Company Info
playSTUDIOS LLC; launched POP! Slots in 2016
Restricted States
Available everywhere in the US
Welcome Bonus
5,000,000 Chips on registration
Currencies
Chips
Payment Methods
Amazon Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Mastercard, PayPal, Visa
Gaming Software
Proprietary
Gaming Categories
Slots, Jackpots
Support Contacts
Email (support@playSTUDIOS.com), FAQ, Live Chat, Web Ticket
General Ratings
POP! Slots Casino Review
POP! Slots has a decade of experience behind it now as one of the frontrunners of truly “for fun” social gaming on mobiles. POP! Slots isn’t to be confused with a sweepstakes casino.
It doesn’t support redemptions (save for cruises, hotel room discounts, dining opportunities, and tickets to Las Vegas shows), and while it does allow you to purchase additional Chips, there are plenty of ways to pop slots for free here.
POP! Slots is more of a journey than a casino, closely mirroring the progress you might make when playing an online video game. Find out what this means for you as I put POP! Slots to the test in this SweepsKings review.
Pros
- Played like an interactive video game
- Plenty of unlockables to keep you occupied
- Virtually no state restrictions
- You can play without ever really needing to purchase Chips
- Play 30+ in-house slots found nowhere else
Cons
- You cannot redeem real money prizes
- There’s so much going on that it’s confusing to understand what you’re supposed to do
- Games and casinos are locked at the start and require unlocking
POP! Slots offers you an entirely different experience from the average sweepstakes casino, with an emphasis on mobile social gameplay. Half the fun is in unlocking new games and casinos, but anyone looking for cash redemptions is likely to be disappointed with the real-world prizes offered instead. POP! Slots is a site aimed at those who simply want to have fun.
Legal States
Because it doesn’t subscribe to the sweepstakes casino model, POP! Slots is accessible in all US states, and many parts of the world. You must be aged 18+ to download the app (as it does support purchases), but as most of the real-world prizes are related to Las Vegas’ casinos, you must be 21+ to claim them. POP! Slots will run a KYC check to ensure that you are.
How POP! Slots Social Casino Works
POP! Slots is played like an online game. After creating a character, you can walk the halls of the MGM Grand Casino and sit down to play slot games alongside other players.
As you play, you’ll unlock additional games and eventually, other casinos on the digital Las Vegas Strip. Unlocking features is a big part of this game, and you can chart your journey at any time using the POP! Journey menu.
There are three currencies, of sorts, that you need to be aware of at POP! Slots.
Firstly, Chips are used as the gaming currency, and these can be won in games, acquired via promos, or purchased directly from the POP! Shop.
You also have myVIP Tier Points, and these are acquired by playing, through daily bonuses, and they are offered with every purchase.
Lastly, you have Loyalty Points, and these are acquired by playing games alone. It is these gold-looking points that you’ll use to redeem real world experiences.
POP! Slots Bonuses
Immediately after registering at POP! Slots, I received 5,000,000 Chips as a welcome bonus. Unlike sweepstakes casinos, there is no first purchase offer. While spins on slots can cost around 50,000 Chips a pop, you can get quite far with that initial offer. Don’t hesitate to burn through that bonus, as doing so will see you acquire XP and unlock additional casinos and games.
During gameplay, you’ll come across other perks, including balloons (Pop a Prize). These can be popped and shared with other players to unlock XP, additional Chips, and more. As your XP builds up from gameplay, you’ll unlock other promotions. For instance, as soon as your XP tier hits Level 13, you’ll unlock the Daily Bonus, which has the potential to offer you millions of Chips every 24 hours.
Bonuses Review
| No Deposit Bonus | 5,000,000 Chips |
| Promo Code | Not needed |
| First Purchase Bonus | N/A |
| Daily Free Credits | Prize Wheel (lvl 13) |
| VIP Program | myVIP Benefits |
| Mail-in Bonus | N/A |
| Referral Bonus | Yes |
I found the surplus of promos a little confusing when I first started, but you’ll soon find yourself getting into the swing of things. Here’s a quick look at the primary bonus options:
- Daily Bonus: Once unlocked at Level 13, you can spin a daily fortune wheel to unlock up to 10,500,000 Chips. This is a sequential bonus, so the more consecutive days you pop back, the better the bonuses get.
- Piggy Bank: Percentages of your bets accumulate in a piggy bank. Each bank has a timer, and during those windows, you can “break your bank” for a fixed price to unlock myVIP Tier Points and Chips. This is a purchasable bonus, not a free one.
- PrizeLoop: Once unlocked, PrizeLoop sets you challenges. If you win a specified amount within a number of spins, you’ll unlock sequential prizes, including bonus Chips, multipliers, and myVIP Tier Points.
- Pop a Prize: This mini-bonus allows you to choose from several wrapped gifts. Once popped, you’ll win a prize. I received an auto-pop feature for 90 minutes. More on that in a moment.
