Barcrest slots on mobile

Barcrest slots on mobile: from pub machines to phone screens

Barcrest is one of the few slot makers with genuinely British roots. For decades it built the fruit machines found in pubs and arcades, and its best-known online game, Rainbow Riches, still carries that feel: a leprechaun, a wishing well and bonus features that pay a cash prize rather than a long free spins round.

Today its games run as HTML5 slots inside UK casino apps on iPhone and Android. There is no Barcrest app to download; you open the games from a casino's lobby.

Barcrest belongs to Light & Wonder, the group once called Scientific Games, so you may see either name in game credits. Our page on Light & Wonder slots covers its sister studios, and the slot providers hub lists every studio we cover.

Barcrest's history: from two staff in 1968 to Light & Wonder

Barcrest has its roots in the Manchester area. It had two staff in 1968 and released its first game, Invader, in 1970. By 1987 it shared second place in the UK machine market with Bell-Fruit, behind JPM, and it was named as a leading quiz machine maker of the 1980s and 1990s. The Museum of the Game's Barcrest entry (opens in a new tab) lists machines such as Body Match and The Crystal Maze.

The IGT years are covered in the history of International Game Technology (opens in a new tab). A founding date, place and founders for Barcrest are not confirmed in published records, so we have left them out.

Barcrest slots on mobile: the Rainbow Riches family and more

These are the Barcrest games with verified specifications. Where a figure depends on your stake or is simply not published, the table says so.

We review Rainbow Riches Megaways, Rainbow Riches Pick 'n' Mix and Reels of Gold in full. Medium volatility is the most common rating in the table, so most of these games aim for steadier sessions than a high-volatility slot.

Stake-linked RTP: the Barcrest detail to check

Many Barcrest online games don't have a single RTP. The return can change with the stake you choose, which is why Pick 'n' Mix is listed at about 94% to 96% and Reels of Gold at up to 96%. Which stake gets which figure is set out in each game's rules, not in a general list.

Two points of difference might not sound like much, but it changes the average cost noticeably. The table shows the effect on £100 staked.

So at the lower end, the same £100 of play costs half as much again on average as at the top. Never raise your stake just to reach a higher RTP: a bigger stake turns over more money per spin, which usually costs more in pounds even if the percentage is better. Our page on RTP information rules explains what casinos must show you.

How Rainbow Riches works: three bonus features

The original Rainbow Riches is a 5x3 slot with up to 20 paylines and three bonus features, all paying cash prizes rather than free spins.

• Road to Riches: three leprechaun bonus symbols start a wheel spin that moves you up a multiplier trail until 'Collect' appears.
• Wishing Well: three or more Wishing Well scatters start a pick for a cash multiplier.
• Pots of Gold: three Pots of Gold symbols on reels 2, 3 and 4 start a feature where a pointer stops on one of several pots to award a prize.

The maximum win is 500×, which is £50 on a 10p spin and £500 on £1. That modest ceiling is typical of a medium-volatility game, where features land more often but pay less than in high-volatility slots.

Rainbow Riches Megaways, Pick 'n' Mix and Reels of Gold

Rainbow Riches Megaways (2019) moves the series onto six reels showing two to seven symbols each, plus a top row, for 324 to 117,649 ways. Wins cascade, and a Super Gem in the top row turns all gemstones into one matching type. Four or more Pot of Gold scatters give 12 free spins, plus five for each extra scatter, with a win multiplier that rises by one with each cascade and does not reset.

Pick 'n' Mix (2016) lets you choose three of five bonus features before playing: Pots of Gold, Free Spins, Road to Riches, Magic Toadstool and Cash Crop. Your picks are more likely to land, though any feature can still trigger. In its free spins, three to five scatters give 10 to 30 spins, and the triggering symbols become stacked wilds.

Reels of Gold (2016) sets a main 5x4 grid next to a set of colossal reels. A fairy can appear at random to add reel multipliers or extra wilds, and picking balloons decides how many free spins you get.

Our guide to Megaways slots on mobile explains how changing reel heights work, and how they look on a phone screen.

Other Barcrest games: Monopoly Big Event and Action Bank

Barcrest's range goes beyond leprechauns. Monopoly Big Event (2015) is a 5x3, 20-payline game with a 96% RTP and medium volatility. Its Big Event board bonus starts when scatters land on reels 1, 3 and 5, and Dancing Wilds add to the base game.

Action Bank is another 5x3, 20-payline slot, with a 95.16% RTP and medium volatility. Golden Vault symbols trigger its Big Bank pick bonus. Neither game has a published max win.

Pub fruit machines vs Barcrest slots in apps

A Barcrest machine in a pub and a Barcrest slot in an app are regulated in different ways. Land-based machines fall into categories with their own stake and prize limits, set out in the Commission's guide to gaming machine categories (opens in a new tab). Online slots follow separate remote rules.

Online versions are separate games, not copies of a machine's internal maths. Even where a theme matches, check the app game's own help screen for its RTP.

Playing Barcrest slots on your phone

Most Barcrest games use a simple 5x3 grid, which reads well on any phone. The Megaways version and Reels of Gold, with its extra colossal reels, are busier and benefit from a larger screen.

1. Open your casino app and sign in; your age and identity must be verified before you can play.
2. Search the lobby for the game, such as Rainbow Riches, since lobbies rarely group games by Barcrest.
3. Choose your stake first, then open the help screen and read the RTP shown for that stake.
4. Set a deposit limit in your account settings if you haven't already.
5. Play at a stake that lets your budget last, and stop when you reach the limit you set.

The Coral app review notes that Coral's App Store listing mentions Megaways and classic fruit machine games, though no partner publishes which Barcrest titles it carries. Our slots on mobile guide covers loading, data and screen orientation in general.

UK rules for Barcrest slots in casino apps

The Commission's online slots stake limit guidance (opens in a new tab) caps stakes at £5 per spin for players aged 25 and over, from 9 April 2025, and £2 for those aged 18 to 24, from 21 May 2025. At the £2 cap, Rainbow Riches' 500× maximum is £1,000.

Since 31 October 2021, online slots must take at least 2.5 seconds per spin, with no autoplay, turbo or slam-stop, and must not celebrate a return equal to or below the stake. Since a Gambling Commission warning in January 2020, feature buy-ins are not offered to British players. Our answer on why slots spin slower on UK apps explains the reasoning.

Slot welcome offers in UK casino apps

We have no Barcrest-specific offer. The partner apps below each have a slot welcome offer for new customers aged 18 or over, and terms apply. The spins go on selected games set out in the terms, which may not include Rainbow Riches or any other Barcrest title.

• PlayOJO: 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza, worth 10p each, when you make a first deposit of at least £10. There's no wagering, so winnings are paid in cash. Open to new UK customers except those in Northern Ireland; it can't be combined with other offers and is only available through the designated offer link.
• Coral Casino: deposit (certain types excluded) and bet £10 on slots for 100 free spins at 10p each on selected games. Accept them within 48 hours and use them within 7 days; there's no wagering on winnings. Payments by Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards are not eligible. Available from 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027.
• Ladbrokes Casino: deposit and spend £10 on slots for 50 free spins a day over your first 10 days (500 at most), each 10p on selected games. Claim before 23:59 each day; spins last 7 days with no wagering. It excludes deposits by prepaid card, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill and Moneybookers.

That is £8 of spins at PlayOJO, £10 at Coral and up to £50 at Ladbrokes, at face value. Coral and Ladbrokes are both run by LC International Limited, so one person may not be able to open new accounts at both. Our best free spins apps list compares the offers side by side.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.