Shrouded in Controversy
That’s because the range of games on offer inextricably links Octopus Gaming to Pragmatic Play, and thus the now disbanded TopGame. To understand how this came to be, we first must look at the chain of events that led to Octopus Gaming launching and that dates all the way back to 2009 when it was discovered that symbols were missing from jackpot slots at a rogue casino who were using TopGame software rendering it impossible for players to win the life-changing sums that had lured them into spinning the reels in the first place.
As you can imagine, TopGame failed to regain the trust of players after this came to light and it was announced that their assets had been purchased by Pragmatic Play, however, they opted to remove games that were developed prior to the acquisition from their library in 2017 just before the launch of Octopus Gaming and that’s where you can now find them.
It’s inconceivable that a company can expect to prosper without addressing such links and it’s no surprise that so many players have concerns about playing these games for real cash.
Principles and Beliefs
Just as an octopus has eight tentacles, Octopus Gaming has the same number of core values listed on their website, which are: exceptional gameplay, high-grade products, operational excellence, fair play, global thinking, responsible gaming, players first and continuous growth. Mix all those values together and you’d think it would be a prime recipe for success, but actions speak louder than words – no matter how impressive or persuasive they may be.
One core value that we’d like to hone in on is ‘fair play’ as online casinos that players can fully trust always provide information about random number generator (RNG) testing and details on which licenses they hold, whereas Octopus Gaming provide neither of these and that’s rather concerning.
Just because the company has headquarters in Antigua shouldn’t lead players to automatically assume that they hold an Antigua and Barbuda gambling license. While that was a license that practically anyone with the funds required could get hold of several years ago, the licensing authority has been much more selective about who it grants licenses to in recent times, so it wouldn’t be the worst news if that did prove to be the case. We’re just speculating though – not that we, or players who wish to play games developed by Octopus Gaming, should need to!
Are Their Video Slots Really World-Class?
Don’t get us wrong, they aren’t terrible by any means, but “world-class” is Octopus Gaming’s own assertion and not ours – or many of the players who have already played them. For real world-class games try the free WMS slots, or FBM slots across VegasSlotsOnline.
As most of the casino slot machines have been around for a few years now, several are starting to show signs of their age, but the most recent online slots they’ve released are all aesthetically pleasing, plus they all boast cross-platform compatibility to ensure there is no loss in quality whether you play them on your desktop, tablet or mobile.
Their video slots library totals 52 at the time of this writing and ancient civilizations are at the heart of their selection as Tales of Egypt, it’s sequel New Tales of Egypt, and Treasures of the Pharaohs are all online slots where you explore Ancient Egypt in search of golden wins, while Julius Caesar takes centre stage in the beautiful Glorious Rome slot machine and the mysterious world of the Inca Empire is celebrated in the Lost Inca’s Gold video slot.
Those of you who aren’t afraid of contracting a bout of scurvy and love to down rum while sailing the seven seas should give Redbeard & Co a try as it’s one of our personal favourites from the library of Octopus Gaming. Boasting a structure of 5 reels and 20 paylines, it sees you join forces with Captain Redbeard and his crew of colourful characters as you hunt for treasure chests that see you secure free spins, parrots squawking signal that Wild symbols have flown onto the reels, plus there is an exciting Pirate Roulette Bonus that promises explosive wins as you choose one of five pirates to chuck a bomb at!
Indulge in Table and Speciality Games Too
Variety is the spice of life and Octopus Gaming acknowledge this by offering a small selection of table and speciality games for those of you who fancy a break from the spinning the reels.
The table games tab includes Roulette Crystal, which is as classy as it sounds with a female dealer declaring when bets are no longer being accepted as well as the winning bets, Double Exposure, a unique Blackjack game that allows you to see the dealer’s cards before making any decisions, plus there is another blackjack variant titled Royale Blackjack that always sees the dealer stand on 17.
Only two games can be found under the speciality games tab with a Jacks or Better video poker machine seeing you chase a Royal Flush for wins worth up to 4,000 coins, while their Keno game sees you select a maximum of fifteen numbers from between one and eighty in the hopes of scooping up to 10,000 coins.
Spreading Their Tentacles
It’s understandable that so many players are cautious about Octopus Gaming considering they have failed to provide any clarification as to who the owners are, where the software has (if at all) been licensed, nor any information on the testing of their games (again, if there has even been any). The fact their games are available at a select few online casinos that accept players from the USA will be another cause for eyebrows to be raised as it simply appears like TopGame is picking up where it left off under a new name, but we’ll let you be the judge of that.
