Lucky Zodiac Slot Review
Lucky Zodiac is a Chinese New Year-themed slot from Microgaming (now published under the Games Global umbrella) that launched in September 2015. It sits in the lower-volatility bracket of the Microgaming catalogue: 20 paylines, a 96.01% RTP, and a free spins round with multipliers up to 7x. The game is not one of Microgaming's flashiest titles, but it has remained in casino lobbies for over a decade because the maths work and the feature triggers are frequent enough to keep sessions moving.
This review covers every mechanic in detail - the base game symbols, how the free spins trigger, what the multiplier selection means in practice, and where Lucky Zodiac sits relative to other titles in the same niche.
Lucky Zodiac at a Glance
- Provider: Microgaming / Games Global
- Release date: September 2015
- Reels / Rows: 5 x 3
- Paylines: 20 fixed
- RTP: 96.01%
- Volatility: Low to medium
- Max win: 140,000 coins
- Bet range: £0.20 - £100 per spin
- Bonus features: Wild, Free Spins with random multiplier (up to 7x), Ram Wild during free spins, Gamble feature
The 96.01% RTP is a touch above the UK online average, which tends to cluster around 95%-96%. The low-to-medium volatility means the return rate is relatively smooth - you will not go 300 spins without any meaningful pay, but you are also not chasing a single enormous win from a high-variance feature. It suits players who prefer steadier sessions over extreme swings.
Theme and Design
Lucky Zodiac draws on Chinese New Year imagery rather than the actual zodiac animal cycle in any systematic way. The reel symbols include lanterns, decorative fans, vases, lotus flowers, and a money cat - all standard motifs from the festival. The Lucky Zodiac logo acts as the wild, and a red firecracker is the scatter that triggers free spins. The Ram (or Sheep) is the most significant base-game symbol and takes on a second role during the feature.
The visual style is clean and unfussy. A dark green background keeps the colourful symbols easy to read, and there is no excessive animation between spins. For a 2015 game the art holds up - it is not trying to be cinematic, and that lack of ambition works in its favour for players who find heavyweight animations intrusive.
The audio follows a similar approach: light percussion and flute tones that fit the theme without looping noticeably within a short session.
Symbols and Paytable
The paytable runs from the Lucky Zodiac wild logo at the top down through the Ram, Lantern, Fan, Vase, and Lotus, with standard playing card royals (A, K, Q, J, 10, 9) filling the lower tier. Five-of-a-kind pays range from the top symbol down to a small multiplier on the royals. The Ram is the highest-paying standard symbol and pays significantly more than the next symbol down, which makes it the one to watch when lining up big base-game wins.
The Lucky Zodiac wild substitutes for all symbols except the Firecracker scatter. It appears on all five reels in the base game. The Firecracker scatter does not pay a line win but triggers the free spins feature when three or more land anywhere on the reels.
Free Spins Feature
Three or more Firecracker scatters anywhere on the reels trigger the free spins round. The award is 12 free games regardless of how many scatter symbols triggered it. At the start of the feature, a multiplier is randomly selected from the available values: 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, or 7x. That multiplier applies to every win during the entire free spins sequence.
The two changes to the reel mechanics during free spins are worth noting. First, the Ram symbol becomes an additional wild - so during the feature both the Lucky Zodiac logo and the Ram substitute for all other symbols except the Firecracker. This effectively doubles the number of wild symbols on the reels, which increases win frequency and makes larger combinations more achievable on a 20-payline grid.
Second, the multiplier is fixed for the duration of the round rather than being redrawn spin by spin. This means there is genuine variance in free spins outcomes based on which multiplier you land at the start. A 7x free spins round with the double wild active is the game's highest-output scenario; a 2x round with few wilds appearing will be more modest.
The free spins feature does not retrigger, which limits the theoretical upside but also keeps the round contained and consistent.
Gamble Feature
After any winning base-game spin, a gamble option becomes available. You can gamble the win by predicting the colour of the next drawn card (double the win) or the suit (quadruple the win). This is a standard Microgaming-era gamble mechanic and carries a negative expected value on average - a wrong guess loses the accumulated win from that spin. It is entirely optional and does not affect the base RTP figure.
