Wildhound Derby Slot Review

Released in January 2020, this game can be played at online casinos such as Vera&John, Unibet or Betsson.

Theme and general information

Wildhound Derby is a greyhound racing slot. Sports slots are not uncommon. It’s an ideal match to give punters sports slots to play, after all, first you bet on your favourite greyhound to win and then you unwind with a fun little greyhound slot, where you can do it all again in a different environment.

As it is, a slot featuring greyhounds is rather uncommon. Greyhound races have been around for nearly a century. But in recent years there’s been a lot of controversy around the races due to the inhumane treatment of the dogs once they are no longer able to race. Thankfully, many greyhound adoption agencies nowadays help to bring the dogs into homes and onto sofas once they retire. They are wonderful companion and excellent pets (the writer of this review used to have two of them).

So, no matter what you may think of greyhounds, in this slot (and review) all hounds have been treated well.

The game comes with a bit of a retro look, giving it a classic appearance. Naturally, we’re on the racetrack. The flood lights illuminate the evening racetrack, the excitement is palpable, a commentator welcomes us, and the race can get going.

We get some generic looking playing card symbols from J to A on the reels. And some greyhound racing paraphernalia such as a race book, bet slips, wads of cash and a ribbon. The gold trophy is the wild, which is worth 100x our stake for 5 of a kind. The wads of cash are worth the same for such a win. The ribbon is worth 20x our stake for 5 on a payline and the bet slips still pay 10x our stake for such a win.

You can play this game from 0.10 to 100.00 per spin.

Get racing in the free spins

This is another one of those slots that is all about the free spins. There is nothing much happening in the base game apart from spinning the reels. On reel 5, you’ll see a stack of greyhounds spinning along. Sometimes it only lands partially, and nothing happens. But when the stack lands with the four greyhounds lands fully, the race begins.

Before the race kicks off, however, you get to choose one of the greyhounds as your champion, who have names such as Braveheart, Daring Dex, Beadle’s Teabag and Oh my Dog.

Now the scene changes and we are indeed on the racetrack. The four greyhounds are all as extra wilds on reel 5 and the free spins begin. Beside reel 1 there is a race indicator that reveals a blank or a golden hare on each spin. If the golden hare appears in one of the rows, the greyhound in that row will move one reel towards the left.

It now looks as if the greyhounds are really racing. Simultaneously they function as wild symbols.

The free spins continue until the first greyhound makes it to reel 1 and across the line, so to speak. Usually, you’re likely to play 6 or 7 free spins. As the greyhounds catch up on each other, more wins are possible.

If your champion wins the race, the Winner’s Wheel is triggered. The wheel will spin and land on a multiplier between 2x and 15x, which is applied to your winnings.

Verdict: An entertaining slot that can bring you some decent wins

The theoretical RTP (Return to Player) of Wildhound Derby is 96.93%, which is excellent, though operators can change it to as low as 94.65% or even lower, which is not great at all.

This slot comes with the maximum Play’n GO volatility, however, so you might still want to be careful with your budget. Then again, the maximum payout in this slot is 15,000x our stake and the maximum win is set at €1,500,000, which is awesome. The chance of that happening is 1:100 million spins, mind you.

In any case, the numbers are quite balanced and if you like high stakes, Wildhound Derby might just be for you. When it comes to the theme, the retro look may not appeal to everyone and unless the hounds are actually racing on the reels, the game looks even a little bit boring. Long stretches without wins can also add to the boredom in the base game. But the free spins are entertaining enough and the wins can be worthwhile.