Barcrest
Barcrest is a very renowned gaming provider in the field of slots, and has been active since 1968! The online gambling world is relatively young and it is therefore not obvious that the current game providers have such a long history. They still release many new slots and try to keep up with the competition in terms of innovation. Initially, they turned many of their slots from the land-based casinos into an online variant. A pretty logical step as they developed good slots with great popularity. After Barcrest has been taken over by International Game Technology (IGT), they take the next step in the right direction. This makes it easier for them to keep up with the big competitors. Chances are you've heard of the well-known Rainbow Riches game series, especially if you are an experienced player. Below we take a closer look at this game provider.
Innovativeness of Barcrest
Barcrest has always been a major player in innovation and tries to maintain this status. For example, the idea behind many of the bonus rounds you see today comes from this game provider. Below are some more examples showing that Barcrest came up with new ideas, which have been adopted by many game providers.
5 reels
Today, a 5-reel slot is nothing more than normal, but this hasn't always been the case. Barcrest was the first game developer to come up with a 5 reel slot machine. This was in the period when they only made land-based slots.
Multiplayer option
Barcrest has also been one of the major providers in the field of multiplayer. What was previously not thought possible was nevertheless developed by Barcrest: The possibility to play with multiple players on 1 slot machine.
Alternating RTPs
Let's start this piece with the fact that the average RTP of Barcrest slots is around 96.3%. There is nothing wrong with this average as you often hear that the average slot machine has an RTP of around 96%. So it is already above that. However, there are significant fluctuations between the different Barcrest slots in this area. There are slots with an RTP of 99% but also of 94%. This does not necessarily have to be a problem, but we recommend that you view each game in terms of RTP. Often the height of the ‘normal RTP' also depends on the type of game.
High betting limits
Another thing that Barcrest is somewhat known for is the height of their betting limits. These are generally pleasant slots for players who like to play with big money. Due to the high betting limits, you automatically have a chance of winning higher prizes. To give an example: At Rainbow Riches, developed by Barcrest and WMS, the betting limit is just 400 euros per spin. This is of course a huge amount when you consider how quickly a ‘spin' can pass. In addition, we see betting limits of 10 or 20 euros with most games, with an occasional peak to 100 max. But these are unprecedented amounts.
Acquisitions
At the beginning of this piece, reference was already made to an acquisition by International Game Technology. However, this is not the only acquisition in Barcrest's long history. This aforementioned takeover took place in 1998, but Barcrest was taken over again in 2011. At the time, it was acquired by Scientific Gaming, after which it was merged with The Global Draw into SC Gaming. Despite this takeover, amalgamation, and name change, Barcrest's name is still alive. That is why you will see it regularly.
Game Selection & Megaways
Barcrest has developed a lot of very famous games with typical themes over the years. You will probably know games like Rainbow Riches (many variants) and King of the Aztecs. Both games, of course, have a theme that is not completely unknown in the gambling world. As you can read under the heading about the RTP, the differences in RTPs between the games of Barcrest are sometimes large. For example, they have 12 games alone with an RTP between 97.7% and 99%. Nowadays, Barcrest is also allowed to use the Megaways game mechanism developed by BTG for its own games. So far they have only developed 2 variants, namely:
This will undoubtedly be further expanded in the future. You can play both Rainbow Riches and Beetlejuice Megaways right here at your Megaways Casino.
Best Free Play Barcrest Megaways Slots
Conclusion
Barcrest is without a doubt a fantastic name in this world. Their long existence is special, and they are also still active in the field of land-based casinos. In addition, they always try to be a forerunner by expressing and applying their innovativeness. They are also the game provider of some very famous games, such as Rainbow Riches.