The gamble feature is most relevant for players who want to push a smaller win toward a larger threshold. It does not interact with the free spins feature.
How to Play
Lucky Zodiac plays on a 5x3 grid with 20 fixed paylines. All paylines run left to right from reel 1 and require at least three matching symbols in sequence. The bet range runs from £0.20 to £100 per spin. Bet levels and coin values can be adjusted before each spin, but the paylines themselves cannot be reduced.
The autoplay function allows you to set a fixed spin count with optional stop conditions for large wins or balance drops. The game runs in HTML5 and does not require any download to play in a desktop or mobile browser.
Mobile Performance
Lucky Zodiac scales cleanly to mobile. The symbol set is large enough to remain readable on compact screens, and the simplified animation style means there is no heavy graphical load slowing down the experience. Spin response is fast, and the bet controls are laid out clearly even on smaller portrait displays. The game predates the current generation of mobile-first designs, but the clean grid layout translates well.
RTP and Volatility in Context
The 96.01% RTP puts Lucky Zodiac above the industry average for licensed UK casinos. Low-to-medium volatility means most sessions will produce a relatively even distribution of smaller wins with occasional boosts from free spins. The 7x multiplier with double wilds active represents the ceiling for a single feature round. The maximum win of 140,000 coins is achievable in theory but requires the maximum multiplier combined with the highest-value symbol combinations across multiple paylines - realistically, this is a game built for consistent moderate returns rather than chasing one massive hit.
Players who prefer high-volatility titles where most of the payout potential sits inside a single big feature will find Lucky Zodiac too steady. For players who value longer sessions with more predictable bankroll behaviour, it performs exactly as the stats suggest.
Verdict
Lucky Zodiac is a competent, straightforward Chinese New Year slot that does its job without overreaching. The 96.01% RTP is above average, the free spins feature is easy to understand, and the double wild mechanic during free spins adds a genuine uplift to the round's potential. The fixed multiplier selection creates some real variation between feature visits, which stops the bonus from feeling identical every time it triggers.
Where it falls short is in ambition. There is no innovation here and no memorable twist that sets it apart from the dozens of Chinese-themed slots that have followed since 2015. The gamble feature is inessential. The maximum win ceiling is modest. But for players who want a low-variance session on a familiar theme with a fair return rate, Lucky Zodiac remains a reliable option in any lobby where it appears.
If you enjoy the Chinese New Year theme, Microgaming's own Fortune Girl and Dragon Dance cover similar ground with slightly different mechanics. For a higher-variance version of the free spins multiplier concept, Thunderstruck II from the same developer applies comparable logic to a much larger feature set.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who made Lucky Zodiac?
Lucky Zodiac was developed by Microgaming and released in September 2015. It is now distributed under the Games Global label following Microgaming's restructuring of its third-party distribution network.
What is the RTP of Lucky Zodiac?
The published RTP for Lucky Zodiac is 96.01%. This is above the typical UK online slot average and applies across all licensed operators offering the game.
How do the free spins trigger?
Landing three or more Firecracker scatter symbols anywhere on the reels triggers 12 free spins. The number of triggering scatters does not change the number of free games awarded.
What does the multiplier do in the free spins round?
At the start of the free spins feature, a multiplier between 2x and 7x is randomly selected. That multiplier applies to every win during all 12 free games. A higher multiplier selection significantly increases the round's potential payout.
Can the free spins retrigger?
No. The Lucky Zodiac free spins feature does not retrigger. Once the 12 free games are complete the round ends and returns to the base game.
What is the highest-paying symbol in Lucky Zodiac?
The Lucky Zodiac wild logo is the highest-paying symbol. During free spins, the Ram symbol also becomes a wild, giving you two sets of wild symbols active simultaneously on all five reels.
Where to Play Lucky Zodiac
We're currently updating our casino list for Lucky Zodiac. In the meantime, browse our full casino reviews or check out current free spins offers.