Holiday pay/Christmas bonus on the way and the slots are getting worse

Well, I have to share my experience again, because this nonsense couldn't be more obvious. Avoid online casinos, especially when there's vacation pay or Christmas bonuses.

They immediately shut down the slots, there are hardly any winning payouts, free spins are much rarer and, above all, the free spins are bad.

You basically have a subscription to it from the casinos.

Above all, avoid the Big Bass and Bigger Bass series—you can also safely ignore the book games from Playngo.

Interesting view. 

Could you tell us in which casinos you have experienced this? 

As for withdrawals on holidays and such, I think everyone has to take it into account that it usually prolongs withdrawals, because banks are often closed. Some casino departments may not work either. There are various vacations during holidays and so on and so sometimes casinos can be overhelmed in terms of withdrawals. 

But it certainly shouldn't take a few weeks for players to get their money and it should always be at a proper, reasonable time. 🙂

They're all casinos—you can play wherever you want. Changes are made to the games, and every casino thinks the player won't notice. Updates are quickly pushed out, and you, as a player, experience total crap.

I'm a gamer, and I'm talking about games that I enjoy, so I always watch the reels - when you do that you immediately notice the change in the game.

And it's not about a game going badly, but rather about a game not going as well as it usually does. And I'm talking about all the things that are inherent in a game of chance.

You either lose or you win, that's all it is. But the way things are going now, you hardly have a chance of winning again.

I'll give you a few examples. I like playing the Big Bass series, or Bigger Bass series. And you can definitely notice the change.

Bigger Bass - It used to be that you'd get 2-4 free spins every 100 spins. Of course, there were times when you didn't get a free spin, no question. But most of the time, you always got your 2-4 free spins. That's why I've always said that anyone who buys a free spin for 100 times their stake should be in the nuthouse!

Now it's like this—I have to be happy to have 2-3 chances on the normal spin out of 100 spins. By chances, I mean that the scatters don't land on reels 2+3 or 1+4—because 8 out of 10 such spins on the remaining reels will remove all the scatters. Suddenly, all the scatters on reels 4+5 or 5 are gone.

I'm really talking about the chances on the other reels. Now you have the possibility of 1+2+3, 1+2+4, 1+2+5, 2+4+5, and 3+4+5. All scatters are always included. On top of that, you can barely get the third scatter on reel 4. So even then, it takes countless attempts until the system allows the scatter to land on reel 4.

It's not about when you get the free spins, but how often you get them. Of course, it's possible that you'll get a free spin after just a few spins. But after that, the chance of getting another one is really very slim, so be quick.^^

Now I'm doing phases of 150-300 spins to say ole a free spin! I already had a free spin in a bigger game after about 700 spins. And that was only because it landed me the third scatter.

But even in the free spins, you'll notice slight changes. Before, you had the whole repertoire of free spins: good, bad, very good, normal, and so on.

I've always been of the opinion that if you get a free spin and start it, it's already clear what you'll win. Don't believe that nonsense that every spin is unique. No, here the system selects one free spin from countless possible free spins, and that's what you get. But that's just my opinion.

Now I'm having the problem that usually only a certain number of anglers appear, and they only appear until you've exceeded about 20 times your stake or are close to it. And then, after a few spins, you notice that the free spins are already over. I had one at some point recently—not in one day, but I've written down how many free spins I get in a week, with quite a few spins.

Bigger Bass Blizzard Catch - I earned a free spin 12 times and only got as many anglers as I needed until I reached or exceeded the 20-fold limit. It's not about whether I reached the 30-fold limit with the 2nd or 3rd angler, but simply that - exceeded the total - all anglers gone.

Then came the 13th free spin. I'm playing for a low 24 cents. First spin, 2 anglers - one fish costs 48 cents - that's 96. That's 2 anglers. 2nd spin, one angler - 4.80 euros, and thus after 2 spins I'm over 20 times my stake.

And my first statement, after the angler has made this amount - let me guess, now there are 8 spins and no anglers?

Bam, 8 spins, no anglers. I'm only making that statement because it's happened too many times before.

Bigger bass, or big bass itself. Have you noticed that this system uses fake scatters? You always notice it when you play a game and the first three reels land quickly, regardless of whether you have scatters on reels 1 and 2 or not. The third reel always lands just as quickly as the first two reels. Reels 4 and 5, on the other hand, spin for much longer as soon as you have two scatters. The system then incorporates the fake scatters, but only the real scatter lands on the reels.

There are exactly two slots without a fake scatter—Big Bass Halloween and Christmas—where scatters can only land but never land. Notice if you have two scatters and no scatter lands on the remaining reels, and if you see one appear on the reels, you also have the third scatter.

That's another story. You don't always have to try to force the casinos into the role of victims.

There are payout methods like bank transfer that take a few days, no question. I agree with you, even with the holidays. But the point is, once the payout is made, it takes a while.

But it can't be that I have to wait 48 hours or more for the withdrawal to be processed. It's not like 100 players make withdrawals every day—that used to be the case, but certainly not now. There are so many online casinos that the players are spread out among them. Even at the larger casinos, you notice how many players are actually online and playing.

The so-called 48-hour processing time means nothing other than that - we process your payout within 48 hours. By then, we hope that you have returned your payout and gambled away your money again.

And with Skrill and Neteller, the 48-hour excuse doesn't work at all—a withdrawal takes exactly 2 minutes! Not LONGER!

