Champion Raceway Slots
What sort of a slot could Champion Raceway be – an automobile themed game? A motorbike game?
Actually, Champion Raceway is a horse racer, one that exudes a look reminiscent of the virtual horse racing games to be found at many sports bettors and virtual casinos. The difference, of course, is that this one’s a straight up video slot, with a simple 3×1 reel layout to focus on.
There’s more to the game than merely a solitary line of reels however thanks to the racetrack that sits above it with 5 horses and riders poised at the starting line. They’ll come into play later on, but first there’s some good ol’ reel spinning to be done.
Champion Raceway is the product of IGT, a slots developer of some renown. This particular offering isn’t the slickest or most lifelike video slot you’ll ever encounter – 3-reel slots rarely are – but there’s something likeable about this game from the get-go, despite its simple graphics, sound effects and animations.
The reels are thick with fruit symbols, the sort that are still synonymous with classic fruit machines; grapes, lemons, oranges and the rest of them. Above the reels, it’s all about horses, while on them, it’s all about fruit, save for the tiny rosettes that are pinned to certain symbols.
Game Controls
At the top of the screen sit 5 different coloured rosettes, rosettes being the badges given out to horse riders upon completion of a race, usually by having finished in the top 3.
A pink rosette is worth 5 free spins, the icon on the top left informs us, while the icon on the top right reveals that a green rosette is worth 10 free spins. In between these 2 icons, there are 3 other rosettes displayed, yellow, red and blue, with a field next to each one denoting its value.
At the start of the game, yellow is worth 250, blue is worth 500 and red commands 1,500.
At the bottom of the screen lie the game controls: the number of lines, which is set to 5, and the line bet, which ranges from 5 all the way up to 100. It doesn’t require a degree in mathematics to work out the value of these settings.
With the line bet set to a minimum value of 5, each 5-line bet is going to cost you 25. Crank it all the way up to 100, and each bet will of course cost 500.
The play button appears in the bottom centre of the controls as a yellow circle with an arrow overlaid. There’s a smaller blue circle on the right of the screen which controls autoplay. This can be set at anywhere from 10 to 50 spins before returning to manual control.
The other controls you might require dictate sound and paytable information, and you’ll find them at the very top right of the screen, above the rosettes.
The Aim of the Game
Slots developers love a bad pun. They’re the king of dad jokes, and so it proves to be in the playing information for Champion Raceway. Its makers encourage players to enjoy a profitable day at the races, adding “You will have to rein yourself in from all the action this game ponies up!” Groan.
As you spin the reels, the horses displayed on the racetrack above will begin to advance along it, inching closer to the finishing line. This occurs any time each horse’s respective rosette appears on the reels. Whichever horse reaches the finishing line first will win a prize, be it the jackpot or multiple wins awarded courtesy of the Victory Lap Bonus.
Should more than one horse reach the finish line in the same spin, a photo finish will be declared and one of the winning horses will be selected at random as the outright winner.
Racing Reels
Champion Raceway is a surprisingly action-packed game for a 3-reel slot. The 3×1 layout may not be much to look at, but with the horses racing towards the finish line with every spin, the game can get mighty exciting, especially when the Victory Lap Bonus kicks in, whereupon each free spin earns a Victory Lap Multiplier.
Look out for wild multiplier symbols that can be found on each reel and which will boost the payout you receive.
Otherwise, it’s simply a case of spinning those reels and watching as those jockeys do their thing. IGT’s Champion Raceway ain’t fancy but it’s a whole lotta fun.