Wanted Dead or a Wild vs Le Bandit

Wanted Dead or a Wild vs Le Bandit: the numbers

Hacksaw Gaming launched in September 2018, is based in Malta and holds a Gambling Commission licence for Great Britain. Wanted Dead or a Wild is its best-known slot. Le Bandit is a later release from the same studio built on a completely different engine. Both are compared below using our verified facts, as part of our slot comparison hub.

Same studio, two different slot machine engines

With RTPs 0.04 points apart, the cost of play is effectively the same. What separates these games is how the return is distributed. Wanted Dead or a Wild concentrates a large share in rare spins where several multiplied wild reels line up, or in its bonus rounds. Le Bandit spreads more of its return across cascades and coin collections, so the balance tends to move more often in smaller steps. That is the practical meaning of high against medium volatility.

The engines are different too. One is a payline game on a square 5x5 grid; the other is a cluster game on a 6x5 grid where symbols are removed and replaced after each win. If you're new to the second style, our explainer on cluster pays slot machines and the cluster pays vs paylines comparison cover the basics.

How Wanted Dead or a Wild works: VS wilds and three bonuses

Wins pay along 15 lines from the leftmost reel. The ordinary wild substitutes for pay symbols. The feature that defines the game is the VS symbol:

1. A VS symbol lands on a reel in the base game.
2. It expands to cover the whole reel and becomes a wild.
3. A duel animation reveals a random multiplier for that wild reel, from 2x up to 100x.
4. If more than one VS wild reel is part of a win, their multipliers are added together.
5. The line wins are paid with the combined multiplier applied.

That makes the VS symbol a wild reel and a wild multiplier at once, and it is the reason a single base-game spin can produce a very large result. Three matching bonus scatters lead to one of three bonus rounds: The Great Train Robbery, Duel at Dawn and Dead Man's Hand. Each works differently, from rounds where wild features stay on the reels to a collect-and-showdown round where wilds and multipliers are gathered over a run of respins and then placed on the grid. The help screen sets out each round's spin count and rules.

How Le Bandit works: Super Cascades, Golden Squares and coins

Le Bandit pays for clusters of five or more matching symbols connected horizontally or vertically anywhere on the 6x5 grid. Three linked features build on each win:

• Super Cascades. A win removes the winning symbols and every other symbol of the same type on the grid. New symbols drop into the gaps, and the sequence continues while new wins form. Our cascading reels page explains standard cascades.
• Golden Squares. Each winning position leaves a golden square behind it for the rest of the cascade sequence.
• Rainbow symbol. If a rainbow lands during the sequence, the golden squares turn into coins of different values, four-leaf clovers that multiply nearby coins, or pots of gold that collect the values in view.

The collection idea is close to the cash collect mechanic used in many recent slots. The free spins come in three tiers, depending on whether three, four or five scatters start them: Luck of the Bandit, All That Glitters Is Gold and Treasure at the End of the Rainbow. In the higher tiers the golden squares stay in place between spins rather than resetting, which is where the larger results tend to come from.

15 lines on 5x5 vs clusters on 6x5: a worked example

The table shows how the same idea, five matching symbols, is treated by each engine.

Neither approach is more generous; each game's paytable is set so the whole model returns its listed RTP. The difference is in rhythm. Le Bandit's cascades can produce several wins from one paid spin, while Wanted's payline wins are settled in one go unless a VS multiplier lands.

Cost per 100 spins: Wanted Dead or a Wild vs Le Bandit

With almost identical RTPs, the long-run cost is effectively the same at every stake.

The averages hide very different ranges. On Wanted, a typical 100-spin session is more likely to end with a steady loss, with occasional sessions finishing far ahead. On Le Bandit, more sessions cluster nearer the average. Some casinos may be supplied with a lower RTP version of a game, so check the help screen; our page on RTP variants explains why.

Max win at UK stake limits: 12,500x vs 10,000x

These are ceilings, reached by a tiny fraction of spins if at all. The limits of £5 per spin for players aged 25 and over and £2 for 18 to 24-year-olds come from the Gambling Commission's online slots stake limit guidance (opens in a new tab). Our max win caps page explains how studios stop a game paying beyond its stated limit.

How the UK versions differ: no bonus buy, no autoplay

Both games are sold in many markets with a bonus buy option, where you pay a multiple of the stake to go straight to a bonus round. Versions supplied to Great Britain don't include it, so the three Wanted bonuses and Le Bandit's free spins tiers are reached only through the reels. The background is on our bonus buy in the UK page.

Other British design requirements also shape both games. Spins can't be automated or sped up, each must last 2.5 seconds or more, and a return that only matches or undercuts the stake can't be dressed up as a win, as set out in the Gambling Commission's RTS 14 on responsible product design (opens in a new tab). On Le Bandit, a cascade sequence belongs to the single paid spin that started it, so the cascades don't cost extra.

Myths about Wanted Dead or a Wild and Le Bandit

'A VS symbol on reel 1 means the next one is close.' Each spin is independent, and each reel's result is decided by the random number generator before the animation plays.

'Golden squares build up across base-game spins.' In the base game they last for one cascade sequence and then reset. Only the higher free spins tiers keep them.

'Hacksaw games are rigged to avoid the max win.' The ceiling is part of the published maths and applies to everyone. Licensed games are tested before release; our page on whether slot machines are rigged explains how.

Wanted Dead or a Wild or Le Bandit: verdict by player

If the Western theme is what draws you, our Western slot machines page lists others. For more on how a high-volatility game uses a budget, see high volatility slot machines.

Where to play Wanted Dead or a Wild and Le Bandit in the UK

Our partner offers aren't tied to either Hacksaw game, and what each casino stocks changes, so use the lobby search to confirm a title is there before paying in. Coral Casino gives new players 100 free spins at 10p each after a qualifying deposit and £10 bet on slots, and Ladbrokes Casino gives 50 free spins a day for 10 days (up to 500) after a £10 slots spend; both are on selected games with no wagering. PlayOJO gives 80 no-wagering spins on Big Bass Bonanza with a £10 first deposit. All are 18+ and terms apply.

On a high-volatility game especially, set a deposit limit before you start. If you want a break from all GB-licensed gambling sites, GAMSTOP explains how its self-exclusion works (opens in a new tab), and the National Gambling Helpline is on 0808 8020 133.

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.