Big Bass Bonanza vs Big Bass Splash

Big Bass Bonanza vs Big Bass Splash: what actually differs

Big Bass Bonanza launched on 14 December 2020 and turned Reel Kingdom, working with distributor Pragmatic Play, into the studio behind the biggest fishing series in UK online slots. Big Bass Splash is one of the many follow-ups. If you line up the specification sheets, almost everything matches: the same return to player, the same volatility label, the same five-by-three grid and the same ten paylines.

So the useful question isn't which one pays more on average; on the listed figures they pay the same. It's how that average is distributed. Splash allows a much higher maximum and layers extra random events on top of the familiar bonus. Bonanza keeps the original, cleaner structure with a lower cap. The rest of this page works through what that means in pounds. The comparison hub lists other pairings.

Specifications of both fishing slots

When two games share an RTP and a volatility label, the max win and the bonus design become the main ways to tell them apart. A higher cap with the same RTP means more of the return is reserved for rare, very large outcomes, which usually leaves a little less for everyday results.

How the fisherman collect works in both

Both games are built on a cash collect idea. Fish symbols carry cash values shown on them, expressed as multiples of your stake. Those values are only gathered by the fisherman, a wild symbol that appears in the free spins. When a fisherman lands on the same spin as fish, he collects every fish value on screen.

Worked example at a 50p stake

1. A free spin shows three fish carrying values of 2x, 5x and 10x the stake, plus one fisherman.
2. At 50p, those values are £1, £2.50 and £5.
3. The fisherman collects all three: £8.50 is added to the round total.
4. Any line wins from the same spin are paid as normal, with the fisherman substituting as a wild.
5. The fisherman also counts towards the next retrigger level, explained below.

In Big Bass Bonanza, every fourth fisherman collected retriggers the feature with ten more spins and raises the multiplier applied to later collections: 2x, then 3x, then 10x. That climb is where the 2,100x ceiling is reached. Splash keeps the same collect-and-level idea, so the example above works the same way there.

Spin counts, fish values and level details can differ between versions. The help screen in your casino describes the exact rules for the game in front of you.

What Big Bass Splash adds to the formula

Splash's main change is a set of random features triggered around the free spins. The game's rules describe modifiers that can, for example, add extra fishermen or fish to a round, which raises the potential of that particular bonus. They're random: you can't choose them or make them more likely, and their effect is already built into the 96.71% RTP.

These modifiers, together with the higher cap, are why Splash can produce larger outcomes than Bonanza. They don't make it cheaper to play. Because both games return the same average, a larger share of Splash's return sits in its strongest rounds, so typical rounds can feel thinner by comparison.

Big Bass Bonanza vs Big Bass Splash: cost per 100 spins

With identical RTPs, the long-run average cost is the same on both games. The table below shows it per 100 spins. These are house edge averages; an actual session on a high-volatility game will usually finish well away from them, in either direction.

A useful consequence: if you are choosing between the two on value, there is no difference to find. Choose on the style of play you prefer, and remember that casinos can run lower RTP settings than the listed figure. The game's information screen shows the one in use; see where to find RTP on UK slots.

Max win in pounds at UK stake limits

UK players aged 25 and over can stake up to £5 per spin on online slots, and players aged 18 to 24 up to £2, under the limits described in the Gambling Commission's stake limit guidance (opens in a new tab). Here is what each game's cap means at common stakes.

Both caps are reached only at the top level of a free spins round with high-value fish, so they are very rare. The difference in the table is about how high the variance reaches, not how much either game tends to return.

Big Bass Bonanza and PlayOJO's 80 free spins

Big Bass Bonanza is the game PlayOJO's welcome offer is played on: 80 free spins at 10p each for new UK customers (excluding Northern Ireland) aged 18+, after a first deposit of at least £10, with no wagering, so winnings are paid as cash. Terms apply, and the offer can only be claimed through the designated link.

The spins have a face value of 80 × 10p = £8. At 96.71% RTP the long-run average return on £8 of spins is about £7.74, but 80 spins on a high-volatility game is a very small sample. Most sets of 80 spins won't trigger the free spins at all, some will return a few pounds and a few will return much more. It is a way to try the game, not a source of income. For more on this type of offer, see no-wagering free spins and our Big Bass Bonanza free spins page.

Where both sit in the Big Bass series

The Big Bass name now covers a long list of slots, each changing one or two things about the original. A few that are useful for comparison:

• Bigger Bass Bonanza moves to a 5×4 grid with 12 lines and a 4,000x cap; see Big Bass Bonanza vs Bigger Bass Bonanza.
• Big Bass Bonanza Megaways moves the fisherman feature onto a variable-reel grid.
• Big Bass Bonanza 1000 is a later reworking of the original; its own page lists the figures.
• Big Bass Hold & Spinner adds a hold-and-win style respin round.

Our fishing slots guide explains how the genre grew, including Blueprint's Fishin' Frenzy, which used a fisherman collect feature too.

UK design rules on both Big Bass slots

At UK-licensed casinos both games follow the online game design rules in force since 31 October 2021: no autoplay, a minimum of 2.5 seconds per spin, no turbo or slam-stop, no win celebrations for returns equal to or below the stake, and a constant display of balance and net position. Pragmatic Play (opens in a new tab) distributes both games, and its international versions often list a bonus buy; slots supplied to Great Britain come without one, so the free spins can only be reached by landing scatters. See UK slot game design rules.

At 2.5 seconds a spin, 100 spins take at least about four minutes. At 50p, that is £50 staked in a few minutes, which shows why a budget and a time limit are worth setting before you start.

Fishing slot myths

• "Fish without a fisherman means he is due." Each spin is independent. Fish landing without a collector is part of the design and says nothing about the next spin.
• "Splash pays more because the max win is bigger." The average return is the same 96.71%; the bigger cap is balanced elsewhere in the maths.
• "Raising the stake after a dry run makes the bonus more likely." Stake size doesn't change trigger chances; it only scales wins and losses.
• "A big win means the game has gone cold." No slot remembers its past results.

Verdict: which fishing slot suits you

Where to play Big Bass Bonanza or Big Bass Splash

PlayOJO's 80 no-wagering free spins on Big Bass Bonanza are listed first because they match this page most closely (18+, new UK customers excluding Northern Ireland, first deposit of £10 or more, 10p spins, terms apply). Coral offers 100 free spins at 10p each on selected games after you bet £10 on slots, with no wagering on the winnings; Ladbrokes gives up to 500 free spins over ten days after you play £10 on slots. Neither promises Big Bass Splash, so search the casino's lobby; game availability changes. All offers are 18+ and terms apply.

Set a deposit limit first, and remember help is free: the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 is run by GamCare (opens in a new tab) and open around the clock.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Decide a budget before you play: plan a slot budget. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.