Major Millions Slot
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Major Millions is one of those slots that has acquired a somewhat legendary status among reel spinners. The game has been around for quite some time now, having been released by software supplier Microgaming back in 2000. The slot is available in two different versions, one of which is played over 3 reels and 3 paylines, while the second features 5 reels and 15 adjustable winning lines. Our review focuses predominantly on the slot’s 5-reel version.
The continued popularity the game enjoys can be attributed to the immense progressive jackpot to which it is linked. The pot is seeded with a quarter of a million dollars, allowing lucky players to pocket a handsome reward when betting real money. Major Millions is one of those Microgaming slots that have stood the test of time, remaining popular despite its slightly dated feel. It comes with a distinctly military theme, complemented by appropriate thematic symbols. Major Millions supports bets of one coin per active payline, with a fixed denomination of $0.20 and a maximum bet of $3.00 on each spin.
Theme
The Major from whom this Microgaming slot takes its name is an amiable aviation officer who dominates the game’s theme. The symbols that can help you score a hefty payout all relate to the aviation theme of the slot, so winning combinations can be formed with icons featuring pairs of binoculars, tanks, warships, planes, ammunition boxes, and medals. Since Major Millions is the character the game is named after, it is only fitting that he is the highest-paying regular symbol here.
The design of the slot is somewhat simplistic, and the symbols spin against a uniform blue background, with the Major Millions logo positioned below the five reels. Since this is one of the older slot offerings from Microgaming, not much is going on in terms of animations. The symbols that form winning combinations are not animated, either.
Military parade music dominates the gameplay, which can become a bit repetitive after a while. Multiple winning combinations on several paylines are accompanied by drum-cadence effects, perfectly in keeping with the military theme of Major Millions.
Symbols
Major Millions may be one of the older products in Microgaming’s portfolio, but it features none of the usual high playing-card symbols for the low-value winning combinations. All symbols correspond to the game’s military theme, including the low-paying icons such as the binoculars, the Major’s cap, the ammunition box, and the medals, which can earn you anywhere between 2 and 160 coins.
The high-value symbols return prizes ranging from 6 to 1,000 coins and can be ranked in ascending order as follows – the top-secret documents, the tanks, the bomber planes, the warship, and finally, the highest regular payer, the Major himself.
The developers have included a scatter symbol that returns up to 50 coins for five matches, but it serves no other purpose. However, the scatter can create winning combinations as long as identical symbols land on adjacent reels. They do not have to align on active paylines to award a prize.
Undoubtedly, the most important symbol in Major Millions is the wild, which features the game’s logo. It is the top payer here, offering a payout of 8,000 credits to those who align five wilds on a payline. Apart from awarding the highest regular prizes in the game, the wilds can substitute for other icons on the paylines, which in turn results in more winning combinations. They also triple any wins they help create thanks to a 3x multiplier.
Combinations and Jackpots
It should be noted that, in order to create a winning combination, the symbols in Major Millions must align from left to right on the paylines. This applies to all symbols, with the exception of the scatter, which creates wins in both directions on adjacent reels. Only the largest win is paid per active payline.
Yet, the biggest incentive for players to continue wagering on a graphically outdated game like Major Millions is its progressive jackpot. Microgaming contributes a seed amount of $250,000, and players can check the current size of the pot in the jackpot meter placed at the top of the base-game screen. The jackpot hits relatively often and is won roughly once every six weeks on average, rewarding lucky chance-takers with six-figure payouts. Both the 3-reel and 5-reel versions of the slot are connected to the jackpot network, so the progressive prize increases whenever bets are placed on either of the two games.
But enough about that; you are probably curious about the conditions you need to meet in order to scoop the huge prize. To begin with, you must activate and play all 15 paylines, placing the maximum bet of $3.00 per spin. Otherwise, you will not be awarded the pot, even if you do succeed in completing the triggering combination.
The wild is the key symbol to watch for if you are aiming for the progressive pot. To win the jackpot, you need to align five wild symbols on payline number 15, which starts at the lower left-hand corner, zigzags across the middle of the screen, and ends in the bottom right-hand corner.
When it comes to progressive slots, the most efficient way to gauge their popularity is to look at the size of their jackpot. Major Millions may be one of the older releases by Microgaming, but it shows no signs of slowing down. The game remains as popular as ever, as is apparent from the huge amounts its progressive jackpot continues to reach to this day. Do give it a spin, even if you prefer more graphically advanced games. One never knows when the jackpot symbols will align on the qualifying payline.