Rainbow Riches slot

Rainbow Riches: a British slot machine with pub roots

Rainbow Riches comes from Barcrest, a UK machine maker from the Manchester area whose first game, Invader, dates from 1970. The Arcade Museum's Barcrest record (opens in a new tab) lists some of its land-based machines, and Barcrest is now owned by Light & Wonder (opens in a new tab), formerly Scientific Games. The series dates from 2006 and has since grown into a family of spin-offs.

That heritage shows. The bonus games feel like the feature boards of a pub fruit machine: you move along a trail, pick from a few objects, or watch an arrow land on a prize. If you have played a Barcrest machine in a pub or bookmaker, the online version will look familiar, although the maths of an online slot is set differently from a land-based machine.

How the Rainbow Riches slot machine works

This online version uses 5 reels, 3 rows and 20 fixed paylines. A win needs three or more matching symbols on adjacent reels from the left, on a line. The leprechaun wild replaces regular symbols but not the three bonus symbols, and it is also the top-paying symbol in its own right.

1. Choose your stake; it covers all 20 lines.
2. Spin. The random number generator has already chosen the result.
3. Line wins are paid from left to right.
4. Three or more Road to Riches, Wishing Well or Pots of Gold symbols start that bonus.
5. The bonus pays a multiple of your stake, then you return to the base game.

Lucky-charm imagery runs through Irish-themed slots in general; our pages on the pot of gold, horseshoe and four-leaf clover symbols trace where they came from.

Road to Riches: the trail bonus

Three or more Road to Riches symbols start the trail. A spinning wheel tells you how many steps to move along a path of increasing multipliers, and you keep spinning until the wheel lands on Collect. Your prize is the multiplier you have reached, up to the game's 500x top value.

This is the closest thing in the game to a fruit machine feature trail. Unlike some pub machines, there are no skill elements: the wheel's results come from the RNG, so how quickly you reach Collect is not something you can influence.

Wishing Well: the pick bonus

Three or more Wishing Well symbols start a pick me bonus. You choose one of the wishing wells on screen and it reveals a multiplier of your stake, up to 500x. The choice looks like a decision, but the outcome is set by the game's maths, so there is no better or worse well to pick.

Pots of Gold: the arrow bonus

Pots of Gold symbols can appear only on reels 2, 3 and 4, and three of them start the feature. Bronze, silver and gold pots rotate on screen, and an arrow stops on one to reveal a multiplier of up to 500x your stake. Because the symbol is limited to the middle reels, this feature needs one on each of those three reels.

Rainbow Riches RTP and volatility

The published Rainbow Riches RTP is 95.00%, and volatility is medium. That means about £95 of every £100 staked returns as wins over the very long run, so the game keeps £5, a larger house edge than the 3% to 4% common on newer online slots. Barcrest games have often had RTPs around 94% to 96% that can vary with stake, so check the figure in your version.

Medium volatility combined with a low 500x ceiling gives a steadier ride than most modern games: the three bonuses come round more often than a single big feature would, and none can pay a sum far out of proportion to your stake.

Compared with a 96.5% game, the extra 1.5 points costs about £1.50 more per £100 staked in the long run. Over a year of regular play that difference adds up, which is why our page on what is a good RTP for a slot is worth reading before you choose.

Rainbow Riches max win at UK stake limits

Its max win is 500x your stake, reachable through any of the three bonuses. That modest ceiling is typical of slots that grew out of British machine design.

For comparison, a pub fruit machine in Category C is limited to a £1 stake and a £100 top prize under the Gambling Commission's gaming machine categories (opens in a new tab). Online slots are not in those categories, which is why the online game can offer up to £2,500 on a £5 spin.

Rainbow Riches online vs land-based machines

Barcrest built its name on land-based machines, and Rainbow Riches-branded games have appeared on them. The rules for those machines are very different from the online slot.

Our guide to online vs land-based slot machines explains how the maths and rules differ, and UK slot machine categories lists every class of machine.

Is the Rainbow Riches slot worth playing?

It suits adults who like simple, familiar games with bonuses that appear fairly regularly and a capped downside in any single spin. Its weakness is value: at 95.00% it returns less on average than many alternatives.

Rainbow Riches versions and similar slots

The brand now covers many spin-offs. Rainbow Riches Megaways moves the theme onto a Megaways grid with a much higher ceiling, and Rainbow Riches Pick 'n' Mix lets you choose which bonuses are active. See Rainbow Riches vs Rainbow Riches Megaways for the details.

Other games in the Irish-themed slots group include Lucky Leprechaun.

Rainbow Riches myths

• 'Pick the left well, it pays more.' The prize is set by the maths; your pick doesn't change the outcome.
• 'The machine pays out after a run of losses.' Online slots have no memory. Some older land-based machines worked differently, but the online game doesn't.
• 'Stopping the Road to Riches wheel at the right moment helps.' There is no timing skill; the result is fixed by the RNG.
• 'It's a pub machine, so it pays like one.' The online game's 95.00% RTP and 500x cap are its own figures, not those of any machine in a pub.

Checking the Rainbow Riches RTP and rules

1. Open the game and select the menu or 'i' icon.
2. Find the game rules or paytable page.
3. Look for the stated return to player.
4. Check whether the figure changes with stake; some Barcrest games state more than one.
5. Read the bonus rules to see which reels each bonus symbol can land on.

Our guide to reading slot RTP in the UK shows what operators must display.

UK rules for the online Rainbow Riches slot

Since 31 October 2021, UK online slots have had no autoplay or turbo and must take at least 2.5 seconds per spin. Stakes are capped at £5 a spin for players aged 25 and over (from 9 April 2025) and £2 for those aged 18 to 24 (from 21 May 2025), as set out in the Gambling Commission's stake limit guidance (opens in a new tab). Free demo play is available only after age verification. Our summary of UK slot machine rules covers the full list.

Rainbow Riches demo and safer gambling

A Rainbow Riches demo lets you see all three bonuses without staking real money, after age verification. Whatever you play, set limits first; if gambling is causing worry, GamCare (opens in a new tab) offers free, confidential support and runs the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.

Where to play Rainbow Riches online

Barcrest games are common at UK casinos, but each site's lobby changes, so search for Rainbow Riches at the casino before depositing.

None of our partner offers names this game. Coral offers 100 free spins at 10p on selected games to new players who bet £10 on slots; Ladbrokes gives 50 free spins a day for 10 days (up to 500) at 10p on selected games after £10 of slots play; and PlayOJO's 80 no-wagering spins are on Big Bass Bonanza. All are 18+ and terms apply. Our free spins on slots page explains how these work.

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.