Over the years there have been countless themes used by the slot machine industry, going all the way from underwater mafia gangsters in games like The Codfather by NetEnt, to a new-age vampire love story in Immortal Romance from Microgaming. Funnily enough, this insistence on making slot machines fit with a particular aesthetic theme hasn’t been something that has been going on forever. In fact, the first slot machines, designed by Charles D. Fey in late 1800s California, were very basic contraptions, and if you had to assign them a theme it would just be classic gambling tropes. This began to change during the 1960s when slot machines underwent a huge popularity explosion before the era of online slots blew the market wide open in regard to online slots. When it comes to slot themes the main thing to consider is the fact that there are several developers vying for gamblers’ attention, and this is the main reason slot themes have gotten so popular.
Now, what do you think one of the most seen slot themes ever is? Well, it simply has got to be the Irish theme, as this is one that we can see all across the Internet and in casino slot halls around the world. And anyway, it is rather fitting isn’t it? There are various cultural tropes from the Emerald Isle that are seemingly perfect for the world of gambling, from the mythical pots of gold at the end of the rainbow, through to the leprechauns and their well-known lust for gold coinage. Ireland is also famous for its four-leafed clovers and sense of fortune, with the “luck of the Irish” sentiment also making the island perfect cannon fodder for developers when designing new slot games. Read ahead for some of the best Irish themed slot games to check out.
Lucky Irish
There are truly no prizes up for grabs for guessing what the theme of this slot game is, as it pretty much says it on the tin! Lucky Irish is a genuinely fantastic classic style Irish themed online slot from WGS, one that can really take more experienced gamblers back to their heyday with its retro aesthetic. It isn’t often you can sit down to play an online slot and actually see a physical slot machine in front of you, but Lucky Irish does this, with the game screen resembling a classic land-based slot machine, even coming complete with the lever used to spin those old reels. In keeping with the traditional feel of this slot, WGS has only included three reels and one pay line, meaning that the gameplay is genuinely close to the traditional Liberty Bell machines pioneered by Charles D. Fey more than a century ago.
The symbols on offer during Lucky Irish range from four-leafed clovers to golden bar signs, with pints of ale and pots of gold also being available – basically everything you would expect from an online slot that takes the Emerald Isle as a quintessential theme. There aren’t too many bonus features during Lucky Irish, however, we would definitely recommend betting with the maximum 3 coin bet whist playing this slot. The reason why? Well, doing so could result in you winning a remarkable 2,400 times your wager… Nice!
Irish Luck
It is very rare that we play a slot from Eyecon that we don’t enjoy, and Irish Luck is absolutely no exception to this rule. The Australian developer is known for making sure that their slots look at the part, and Irish Luck proves this, as it genuinely is a beautiful bit of online slot machine related entertainment. Instead of focussing on some of the more overused things such as leprechauns and pots of gold, Irish Luck takes the beautiful rolling countryside of the Emerald Isle as its main inspiration, resulting in a wonderful looking game. This comes behind the standard 5 reel format that Eyecon has gone for, also including a generous 25 pay-lines on which gamblers can hope to make some winning combinations.
Upon the reels, players can expect to find a range of symbols such as shiny gold coins, four-leaf clovers, pints of ale, castles, Irish lettering, a fairy and leprechaun, mushrooms, and a pebble pathway. It’s an extensive list of icons, and we really enjoy the fact that Eyecon hasn’t had to rely on the traditional card playing symbols here, as it really makes this slot more immersive. Irish Luck also contains not one but two scatters, with different prizes available for both! Find a ginger-haired leprechaun on three of the five reels and you will be sent through to the Prize Pick round, a kind of pick ‘em style bonus that can result in rewards like 10 free games. On the other hand, finding three of the pink-haired pixies will take you through to the Match and Win bonus, where there are even more juicy prizes up for grabs!
Rainbow Riches
No Irish themed slot game list is complete without mentioning the titanic series from Barcrest Rainbow Riches. These games pretty much started the whole Irish theme in the world of slots, and they are available both online and as physical state slot machines too. In fact, as most experienced gamblers will tell you, Rainbow Riches might just be the most famous series to ever come out of the industry, something that proves just how infectious the Irish theme really can be.
All Rainbow Riches games are characterized by some healthy bonus features, as well as a very clear and concise display that cannot help but draw you into the reel-spinning action. Most of them work on the standard 3×5 reel format, however, there are exceptions once you start playing some of the more complex Rainbow Riches games. Here is a list of some of our absolute favourites from over the years:
- Rainbow Riches Drops of Gold
- Rainbow Riches Fortune Favours
- Rainbow Riches Free Spins
- Rainbow Riches Home Sweet Home
- Rainbow Riches Leapin’ Leprechauns
- Rainbow Riches Leprechauns Gold
- Rainbow Riches Megaways
- Rainbow Riches Pick and Mix
