Sports and gambling go hand in hand. For many people in the UK - and especially football fans - part of the Saturday process is popping down to the bookies to put some bets on before the game, and then heading off to watch a match either in a pub or at the stadium. While we're in the bookies, a lot of us like to have a game or two on the slot machines and try our luck before we leave.
Gambling companies are very much aware that sports fans are one of the most likely groups in society to enjoy the occasional gamble. That's why so many of them sponsor teams. In the 1990s, most Premier League sponsors were either beer companies or electronics firms. What that says about how our interests have changed over time, we're not sure. Maybe we're drinking less and buying fewer gadgets, but we still like to gamble. Or maybe the gambling companies just make a lot more money than the breweries these days!
If it's the latter, it's probably because they've moved with the times and honed in on us as a customer group. Once upon a time, the slot machine you played in the bookies or at the pub didn't have anything to do with the sport you follow. These days - and especially if you play online - they're a lot more likely to. Their reasoning is that if we like to gamble anyway, we might enjoy it more if the game is based around a theme we enjoy. They're right!
Playing to the gallery
Although there are several popular and lucrative tie-in slot games available for followers of all sports, football remains the most popular sport in the UK in terms of viewership and participation, and that's reflected in the games that are available to players. If we look at the titles that Clover Casino have on offer (which, by the way, is a lot of titles) football comes up several times as a theme with their sports based online slot games. Supreme Football offers players a World Cup themed tournament experience. There's some graphical touches thrown in, and they've made a real attempt to capture the atmosphere in the stands by replicating crowd noises. Our favourite bit is that the national anthem plays when you secure a victory. There's nothing better than winning money for Queen and Country!
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Football Star is more match focused with slick 3D graphics and animations that make the mechanics of a football match part and parcel of the gambling experience. Part of the genius of the games, from the manufacturers point of view, is that they give you an objective other than just finding winning lines. You also find yourself wanting to win the match, which gives you greater incentive to stick around longer and keep playing. There's a definite sense of fun to the game, which is what makes it more than just a basic fruit machine.
'Fun' is very much the focus of their Foxin' Wins Football Fever slot game, which takes the fundamentals of a game of football, and changes them slightly. By 'slightly', we mean the game is now being played by foxes. It's an odd, quirky experience which feels a little like you've been dropped into the middle of a football cartoon, and it's certainly unique playing experience.
Other sports may also apply
Like we said, though, there are games available at Clover Casino and websites like it that cater to fans of other sports. If you are a regular at the bookies, you might know a thing or two about horse racing. The sights and sounds of racing lend themselves very well as the basis of an online slot, and Past The Post stands as evidence of that. The key to the game is trying to find a rosette winning, first placed horse, while avoiding the timid or angry looking ones, and keeping an eye out for problematic spectator. That's more or less what a successful racehorse owner is trying to do on a daily basis!
Motorsports get a look in as well. The Harley Davidson Freedom Tour, game makes the most out of its official licence, putting you behind the handlebars of one of their iconic bikes and setting you lose on a track, with the revving sound of the engines giving you a real sense of motion as the game progresses. You'd expect a game that boasts a connection to such a famous brand to make itself worthy of the name; and this one does. For the best and luckiest players, there's a maximum win available of over 1,000 times your stake. Obviously, it won't be won by every player, but every rider who saddles up stands a chance!
If Wacky Races was more your thing when you were young, then Monster Wheels might be more up your street. It has the same motor racing foundation, but pairs it with cartoon monsters who are all trying to get to the finish line. The game is definitely designed to be a little tongue in cheek, and there are some genuinely funny images and bonus rounds that crop up as you play through it.
The official seal of approval?
Given the close relationship between football and betting - or, if we're honest, sports in general and betting it seems strange that there hasn't been an official slot game released by one of the most likely suspects. The Premier League exists to make money, and makes a fortune from EA Sports and everybody else who uses its teams and logos, so why have we never seen a Premier League online slot? Why is there no official online slot of Formula 1, or Wimbledon, or any of the major sports institutions?
There's a theory that the major organisations might be happy to take and make money from the world of gambling, but don't want to be too strongly associated with it. That doesn't really hold water when gambling companies sponsor so many teams, leagues and competitions. How much fun would it be to play a slot machine that actually had your favourite teams and players on it? Someone, somewhere, needs to make it happen!
