If you play online casino games often, then the chances are that you have, at some point, come across a game with a Gamble feature.Many different types of casino game offer this extra feature, which gives you the chance to gamble any winnings you pick up, for the chance of increasing them, although there is also the risk that you will lose it all.Traditionally, a Gamble feature has been predominantly found in card games, but an increasing number of video slots have also begun offering various Gamble features.Some many find the existence of a gambling feature concerning, because giving an additional option to gamble could be seen as dangerous given that the online casino world is already, in itself gambling.Whether you approve of Gamble features, if you play online casino games, you are likely to be faced with one, so it’s worth knowing how they work.
Types of Gamble Feature
The most important thing to remember at all times when dealing with a Gamble feature, is that you do not have to take it. When you pick up a win on a casino game, the money you have won is yours, if you choose not to select the Gamble feature, you will keep that amount.However, if you like a risk, then the flashing Gamble button that is usually found underneath the Auto Play button on slots might be too much to resist.It should be pointed out that if you are utilising a slot game’s Auto Play function, then the Gamble option will not become available to you after wins. Unlike most slot features, the Gamble feature does not override the Auto Play mode.Gamble features will tend to offer a 50/50 choice in some form, offering you the chance to win or lose, but how the Gamble feature works can differ between games.
Card Games
Despite the feature’s growing popularity amongst other game types, card games are still more likely to have gamble features than any other casino game. There tend to be two ways these gamble features work, and they are almost always 50/50 gambles.After you pick up a win in a card game, and then select the Gamble option, you will either be asked to predict whether the next card will be higher or lower than the current card, or to predict whether the next card will be red or black.Some card games will allow you to bank some of your money before gambling the rest, but this is not common.
Dice and Coins
Games that do not involve cards may not have so obvious a way to give you a 50/50 Gamble option, such games will often incorporate a mini-game that involves either dice or coins.With coins, the outcome is decided by a traditional coin toss, and you pick heads or tails. With dice, you will normally be asked to guess whether the dice will land on an odd or even number.
Slot Games
When it comes to slots, there are often more complicated forms of the Gamble option, although these can also lead to bigger wins if you’re lucky.Microgaming is a software developer that is leading the charge when it comes to slot games with Gamble features, and they normally offer the ability to control how much you stand to win, and how likely you are to do so.The most common way that a Gamble option is presented in slot games is with a bonus game involving a wheel split into two sections of different colours, usually red and green. A pointer will then spin around the wheel, and if it lands in the red section, you lose, if it stops in green, you win.When you are able to control the amount you stand to win, you will be able to select from a variety of options that will multiply your winnings by different amounts if the pointer lands on green. As you have probably guessed, the more you stand to win, the smaller the green section of the wheel becomes. For example, winning one tenth of your bet might see almost the whole wheel being green, but if you select 20x your bet, the green section will not be more than a slither on the wheel.
Slots with Gamble Features
If you are looking to play a slot with a Gamble feature, there are many to choose from, and the list is growing every day. Here are a few that you may want to look out for:
Game of Thrones
A Microgaming slot based on the smash hit television series, Game of Thrones is immensely popular, due in no small part to its subject matter.With different free spins features for the four main families, Game of Thrones offers players a lot of ways to win, and every time they win, they can gamble their winnings.
Fish Party
Another Microgaming slot, but one that could not be further away from the look and feel of Game of Thrones, Fish Party has reels adorned with weird and wonderful cartoon fish, and has some great features, including the option to play the Gamble bonus game after wins.
Rocky
Another software developer which has started incorporating Gamble features into more of its games is Playtech, and their Rocky slot, based on the Sylvester Stallone movie from the 1980s, is a great one to play if you’re looking to try this Gamble feature out.
Why do Games Offer Gamble Features?
The answer to that question is a simple one, games offer Gamble features because people will play them.The online casino world is, unsurprisingly, mainly inhabited by people who like to gamble, so if you add an extra option to gamble, it’s always going to find an audience.However, there is another reason. Many games will offer increasing Gamble features, so if you win a 50/50 Gamble for double your money, you might be offered a one-in-four gamble for quadruple it, if you keep gambling through this level, at some point you will lose, and the slot game saves itself and its creators and facilitators some money. It is always worth keeping in mind that the more you gamble, the less likely you are to win, so the Gamble feature should be used sparingly.
The Problem
There is an issue which must be discussed when it comes to the use of Gamble features, and that is are they ethical?The online casino world has put an increased focus on protected problem gamblers over recent years, with changes to self-exclusion regulations and more making it easier for gambling addicts and vulnerable players to protect themselves, and ensure they are more protected by the casinos they play at.The Gamble feature seems to fly in the face of this logic a little bit, by adding a temptation that is likely to lead a lot of people to gamble and lose their winnings. This would mean that if someone gambled and lost six consecutive wins on a slot game, for example, they would leave their playing session with nothing as opposed to the profit from those wins.
Play it Safe
If you fancy playing a game with a Gamble feature, but you are worried about losing too much money to temptation, it is sensible to put rules in place for yourself.For example, say you decide you will play through £30 on slot games today. You deposit your money, and start playing slot games, ignoring the Gamble feature on your wins. Now, you have some good luck, and your £30 has turned into £60. At this point, put that £30 into your account, and play with the additional £30. You are now even for your session. If you double your money again, repeat this, so you now have £60 in your account from an initial £30 spend.While you are playing through this careful way of ensuring you don’t spend too much money, start to consider the Gamble feature once you’ve put some money aside. At this point, you lose nothing as long as you don’t touch the money you’ve put aside, so a few Gamble features won’t hurt, and if you get lucky, you may even end up making yourself some extra cash from the Gamble feature too!When it comes to playing any online casino game, being careful to ensure you are always in control of how much you’re spending, and how much you stand to lose is of paramount importance. This is especially true when you are playing games with Gamble features, because one snap decision could undo a great deal of careful play up to that point.As long as you tread carefully, Gamble features can be a very entertaining part of online casino play, an extra buzz after a win that, if you’re lucky, could lead you to pick up a nice profit and, if you’re careful, shouldn’t ever involve you losing too much. Like everything else in the iGaming world, stay aware and alert, and you’ll have a great time.