- WhatsApp and Social Media Offers: Linking your account to WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms can help you benefit from regular free chip bonuses.
While playing, I found that regularly checking my inbox resulted in exciting promotions. For instance, I received 10 free spins out of the blue on the Luck of the Devil slot, and by the time they were over, I’d won 1,875,100 Chips.
The myVIP Benefits scheme spans four tiers. You will maintain your VIP status for anything from 7 to 30 days, and benefits include daily bonus multipliers and chip package bonuses. You can increase your status by acquiring myVIP Tier Points, as detailed earlier.
Promotions & Bonus Assessment
POP! Slots Casino-Style Games
As its name suggests, POP! Slots is purely committed to slot games. These are all produced in-house by playSTUDIOS, and themed on the Wizard of Oz, fruit, classic one-armed bandits, wizardry, and other popular themes.
Unfortunately, when you first start out, you’ll only have the MGM Grand open to you. Inside there, you’ve only got the MGM Grand Mega Stars slot open. However, as soon as you start playing, you’ll unlock additional games in the MGM, and other casinos open up.
Within 30 minutes, I’d unlocked 7 Emeralds, Frontier Fortune, and Fire vs Lightning. To play games, you simply need to walk your character through the casino and select an empty seat to play.
Games and Software Review
| Our Top Picks | MGM Grand Mega Star Wicked Fortunes Luck of the Devil Frontier Fortune 7 Emeralds |
| Number of Slots | 30+ |
| Jackpot Games | Yes |
| Table Games | No |
| Other Gaming Options | No |
| Gaming Vendors | In-house |
I counted around 30 slots at POP! Slots. Of course, as they are unlocked as you play, and in the future, there could be more. As you can only play new games by unlocking them, the onus is on you to do so frequently at first, and that’s a little bit predatory if it makes you think about purchasing Chips.
I played for well over four hours and unlocked over a dozen games. Some of those I enjoyed, that are available in the earlier stages of gameplay, include:
- MGM Grand Mega Stars: The default game when you start off, this slot offers classic gameplay, stacked wilds, balloon pop options, and shared community progressives.
- 7 Emeralds: This 20-line game takes its inspiration from classic fruit machines mixed with Irish luck and comes with stacked wilds. Instant multipliers are awarded when 7s appear, and the free spin round offers multipliers, to boot.
- Luck of the Devil: The joy of this devil-inspired game lies in its cash collection mechanic, and its jackpot bonuses. Massive wild multipliers, locked reel re-spins, and Minor, Major, and Grand Jackpot prizes make this game one of the best on the app.
A typical spin costs around 50,000 Chips to 250,000 Chips when you start off. The RTP rates must be fairly high, as you win often. Gameplay comes with a few added perks.
- Balloons can spring up randomly. If either you or other players pop them, they’ll unlock XP, Chips, and other rewards for everyone.
- While it is distracting to have to keep popping balloons, there is an auto-pop mode that can be selected for a specific period of time, if you’ve unlocked it.
- If you trigger free spins, every player seated beside you will also get to play one of three free spin rounds.
- At Level 88, games can appear in the POP! Arena. This is where you’ll find tournaments to compete in.
Games Assessment
POP! Slots Banking
The POP! Shop gives you the opportunity to purchase Chips for gameplay purposes, and each package also comes with myVIP Tier Points thrown in.
Payment methods for purchasing depend entirely on whether you’re using Android, iOS, a Kindle, or Windows to play. There’s no real perk to using one payment method over another, as none can be used for redemptions.
Payment Options Review
| POP! Slots Banking | Purchases | Redemptions | Average Redemption Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank Cards | Yes | No | N/A |
| Apple Pay | Yes | No | N/A |
| Apple Balance/Gift Cards | Yes | No | N/A |
| Google Pay | Yes | No | N/A |
| PayPal | Yes | No | N/A |
| Google Pay Balance/Gift Cards | Yes | No | N/A |
| Amazon Pay | Yes | No | N/A |
There is value to the packages, with the more you spend, the better the deals you get. The $19.99 package is the most popular with players. If you have Google Pay points to spare, or the equivalent on the App Store, these, too, can be used to purchase Chip packages.
Redemptions are possible using Loyalty Points. Instead of cash prizes, you’ll redeem rewards found under the myVIP section. You can browse those rewards by the number of loyalty tokens you have, and prizes include stays at hotels in Las Vegas casinos, dinner packages, and tickets to entertainment events. Of course, how valuable these are will depend on where you reside. If you live on the Eastern seaboard, they may prove to be less enticing than if you were to live close to Vegas.
Before any redemptions are processed, you must complete the KYC process at POP! Slots, complete with ID checks. Your details here must match those you provide when redeeming prizes. Given the nature of the prizes, you must be aged 21 to redeem anything.
| Cost | Chips | myVIP Tier Points |
|---|---|---|
| $1.99 | 2,500,000 | 160 |
| $4.99 | 9,400,000 | 400 |
| $9.99 | 30,000,000 | 800 |
| $19.99 | 105,000,000 | 1,600 |
| $49.99 | 550,000,000 | 4,000 |
| $99.99 | 2,400,000,000 | 8,000 |
Payments Assessment
Is POP! Slots Casino Legit?
