Cash Coaster Slots & More Online Casino Games in 2023

On reflection, this is quite surprising given the ups and downs of a rollercoaster mirror perfectly the ups and downs as well as the rush of adrenaline felt by New Jersey online slot players from time to time.

This new slot from IGT has just been unveiled at Virgin Casino, so we’ve strapped ourselves into the seat and are hoping that this is one white knuckle ride that we will hope to put in a spin time and time again. Let’s take a closer look and find out.

Overview: Cash Coaster

Cash Coaster is a fairground-themed slot which boasts 5×3 reels, with 30 paylines in operation. The minimum bet is $0.40 and the maximum bet is $400, which can result in some excellent wins if played at the higher end of the stakes spectrum.

However, although 30 paylines are advertised on the Cash Coaster slot, you can win both ways, which effectively doubles the amount of paylines available on each spin. And with other wild and free spin features peppered throughout the game, you won’t have to wait too long until you are topping your account back up again.

Who will the Cash Coaster slot appeal to?

There’s no doubting that the carnival – and the rollercoaster in particular – is a good setting for a slot and IGT have captured the atmosphere very nicely with clever sound effects enriching the experience. So if you enjoy the thrills of the fairground and its myriad of attractions, you’ll be smiling when you spin the reels.

The game itself also boasts a decent, if hard to hit, free spins offering and there are plenty of smaller wins to keep you interested. The Cash Coaster Wild feature, which can turn both first and fifth reels wild, is also a hit.

Gameplay: Cash Coaster

The first thing that is immediately apparent on loading up the slot is that this is a game where as much attention has been paid to the ambience of the game as the mechanics.

So you are transported into a fairground with many of the sights and sounds that come with it.

Now, some people will absolutely love this kind of atmosphere (personally I did, I thought it suited the slot perfectly), however I confess that it is a “marmite” issue and that equally a large number of players may be reaching to hit the “mute” button rather quickly.

The slot itself is somewhat generous for an IGT slot in that it pays out relatively frequently, albeit generally smaller amounts.

Unlike some IGT slots, however, a good proportion of those wins do at least give you your stake money back, so it doesn’t swallow up your bankroll quite as quickly and hungrily as some other slots.

Add to this some great features, particularly the winning both ways option and the Rollercoaster Wild options on the first and fifth reels (especially when both are triggered) and you have the chance of some very decent base game wins.

The Free Spins round is also good fun. After selecting your ticket from a choice of three you get either four, five, or six free spins which can be retriggered and where both reel one and reel five are wild for the duration of free spins.

Add to this the ability to play from between $0.40 to $400 and you have a slot that has plenty of appeal for online casino players of all abilities and one that plays very nicely indeed. The only thing it lacks is a jackpot to ramp up the excitement.

Special features: Cash Coaster

Win both ways

One of the most promising features of this slot is the fact that you can win both ways, from left to right as traditionally on most slots, but also from right to left.

Add to this the wilds available on the Cash Coaster Wild bonus below and you can earn some decent base game wins on a regular basis with this feature.

Cash Coaster Wilds

This is a nice feature which can be triggered randomly in the base game and which can see the rollercoaster car race down either the first reel, or up the fifth reel, or both at the same time, in doing so turning either one or both of those reels wild.

Free Spins Wild Bonus

Land three of the free spins scatters to select from a ticket booth where your choice will result in four, five, or six free spins.

During free spins reels one and five are completely wild and if you land three more Free Spins Wild, you can retrigger the free spins and receive a cash prize of 30x your coin value.

What works?

Win both ways

This simple feature is vastly underrated (and underused) by slot developers as it offers punters double the chance of success because you can win both ways. This makes each spin more exciting.

If you don’t win on the first two reels, then you can still win depending on the outcome of the spin on reels four and five.

Free Spins Wild

Sure you don’t get too many free spins for your efforts in the feature, with six being the maximum.

But the fact that both reels one and five are wild, you can win both ways, plus a chance to retrigger free spins, means that there is plenty going on and plenty to keep you focused on the reels.

Regular wins

This is one of IGT’s lowest volatility slots I’ve played for some time and it is fair to say that it works exceptionally well. The fact you have the chance to win both ways, plus plenty of wilds on reels 1 and 5 in particular, means that you won’t see your balance dwindle away quickly, like on some other IGT slots I’ve played of late.

What doesn’t?

Small jackpot

If you are a jackpot hunter then Cash Coaster isn’t going to set your pulse racing as the rewards are relatively small and frequent on this slot. Even the bigger money
wins are usually only around 80x your line bet.

30 paylines for minimum bet of $0.40

This is really just a perception issue. Some punters may wonder why they are having to pay for 40 paylines, when only 30 are in operation and initially that gripes with some people.

However if you realise that by winning both left to right and right to left, you essentially have 60 paylines and paying for 40 paylines when 60 is available sounds much better, so why not market it that way?

Regular free spins but small wins

You can hit free spins relatively frequently in the slot but often you don’t win a large amount from your free spins round, even with the first and fifth reels wild. These can be frustrating, especially if you hit several low paying free spins rounds in a row.

The scores

Graphics and soundtrack: 3.5/5

The soundtrack is going to be loved or hated by slots players depending on your view, but I think it suits the game especially well.

The graphics are a little basic, especially the rollercoaster graphics, but overall, this slot looks and plays nicely enough.

Originality and creativity: 4/5

Like I said, I am not aware of too many other rollercoaster-themed games for slot players, so I think Cash Coaster is relatively unique in that respect.

The two ways to win every spin option also adds to the appeal and creativity as does the Rollercoaster Wild feature. A very good effort indeed from IGT.

Play value: 4.5/5

This is a low variance slot and it pays out relatively decent amounts frequently as you play. If you like a few spins without putting too big a hole in your bank balance, then this is the perfect slot to play.

Jackpot potential: 1/5

The only down point is that unless you play for big money, then the jackpot prizes on offer aren’t going to be hugely appealing to jackpot hunter slots fans.

Repeat play: 4/5

Without a shadow of a doubt, Cash Coaster is a slot that you will come back to time and time again. It’s fun, quirky and enjoyable with some lovely features and the chance to win a decent amount of money.

Total score: 17/25

Cash Coaster is a hugely enjoyable slot game that is well worth a closer look.

It is presented well and offers punters a fair chance of a decent win on every spin and for $0.40 a spin, it is one of the best value New Jersey slots you can play at a mobile NJ online casino or on PC.

Image credit: Filipe Frazao / Shutterstock.com