Gold Rush Gus Slot Review: dig with Gus to find reel big wins

Ever wondered how it felt to be part of the various gold rush events that ensued in the American West during the 19th century? While the initial draw to venture further west on the continent was cheap or even free land, the discoveries of the precious metal set off unprecedented migration waves.

The most memorable were the California Gold Rush and the Klondike Gold Rush, both seeing thousands of prospectors trekking to the regions in the hope of finding vast riches. Few found them, and even fewer were able to sustain them, be it because of the frequent robberies, gambling losses, and other unfortunate reasons. But no matter how remote the chances were, the dream of finding big deposits of gold carried people through tremendously hard times on the trails to the location.

Are you ready to dig for gold with Gus? Read our expert Gold Rush Gus slot review to find out more!

Overview and Design

Gold Rush Gus, a proprietary slot from Bodog’s in-house studio Bovada Gaming, is a humorous take on that period with ol’ Gus venturing deep into his mine in the hope of finding not only gold but also precious gemstones. A random lava respin feature, a treasure chest bonus, and a free spins round will make sure your jackpot chase won’t let you go empty-handed.

The game has been designed with mobile play in mind with the reel set appearing in portrait mode. Instead of spinning reels, you will have Gus strolling along on top of the game window, smashing the rock-covered reels on every spin. Tireless Gus is a funny-looking cartoon character with a larger-than-life mustache, wearing a typical prospector hat and clothes. A mine entrance flanks the reels, which are dominated by an assortment of gemstones, while a chirpy Western soundtrack keeps things lively at all times.

Gold Rush Gus is played on five reels, three rows, and with 10 fixed pay lines. To score a win, you will need to hit three to five matching symbols or in combination with a wild symbol on a line from left to right only. The top-paying gem symbols as well as the 9s will award consolation prizes with just two symbols.

Gold Rush Gus, a 10-line video slot game

You can join good ol’ Gus on his prospecting tour on desktop or mobile from $0.20 to $100 per spin. Unfortunately, we were not able to get an exact number for the Return To Player percentage (RTP) but games from this group are usually in the 95 – 96% range.

Winning Combinations and Paytable

Yeehaw! Let’s dig! At the start of every spin, all reel positions are covered in differently-colored stones indicating what type of symbols are hiding behind them. Gus will whack the reels with his pickaxe to reveal the playing cards 9s, 10s, and Js under grey rocks, followed by Qs, Ks, and As under golden rocks. Hit five on a line to win 10x to 15x your bet. Gem-covered stones will unveil green, orange, purple, red, and blue gemstones, paying 15x to 50x your stake when five appear on a line.

Paytable for Gold Rush Gus slot

The special symbols can be hidden under any type of stone. An old-style whiskey bottle marked with the word itself is the wild symbol, substituting for all regular pay symbols. A pickaxe and shovel combo is the scatter for the free spins while a key symbol will trigger the treasure chest bonus.

Special symbols on Gold Rush Gus slot

Lava Reels Respin Feature

Gus is a generous man and might grant you a random respin after an unsuccessful dig. Two to five reels will turn into hot lava after burning the current symbols. He will smash the respective reels once the lava has cooled off to reveal new symbols, potentially turning a losing spin into a winner. The respin feature can only be activated with a non-winning spin.

Treasure Chest Feature

Hit two key symbols anywhere on reels one and three in one spin to trigger the treasure chest bonus. A mole will appear carrying the chest. It will open to reveal one of the following prizes:

• Jackpot: Yeehaw! You have won the progressive jackpot when a blue-white diamond appears. A percentage of each bet from all players contributes to the jackpot, usually reaching high 5-figure and even 6-figure sums before it is won.
• Mini Jackpots: On top of the game window are two displays for a green and a red gem jackpot. A percentage of each bet will contribute to the jackpots and the total jackpot amounts will increase with every spin. When the treasure chest feature is triggered, Gus may award a red or green gem. Collecting 5 red or green gems will award the respective jackpot. Collected gems are stored for future sessions.
• Golden Nugget: Awards a random cash prize, instantly.
• Treasure Map: Triggers a bonus game where Gus will jump into a rail cart and begin hurling down the track. You will collect coins for a cash reward. The idea is to tap anywhere on the screen whenever Gus enters a green booster area. Tapping at the correct time, when Gus is inside the green zone, can increase the speed and winnings. Be careful not to tap more than once inside of the booster zone as this will cause Gus to slow down and render your taps ineffective. This bonus has a small element of skill to it, which is certainly a novel idea on a slot machine.

Treasure Map Bonus on Gold Rush Gus slot

Gold Rush Gus Free Spins

Landing scatters on reels one, three, and five in one spin will trigger the free spins feature. The game will randomly award 5, 10, or 15 free spins plus a win multiplier of x2, x3, or x4. Wilds appear now more often but only on reels one, three, and five providing the extra potential to score a win. The feature can be retriggered with only free spins being added while the multiplier will stay unchanged.

Free Spins Bonus on Gold Rush Gus slot

Gold Rush Gus Mobile Play

With the design already mobile-optimized, the mobile slot does not look very different from the desktop version. The controls being at the bottom of the game window is the main change, meaning you get to see Gus smashing the reels just like on your PC. You can play Gold Rush Gus on any smartphone or tablet running on iOS or Android. As you can see below, the slot does not look best in a landscape display on mobile. Playing in portrait mode or with your phone upright will surely yield better results and graphics.

Mobile gameplay in landscape mode on Gold Rush Gus slot

Conclusion

Is this a hilarious slot or what? Reviewing Gold Rush Gus was an immensely fun gaming experience with mustached Gus giving us plenty of suspenseful moments and reasons for big win celebrations as well as the odd chuckle. Beware though, just like in real life, the digging can turn up empty as the game runs often over quite a few spins without a win, which is very typical for a slot with higher volatility. The major draw for this game is however that coveted progressive jackpot. It will be a real ‘Yeehaw!’ moment for anyone winning it.

Where to Play Gold Rush Gus?

Trustworthy casinos online that offer the Gold Rush Gus slot include Bovada and its sister sites. Players worldwide are allowed to sign up for accounts at these websites, so you should have no trouble locating a site to engage in real money play. One interesting note about this slot is that it does not contribute to bonus playthrough on Bovada or any of its sister sites, perhaps due to the small element of skill involved in the bonus game.

Somewhat recently, this game has begun to propagate to other internet casinos, including those associated with the Chico Poker Network group of sites. You can sign up for an account on more than one website on our list below and take advantage of the various deposit bonuses offered by each!

Please feel free to click the window below to play Gold Rush Gus prior to playing for real money:

Included below is a list of trusted gambling operators online approved by our expert team of reviewers where you can play Gold Rush Gus for real money. Also listed is information about which countries are allowed to sign up for accounts and the gambling products each casino offers.

• Ignition Casino (USA and Australia | poker)
• Bovada (USA | poker and sportsbook)
• BetOnline (USA, CAN, ROW except AUS | poker and sportsbook)
• Sportsbetting (USA, CAN, ROW except AUS | poker and sportsbook)
• Bodog (Canada, Latin America | poker and sportsbook)
• Joe Fortune (Australia)
• Wild Casino (USA, CAN, ROW except AUS)
• SuperSlots (USA, CAN, ROW except AUS
• Slots.lv (USA and Canada)
• Cafe Casino (USA | exclusive VIP bonuses)

Please feel free to utilize the links above to access any of our five thousand-plus word evaluations of these brands combing through every relevant detail. You will also find instructions on registering for an account without hassle.