If you’re stuck with low-value symbols like Georgie, Jeff, or Abs, it might feel like you’re treading water.
But land Grant or Benji, and suddenly the game heats up. While not groundbreaking, combining the Money Symbols with the Super Staxx feature can create some decent value, making it a potential playground for fans of symbol collect mechanics.
Speaking of potential, Big Benji Bonanza impresses with a max win of 12,000x the bet, which is hefty for this style of game. If Jelly had invented all these concepts from scratch, Big Benji Bonanza might’ve stood out as a thoughtful commentary on the role of money in society. But given how much it borrows from its slot predecessors, it struggles to shake off its “cheeky copycat” status.
That said, it can still deliver a fun experience, particularly for players who love a good Money symbol chase. Just don’t expect it to hold its own in a head-to-head with the heavyweights of the genre—it’s more of a supporting act than a headliner in the world of slot gaming.