Because POP! Slots offers a for fun model, and doesn’t offer real cash redemptions; it isn’t a sweepstakes casino, meaning it is legal and legitimate across the US and beyond.
playSTUDIOS has several similar free-to-play mobile platforms, including myVEGAS, myKONAMI, and MGM Slots, and you can earn real-world prizes across all those apps.
POP! Slots is affiliated with some of the biggest brands in Las Vegas, including the Bellagio, Luxor, and MGM Grand. While I couldn’t personally verify that its slots are RNG-certified, and no third-party organization does, either, my own personal experience tells me that the games are fair and I calculated its RTP rates to be more than reasonable and in line with what you’d see elsewhere.
Company and Safety Review
| Company | playSTUDIOS LLC; 10300 W Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89135, USA |
| License | Not necessary for social casinos |
| RNG-tested Games | Unverified |
| Age Restrictions | 18 (to play), 21 (to redeem prizes) |
| KYC Checks | Yes, for redemptions |
| Website Encryption | Yes |
| Operating Since | 2016 |
On paper, POP! Slots doesn’t need responsible gaming tools, because it doesn’t offer traditional gambling or sweepstakes mechanics. However, because you can purchase Chips, I would advocate that it should have some form of protection in this department. Given the lack of them, I encourage you to set spending budgets in the Google Play Store or set time limits on POP! Slots on iOS devices.
Safety Assessment & Trust Score
POP! Slots Customer Support
POP! Slots doesn’t offer much in the way of support when you’re in the app. However, if you head over to playSTUDIOS’ website, you’ll find support methods. Options include email, a ticketing system, live chat, and an extensive FAQ guide.
Contacts Review
| Phone | No |
| support@playSTUDIOS.com | |
| Live Chat | Yes (support site only) |
| FAQ page | Yes |
| Other Contact Options | Web Ticket |
| Response Time | Under 10 minutes with live chat, but often 24 to 48 hours with other methods |
Support Assessment
POP! Slots Casino UX
Your experience at POP! Slots may depend on which device you choose to use. I tested the site using both my Android phone and Windows. While it ran smoothly on Windows (using Google Play), it did guzzle a bit too much RAM for a casino app.
On my phone, navigating with a finger was smoother, but even with my new phone, the battery went quickly, and pop-ups were frequently annoying.
Accessibility Review
| Apps | Android, iOS, Windows (via Google Play), Kindle/Fire |
| Mobile Casino | App-only |
| Mobile-Specific Features | Download-only |
| Filtering Options | Unlockable casinos |
| Number of Mobile Games | 30+ |
| Aspects That Are Missing on Mobile | Browser-based gameplay |
UX Assessment
POP! Slots Sister Sites
While POP! Slots has sister apps in the form of other playSTUDIOS platforms; they don’t offer sweepstakes gameplay, either. Instead, I’ve chosen to compare this social gaming app with real sweepstakes casinos so you can see how it fares.
Comparison
| POP! Slots Alternatives | Games | Welcome Bonus | Apps | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| POP! Slots | 30+ | 5,000,000 Chips | Android, iOS, Kindle/Fire, Windows | Purely for fun gameplay |
| KingPrize | 3,600+ | 30,000 GC + 2.5 SC | Web Shortcut, iOS | Players who love big libraries |
| McLuck | 1,000+ | 7,500 GC + 2.5 SC | iOS, Android | Mobile sweepstakes casino gaming |
| Crown Coins | 500+ | 100,000 GC + 2 SC | iOS | Bonus variety |
| Hello Millions | 1,500+ | 15,000 GC + 2.5 SC | Android | Flash sales |
How It Stacks Up
POP! Slots offers more original releases than many of its counterparts, and in terms of value from packages, it’s right on par with them. It’s considerably more mobile-exclusive, too, while the other sites can be played in your browser. Don’t expect to redeem prizes, which is, of course, a deal-breaker for some of you.
Our Experts Verdict
POP! Slots will appeal to three types of players: namely, those who can’t access sweepstakes casinos, those who can make use of its redeemable prizes, and those who simply want to play for fun.
If you’re in one of those categories, I feel that there are arguably fewer more trustworthy social casino apps. If you want a true sweepstakes casino experience, though, there’s no shortage of top-rated options available for you elsewhere on SweepsKings.
FAQs
Is POP! Slots legal in the US?
Are there any hidden fees on POP! Slots redemptions?
What gaming options are available at POP! Slots?
Does POP! Slots offer real cash prizes?
Does POP! Slots actually pay out?
Does POP! Slots have a referral program?
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Author: Jon Ridehalgh
Updated:
