20+ years in the gambling industry including 13+ years playing and reviewing slots.
Pragmatic Play slots are amongst the most popular in the UK and beyond. With games such as Sweet Bonanza, Gates of Olympus, The Dog House and the iconic Big Bass series, you’ll find Pragmatic slots at all UK slot sites. Below, you’ll find all Questions & Answers interviews with Anastasios Ioannidis, Affiliate Manager at ARRISE.
Generic Q&A (March 2025)
The generic Questions & Answers interview with Anastasios Ioannidis looks at how Pragmatic Play stands out against other slot providers, what their top games are, the rise of Big Bass slots, how they create new slots, sequels and their unique Drops & Wins promotion.
Q: How does Pragmatic Play stand out against other slot providers?
AI: “Consider the likes of Sweet Bonanza, Sugar Rush, Gates of Olympus, The Dog House, Big Bass Bonanza – these and many other iconic titles add to a portfolio of unrivalled depth and diversity.
Nobody combines quality and quantity quite like Pragmatic Play, with new slots delivered at a rate of around nine a month. Each offers something new and different, bringing original gaming experiences to players. The commitment to quality is unwavering as Pragmatic Play builds on proven mechanics and extends popular game series while introducing fresh concepts at every turn.”
Q: What are the top Pragmatic Play slot games?
AI: “The measure of a game’s quality or value can be interpreted in a number of ways. There are also many different player segments in markets around the world, so performance varies from one demographic to the next.
In terms of global popularity, Sugar Rush 1000, Sweet Bonanza 1000, and Gates of Olympus 1000 have been at the top of the pack for the past year or so. Big Bass and The Dog House titles also remain very popular with players, and each new release in these series tend to be hits.
Angel vs Sinner, Candy Blitz Bombs, Fire Portals, Wisdom of Athena 1000, and Might of Freya Megaways™ are just some of many great games from Pragmatic Play that have attracted attention in recent months.
The ‘1000’ series has been a particular draw for players, who can experience a new class of supercharged slots when the highly anticipated Gates of Olympus Super Scatter launches towards the end of April – this one is going to be epic!”
Q: Can you discuss the success of Big Bass slots and if Pragmatic Play plans to keep on expanding the series?
AI: “Players love Big Bass slots. Each release attracts new audiences, so the demand is there for more fun adventures with the fan-favourite fisherman. The iterative nature of releases in the series ensures fresh-but-familiar gameplay, with spy missions, horse racing, and neon-lit visits to Vegas helping to enrich the theme.
Regardless of how on board you are for more Big Bass titles, you’ll not want to miss the next voyage, with Big Bass Bonanza 1000 setting sail in April (2025). I think it’s fair to say that this will be a very special entry in both the Big Bass and 1000 game series.”
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Q: What’s the process for creating new Pragmatic Play slots?
AI: “New features and themes are planned months before launch. Most games are based on existing mechanics (of which Pragmatic Play has an extensive selection to choose from) that players already enjoy, but there is a strong focus on developing these where the game calls for it – and the mathematical model for each game requires time to test and perfect to ensure great gameplay.
Design and audio are also critical to the process, as is internal testing and quality assurance. The games are then independently checked and certified for release in markets worldwide.”
Q: Is there a focus on slot sequels?
AI: “To an extent, yes. But only where that sequel takes the previous game or series in an exciting new direction – it has to add value. Take 5 Lions Megaways™ 2, for example, which was released at the end of February. 5 Lions is an iconic series from Pragmatic Play. 5 Lions Megaways™ 2 includes all the same thematic and gameplay elements from the earlier titles but adds more ways to win (up to 262,144), three variations of the bonus game, 1x-100x wild multipliers, and an 8,000x max win.”
Q: How has Drops & Wins been received by players and casinos?
AI: “Drops & Wins is the industry’s leading promotional product. Casino operators love it because it’s easy to set up, is available on new and popular slots, and is entirely funded by Pragmatic Play. Players love it because they can win additional rewards in their favourite games, with a €2,000,000 monthly prize pool up for grabs across daily prize drops and tournaments.”
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Q: Which upcoming slot releases from Pragmatic Play are you most excited about?
AI: “I’ve already mentioned Big Bass Bonanza 1000 and Gates of Olympus Super Scatter – these are the two big ones coming in April. Before then, there are many top releases to look forward to, but the ones I’m most excited about are Book of Monsters, The Dog House Royal Hunt, and Bandit Megaways™.”
Sweet Bonanza 1000 Q&A (July 2024)
I sat down with Anastasios Ioannidis, Affiliate Manager at ARRISE, to discuss Pragmatic Play's new Sweet Bonanza 1000 slot.
Sweet Bonanza is one of the most popular choices at UK slot sites and for good reason. In June 2024, Pragmatic Play released a ‘1000’ version which is bigger and better with higher max win potential. The interview looks at the original game, why it’s become a hit, the difference between the original and the ‘1000’ version what to expect from Pragmatic Play in the future.
Q: How has Sweet Bonanza been received since its release in June 2019?
AI: “Sweet Bonanza is one of Pragmatic Play’s most popular slot games of all time. It was an instant hit when it launched back in June 2019, and it’s remained a fan favourite ever since. When it comes to key performance metrics driving player acquisition and retention, Sweet Bonanza is right up there with the likes of Gates of Olympus and Sugar Rush as one of the stickiest slots of all time.”
Q: Why do you think Sweet Bonanza has become a cult favourite?
AI: “Predicting whether a new game is going to be a hit has never been an exact science, but if you combine a popular theme with captivating features, offering both new and established mechanics, you have all the main ingredients. Visuals and audio are obviously important too, as is a great name – the whole package has to resonate with players at the right time. Sweet Bonanza had all of this and more. Combining multipliers and tumbles to perfect effect, it set the benchmark for sweet-themed slots.”
Q: What inspired Sweet Bonanza 1000?
AI: “Pragmatic Play’s supercharged 1000 series takes existing player favourites and enhances them with bigger multipliers to increase win potential. As Sweet Bonanza is one of Pragmatic Play’s most popular games ever, it was a natural addition to the series, following the likes of Gates of Olympus 1000, Sugar Rush 1000, and Starlight Princess 1000. The inspiration behind all supercharged slots is the desire to give players a chance to land even bigger wins in the games they love.”
Q: What are the differences between the two slots?
AI: “Aside from one or two cosmetic updates, which we think will be especially appreciated by avid fans of the original, it’s the win potential that separates the two games. In the original game, the multiplier symbol could potentially hit with a random value of between 2x and 100x. Whenever a random multiplier hits, it stays on screen for the duration of tumble wins. All multipliers on screen are then added together and multiplied by the total win.”
“In Sweet Bonanza 1000, the multiplier mechanics are the same. The key difference is that multipliers can hit with random values of up to 1,000x instead of 100x! This takes the max win potential from 21,175 x bet in the original Sweet Bonanza to a mouth-watering 25,000 x bet in Sweet Bonanza 1000.”
Q: Will Pragmatic Play be expanding the 1000 series? If so, what’s next?
AI: “The 1000 series has been a huge success for Pragmatic Play, taking some of their most iconic slots and boosting win potential. There are plans to expand the range with more popular titles. Next up is Wisdom of Athena 1000, another supercharged game from Pragmatic Play’s Greek Gods series, which includes the likes of Gates of Olympus 1000 and the multi-award-winning Zeus vs Hades - Gods of War. Players can expect Wisdom of Athena 1000 to hit online casinos in the next few months.”
