Slots shaking things up
Scruffy Duck by NetEnt came from nowhere this May to soar to number one spot in Pennsylvania, according to bet365’s latest online slots charts.
US and Canada markets, in general, saw big movers in their leaderboards for May, where classic jewel and fishing-themed slots stormed up the charts in Michigan, New Jersey, and Ontario.
In the UK, meanwhile Inspired Gaming’s Gold Cash Freespins retained its position at the top of the leaderboard but is feeling the heat from Playtech’s Age of the Gods: God of Storms, which climbed 27 places to fourth in April, and then to third in May.
identify player preferences and talk to its ongoing slots strategy
bet365 features a portfolio of over 7,500 slots across 20 markets, and every month publishes its Games Rankings and Gaming Update as a means to identify player preferences and talk to its ongoing slots strategy.
For players and the likes of NetEnt, these leaderboards charts provide instant insight into top trending slots, with the US and Canada markets the talk of May.
US and Canada
Scruffy Duck’s meteoric rise to top spot in Pennsylvania goes to show how players’ tastes can change dramatically, and all at once. The slot was created back in 2017 and is set in a modest duck pond, with our VSO reviewer at the time stating that the NetEnt title has “absolutely no chance of raising the adrenaline levels of its punters.”
Scruffy Duck’s free spins bonus round and “pleasant and relaxing” pace seems to have nevertheless hit a chord with Pennsylvanians, as has IGT’s 2016 slot Lucky Larry’s Lobstermania 2 and NextGen’s even older title, Mad Mad Monkey, which both debuted in Pennsylvania’s May charts at sixth and ninth, respectively.
Atomic Slot Labs’ 2025 title Thunder Blitz added a more modern balance, debuting at fifth in Pennsylvania.
There was also dramatic movement in New Jersey’s bet365 charts for May, with American Gaming System’s (AGS) 2024 release Liberty Diamond, a 3×3 classic jewel-themed slot with 94.00% RTP and a 5,000x max win, climbing 25 places to take the second spot.
Reelplay’s Hypernova Megaways moved up one spot to fifth in New Jersey, while in Michigan it moved from April’s second place to first on the leaderboard for May.
Given Canada’s vast and magnificent natural surroundings, it’s perhaps no surprise Canucks favored fishing slots in May, with Pragmatic Play’s Big Bass Halloween 3 going straight to number one in Ontario.
Pragmatic Play had a great month across Canada as a whole, its Big Bass Vegas Double Down Deluxe leaping 23 positions into fifth place, one spot behind its Bigger Bass Splash, which rose four places in May.
Over in Europe, Play’n Go’s Legacy of Dead reasserted itself as Germany’s favorite slot in May, after suffering a knock off its perch in April by Gamomat’s Royal Seven XXL, which dropped from first to seventh in May.
One to watch
One slot that caught bet365’s eye as one to watch was Volcanic Fortune, the only new entry in the UK’s top ten slots of May. The game created by Snowborn Games was only released last month; the Hawaii/Pacific Tiki culture-themed slot coming with a max win of 6,250x, medium volatility, plus an RTP that goes up to 96%.
Volcanic Fortune’s relative low risk to good prize-winning ratio and feature-packed gameplay has also gained popularity in Spain, where it was the only new entry in the bet365 leaderboard for May, going straight to number four on the Spanish charts.
In its May report, bet365 stated that it will follow the Snowborn slot in June “to see if big wins continue to erupt for our players.”