I'm also at Winnerz Casino. When I made my first withdrawal there, I had to verify my account. This was done by a system, not a human, but a system. I uploaded my stuff on my phone: my ID card, my phone bill for proof of address, and a screenshot of my deposit with Skrill.

The whole thing took exactly a few minutes – my account was verified. I specified Skrill for withdrawal. Two minutes later, a message popped up on my phone from Skrill saying the amount XXXX had been transferred to my account.

At other casinos, where you first have to save the data to verify your account and then wait for hours until it is processed, you always get what feels like 20 excuses as to why this file doesn't count.

Now, for many people, phone bills no longer count. I once had to take a selfie holding up a piece of paper with the name of the casino and the current date on it. No joke—those would be conditions you'd impose on the casino!

So sorry, I don't have to fool myself with my money

It’s clear that you’re speaking from long-term observation and genuine frustration and that you care about the games you play.

When someone starts noticing patterns or changes that feel suspicious or unfair, it's not unusual for those feelings to grow over time, especially if there's a sense that things "used to be different."

That said, while your personal experience is valid and your observations are detailed, we always have to work with something that can be verified. Licensed game providers are expected to meet strict standards, including audits and consistent RNG functionality. If a game is being modified after release in a way that affects fairness or player outcomes, that’s a very serious issue—but it’s also something that has to be proven with concrete evidence, not just patterns we think we’re seeing.

The same applies to payout delays. It’s frustrating to wait, and yes, some casinos do seem to use this window to their advantage. But unless the terms are clearly violated or the delay becomes excessive without justification, it’s difficult to say with certainty that it’s intentional or malicious. We always encourage players to submit complaints when they feel something isn't right so that we can look at the specific case and possibly spot a trend.

At the end of the day, I don’t want to dismiss your perspective, but I also can't draw conclusions without something more solid to support it. If the stress and frustration you’re describing keep piling up, it may be worth asking whether the games are still bringing you something positive, or whether it’s time to take a step back.

Strict standards? For casinos?

So let’s go through the most important thing RTP!

RTP – return to player! If a game has an RTP of 96%, 4% is the casino's house edge.

In plain English, if I bet 100 euros on the slot machine and make 100 spins with a 1-euro stake, I should have 96 euros in my account after the 100 spins—to put it bluntly!

The problem, however, is that there's no threshold at which the RTP should kick in—is it 100 spins, 1,000, 10,000 spins? No, it's millions of spins—you could say it's an infinite number of spins, so the RTP is valid.

So I would like to know how something like this is tested - because in principle you would have to test every game, and if there are several thousand slots, then I am very curious how it is tested.

So, for me, this RTP is a farce—because it doesn't matter how high the RTP is if it has no measurable value. Essentially, the RTP is only there to give the player the feeling that they have a good chance of winning at 96%.

Then there are games that have an RTP of more than 100% - if that were the case, every spin would have to be a win - but logically it isn't, otherwise it wouldn't be a game of chance anymore.

Slot, provider, update

Question number 1: Is a provider allowed to update slots without a valid reason? (A valid reason is a slot error.)

Question 2: Is a casino allowed to force the provider to update the slots? Again, without reason?

Question 3: Who controls these updates? Normally, an update also requires a check to make sure everything is working. And who controls this update? MGA? Those who believe it will be blessed!

Question 4 : Do the slots run worse after an update than before?

Hi! How was your weekend?

Thanks for taking the time to lay out your thoughts so thoroughly.

I can see you've really put a lot of consideration into this, you’re trying to challenge the system itself. And that’s fair. Every system benefits from being questioned and reviewed. But questioning is one thing; assuming intentional deception from all sides is another.

As for your RTP example, you're absolutely right that it's a long-term statistical average and not a per-session guarantee. That's how probability works in games of chance. Nobody ever claimed that you'd get exactly 96€ back after 100 spin. It’s not a refund mechanism; it’s a long-term metric verified through millions of rounds, often simulated, and tested by independent labs. That’s also why it's regulated and audited.

Regarding updates and control over slot changes, those are extremely technical processes. Game providers, not casinos, own and manage the software. Updates (whether for bug fixes, performance optimization, or compliance with new regulations) generally have to go through testing and recertification with the relevant regulatory body. If you're looking for authoritative answers, you'll need to contact a specific provider or licensing authority (be it MGA, UKGC, or any other). I can't speak on their behalf, nor will I speculate.

If you believe that specific slots have changed in a way that is unfair or unregulated, you're welcome to submit a formal complaint. But if you’ve reached a point where you no longer trust the entire system, like casinos, providers, and regulators, then I’d honestly suggest taking a break. Playing under constant stress and suspicion isn’t healthy, and no game is worth that.

I’m not here to oppose your perspective. But I also can’t join you in painting the entire industry as a fraud without solid evidence.

Especially around the holidays, I've had the feeling that things were "off." Slots dead, free spins like hell – 10 spins, nothing but air.

But I don't know if they're really deliberately "shutting down."

The timing feels shady, yes – but who knows how much of that is simply selective perception.

I've also put Big Bass on ice, exactly because of what you said.

And Book of Dead hasn't been giving me much of a treat these past few weeks either. Maybe I should take a break when there's bonus time on the calendar.

Thanks for your post – it was straight from the gut, it's nice to read things like that.