This 5-reel 20-line slot is one of the best releases devoted to the iconic table game of the same name. You will see here all the familiar tokens and artwork present in the board game. You will enjoy lots of exciting features including a Free Parking jackpot and a $25,000 reward. Besides, you will be waiting impatiently to see a captivating bonus round in which you will buy properties and earn big money. Playing the slot for real money is a wonderful pastime and a great opportunity to win superb cash prizes.

In 2005, a new edition, Monopoly Here and Now, was released in Great Britain. A year later the game was published on the U.S. market and in some other countries. The revised game had new properties, new scenarios and a few brand-new tokens replacing their old-fashioned equivalents. Before the U.S. version was produced, there was an official web survey in which users were asked which American landmarks to include into the game. Anyway, the slot reviewed here is based on the same-name game and features new symbols that correspond to the new Monopoly variation.

The slot is designed with the Monopoly theme in mind. Above the reels there is the trademarked game title written in white letters on red background. At the top right corner, you can see a Board Bonus square that is made as a detailed miniature copy of the game board divided into squares. Playing cards 9, 10, J, Q, K and A feature small metallic tokens on them such as a London double decker bus, a mobile phone and a skateboard (these and other three movers were absent in the classic game version).

Symbols, payouts and bet sizes

Along with the playing card denominations 9 to A (these pay out x8 to x250), there are three medium-valued pictures including Airports (x250), Utilities (x500) and Property (x1000). All the listed symbols award when at least 3 identical pics line up left to right. Finally, there is a high-paying picture represented by the Monopoly man driving a red cabrio. The most exciting thing is that the symbol awards whichever number of it lands: one pic awards x2, while five pay x5000, which is the slot’s top jackpot ($25,000 playing at max).

The player has two bet options to change to their betting habits. The first (and the least used one) is the number of lines. You can reduce the default number of 20 lines and play on a single line, if desired. The other option is a Line Bet that varies from 1 to 5 coins. Each coin has a fixed one-dollar denomination. So the minimum and maximum stakes are $20 and $100 per spin. This is a quite unusual approach for IGT because the vendor lean toward high-stakes solutions.

Wild symbol

Mr. Monopoly celebrating a win with fireworks at the back is a wild symbol. There is nothing worth mentioning about the wild because it performs a single function as a substitute for non-feature pics and has no independent payouts or whatever.

Property Upgrade feature

Monopoly is about buying, building up and selling properties. The slot has a special Deed sub-symbol that may appear attached to main symbols. Three Deed sub-symbols on any active line give you one property upgrade. The upgraded items of property enhance your winning opportunities in a Big Board bonus feature – collecting Deeds is a kind of preparation for the main bonus feature.

The higher your stake per spin, the more valuable your property upgrade. The property will be upgraded to one apartment (equivalent to a house in the Monopoly game) if you bet one coin per line. Similarly, betting five coins will upgrade your property to a hotel. When time comes for a Big Board feature to begin, some properties will already have been developed to bring you more real money.

Free Parking Jackpots

On the left-hand side of the reels, there are 3 Free Parking jackpot meters. When you start a game session, they show 500, 200 and 100 (coins). Getting a red, orange or yellow Free Parking symbol on reels 5, 4 or 3, respectively, adds x3, x2 or x1 a total bet to a related jackpot meter. These jackpots can be won during a Big Board feature if the token lands on the Free Parking square.

Big Board feature

This is the centerpiece and the most exciting part of the gameplay. A Big Board is triggered by getting 3 Bonus Die symbols on an active line. You will see a classic Monopoly board with lots of properties, a GO, Jail, Income Tax, Super Tax and other squares that either make you win or lose some money. You are first asked to take the dice and roll them to determine the total number of bonus rolls. Then you will advance your selected piece around the board.

Each property has a value from 10 to 75 coins. The resulting money value for a specific property is calculated by multiplying the property value by a line bet (1 to 5) in the triggering round and by the number of apartments built on that property. If, for example, you played with 5 coins and your piece has landed on Camden High Street, you will win 15 x 5 coins = 75 coins. If there is an apartment built on a specific square, you will win around four times as much. Anyway, there are so many aspects and details applied to the bonus, that it is not reasonable to explain all of them in this review. This is an absolutely fascinating bonus feature that will make you look forward to it.

Summary

Monopoly Here and Now is a wonderful addition to the Monopoly series of IGT slots. The reviewed video slot has 5 reels and 20 paylines. Features include two personal Free Parking jackpots, an outstanding Big Board feature, three sub-symbols superimposed on main symbols and a wild substitution picture. The maximum regular win reaches $25,000, while bonus features provide richer harvest if you play for real money.