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Golden Derby from NetEnt: Slot Review - use your horse-racing betting ability with this cool slot

With Golden Derby, NetEnt has designed an online game, which is quite different to its usual video, 3-D or classic slots. This horse-racing online game adds some fun by allowing players to assess a horse's abilities and place a bet accordingly.

The first surprise that hit me when I played Golden Derby was the fact that the online game was produced by NetEnt. Of course, the race theme fits right into the sphere of online casinos, yet, Golden Derby is very different to the very sleek and stylish productions NetEnt usually boasts. While this may sound negative, it isn’t meant in that way at all.

Golden Derby Screenshot

Special Features

Aside from the wonderful graphics, which help to emulate the racing feel as best as possible, the system further helps to create a realistic racing experience. Eight horses are available in each and every race. Each jockey wears a jersey in a different colour, which really helps to identify the horse you backed.

The player has a choice of five different bets. He may bid on a single horse to win, he may bid on a horse finishing first or second, he may bid on a horse to be in the top three. Then there are further bets available, which require a player to pick two horses. One bet pays when the two horses a player picked come in first and second, in the correct order. Another bet entails that both horses come either first or second, the order being irrelevant.

You may think that it’s purely by chance that a horse wins, like in a slot game. This, however, would be far too simple for such a sophisticated and fun game. Information on each and every horse is available, a horse’s odds are calculated based on his performance in past races, very much alike Cheltenham, Royal Ascot or any other real-life horse racing event.

That isn’t all in Golden Derby though. The best feature in this very interesting game is the jackpot! The great thing about the jackpot is that every race offers a chance to win the big prize. A jackpot number is assigned as soon as the race starts and the jackpot is paid out in full if all horses finish in corresponding order to the number you received. If only six horses come in at the correct order, you are consoled with 10% of the Golden Derby jackpot.

Theme, Graphics and Sound

Golden Derby isn’t some futuristic, monster-clad slot game. The game that awaits is well-designed. The race track is mucky, the grass is green, the horses detailed and the supporting information is neatly outlined. The latter is a prerequisite, given that this jackpot game is a little different to most games by NetEnt.

Win lines, Payouts and Jackpots

Given that this NetEnt online game comes with unique features, I would recommend a thorough read through the instructions this game comes with. Then, just like in real horse racing, I would also recommend betting on amounts that the player feels he can afford to lose. Given that the wagers range from 0.50 to 100.00 credits, it is fair to say that Golden Derby offers something for each and every player.

It's always good to see some stats to decide if a game is worth playing or not. NetEnt supplies easily accessible information for most its games. This is also the case for Golden Derby, which according to the developers has a pretty decent 93.1% payout percentage.

Our Verdict on Golden Derby

Golden Derby is a great game. Coming from a slot background, players will be amazed how much fun it is to assess odds, pray in the right order for the jackpot, and experience the thrill of online horse racing. To some players, however, Golden Derby may be not fast enough. Unlike in conventional slot games, in Golden Derby, the games are slightly slower and might wreck the nerves of some players.