50 Lions Slots
The African safari themed 50 Lions slot machine was released by Australian casino gaming manufacturer Aristocrat Leisure in 2003.
The plains of Africa's famed Serengeti have long been the inspiration for creative expression, from Ernest Hemingway's nonfiction account Green Hills of Africa to Disney's animated hit The Lion King. The area's untamed spirit and natural wonders also formed the source material for Aristocrat's 50 Lions slot machine, and the game employs vivid imagery to transport players from the casino floor straight to the lion's den.
The background screen for the game consists of a striking sunset scene, with the skies colored purple and orange while a mother elephant leads her young across the Serengeti. A herd of giraffe completes the ambience, creating a distinctive mood for players that provide contrast from the glaring lights typically found in the slot machine pit.
In addition to the ubiquitous card rank symbols, spanning 9, 10, J, Q, K, and A, the 50 Lions slot also includes several African themed symbols. You'll find the requisite male lion of course, complete with a golden mane and fierce expression. Other animal symbols found in 50 lions include the giraffe and the zebra. The game's theme is completed through the inclusion of other unique symbols, such as a pair of natives wearing tribal garb, a lone Acacia tree silhouetted against the setting sun, a blossoming red flower, and a large glittering diamond.
50 Lions takes its name from the fact that this game offers 50 pay lines, the first Aristocrat slot machine to include this now standard amount. As one of the first 50 pay line slots ever produced, 50 Lions introduced players to the modern concept of slot gaming, one in which thousands of winning combinations are made possible. This innovation made 50 Lions an immediate sensation within land based casinos worldwide upon its release, inspiring rival gaming manufacturers to up the ante themselves in an effort to keep pace with Aristocrat.
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About Aristocrat
In 2000 Aristocrat was able to start offering their slot machines to casinos in Las Vegas and are now available in over 240 jurisdictions around the world. The company was founded in 1953 and started trading on the Australian stock exchange in 1997.
Some of the innovations the company is responsible for over the years include:
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Gameplay Features and Mechanics
As the title suggests, 50 Lions is a five reel, 50 pay line video slot machine which offers players low to mid-range variance.
In order to make the move to 50 pay lines, an innovation first introduced by Aristocrat through the 50 Lions slot, this game increases the number of symbols on each reel from three to four. This means 20 symbols will be in play at all times, so the number of possible winning combinations jumps to more than 2,000 total.
Falling within the penny slot classification, 50 Lions begins with a cost per credit of only $0.01, but players with big enough bankrolls can increase the amount up to $4.00 per pay line. Furthermore, as a 50 pay line game, the full functionality of 50 Lions is best enjoyed by activating all of the available pay lines during a particular spin.
For penny players, this puts the typical price per spin at $0.50, but this amount obviously escalates depending on the amount of credits you prefer to wager at a time. The maximum amount you can wager on a single 50 Lions spin tops out at $200.00.
Like most games designed by Aristocrat, 50 Lions includes wild symbols, free spins, bonus games, and multipliers. However, it does lack the inclusion of a progressive jackpot feature, an omission that might rankle slot aficionados accustomed to playing for their portion of a progressive. A list of basic specifications for 50 Lions can be found below:
- Wilds: Yes
- Free Spins: Yes
- Multiplier: Yes, for 5x
- Bonus Game: Yes
- Progressive: No
- Return to Player: 94.71%
The base game for 50 Lions offers payouts considered to be on the lower end of the industry spectrum, with the jackpot payout topping out at 1,000 credits. You can earn this payout by landing five of the lion face symbols on an activated pay line. Four lion face symbols are good for a payout of 200 credits, while three lion faces pay out 40 credits, and a pair of the title symbols totaling 10 credits.
During the 50 Lions base game players can earn a variety of payouts depending on the arrangement of symbols on their activated pay lines. Five giraffes or a zebra, for example, pays out 500 credits, while four of either animal symbol offers a 150 credit reward. You'll receive 400 credits for landing five of the tribal member or sun silhouette symbols. When it comes to the card rank symbols, landing five As or Ks offers a 400 credit payout, while five Qs or Js pays out 200 credits, and five 10s or 9s pays out 200 credits.
Like other Aristocrat slots, the title symbol for 50 Lions stands as the primary wild symbol during the base game. When you see the lion face symbol appear anywhere on the screen, it will automatically substitute for any other symbol except for the scatter symbol to create winning combinations. The lion face symbol also turns into a stacked wild during the free spins bonus game.
The scatter symbol for 50 Lions is represented by a red flower blossom, and this symbol will only appear on the first, second, and third reels.
Landing the flower blossom scatter symbol anywhere on the screen, it creates winning combinations throughout all activated pay lines. Any win earned by virtue of a scatter symbol in 50 Lions is always multiplied by the number of credits you've chosen to wager per line.
Triggering the Bonus Round
The free spins bonus game on 50 Lions will be activated any time you see three flower blossom scatter symbols appear on screen. When this occurs, players are presented with a message congratulating them on earning 10 free spins.
During the free spin bonus round, players can earn additional free spins simply by landing the same three flower blossom scatter symbols on screen. This results in an additional five free spins being allotted, but after that you won't be able to earn more free spins until the current bonus round has concluded.
Another aspect of the bonus round to keep in mind is that 50 Lions doubles down on the wild concept by including a second wild symbol, in this case a polished diamond. This symbol appears on the second, third, fourth, and fifth reels as a stacked wild, taking up an entire reel of its own while connecting with multiple pay lines to create more winning combinations.
This means that by the end of a 10 spin bonus round, 40 wild diamonds will be in play on a single spin. If you can manage to earn five more free spins by landing three flower blossom scatters during the bonus round, the sheer volume of wild diamond symbols in play at that point can result in significant winnings.
One of the largest payouts you can hope for during a 50 Lions slot sessions occurs when you see three diamond symbol stacks appear on screen during the bonus round. When this happens, lucky players are rewarded with a payout of 400 credits for each pay line in play. Should you have all 50 pay lines activated when you see three diamond symbol stacks, the reward is a generous 20,000 credit payout.
By combining the appeal of low stakes penny slot action with variable wagers, 50 pay lines, and sizable payouts during the bonus round, 50 Lions appeals to a wide audience. Powered by Aristocrat's reliably entertaining interface, 50 Lions has left players feeling satisfied for over a decade. Although the base game jackpot payouts fall on the lower end of the industry spectrum, 50 Lions makes up for this deficit by providing a bonus round that can quickly escalate into major wins.