Hotline Slot Review: RTP, Bonuses & Features
The Hotline slot by NetEnt is a 5x3 game grid with a retro city vibe that evokes a nostalgic Miami Vice feel. In our Hotline review, we discuss the important aspects of this slot so you can determine whether it’s the right game for you.
Key Takeaways
- Buy a Bet allows you to increase winning chances
- Wins are infrequent and low value
- The 80’s retro Miami vibe is one of its best features
Hotline Gameplay: What to Expect?
With our first 100 spins, we found that the re-spins feature was triggered the most. We didn’t get into the free spins bonus round. While using the Autoplay function, we weren’t able to interchange the Hotline feature. The only movement and excitement we noticed was when there was a Re-Spin and a hot red convertible would screech its tires as it sped off.
The game's special "Hotline" feature gives you the ability to choose were wilds will be more frequent. We played with all three rows turned into Hotlines, and the results were clear: wild symbols appeared very often, and they led to big wins.
We played an additional 100 spins with no paylines activated as hotlines and we barely got lucky with wild symbols.
Besides, not playing this game with hotlines is almost a waste of its full potential. You'll want to exploit the "Expanding" reels feature that activates when a wild symbol lands on one. Be sure to play with all three Hotlines!
What Makes the Game Unique?
The Hotline slot game has a wild respin feature that expands and covers an entire reel whenever it retriggers. It makes gameplay feel quite unique, and it gives you something to look forward to every round.
Bonus Features, Bonus Gameplay & Special Features
There are three key bonus features you’ll need to look out for to maximize any potential wins with this slot:
- Hotline: Select a payline to become a hotline for an additional cost. This will give you a better chance of landing a Wild/Expanding wild. The more hotlines you activate, the greater your chances are.
- Wilds: Wilds and Expanding Wilds can land on the reels, substituting all symbols except Scatter symbols. If a Wild lands on an activated Hotline, it expands and covers the reels. You also get a Re-Spin after all wins have been logged.
- Free Spins: Land three scatters on reels 1,3, and 5 to activate 7 Free Spins. If a Wild lands on an activated Hotline during the free spins, the Wild expands across the reel. The Wild becomes sticky, meaning it will stay there until your free spins have all been played.
RTP, Hitting Frequency & Volatility
Hotline comes with a standard return rate and medium volatility. The hotline feature will balance the bigger potential payouts with the fact that standard payouts consider your base bet and not the money used to trigger each Hotline.
What this meant for us while playing was a few small wins with the more interesting features being few and far between.
- RTP: 96.13%
- Hit Frequency: Undisclosed (around 23%, according to our tests)
- Volatility: Medium
Free Demo - Play Hotline Slot For Free
You can try out the Hotline slot for free in demo mode. This will give you the chance to see how the game feels, sounds, and plays.
Available Bonuses To Play Hotline For Real Money
You can leverage gameplay on Hotline with casino bonuses out there. Casinos will offer you the chance to enjoy free spins with the potential to win real money. Make sure to check out the bonus terms and conditions before claiming any offers.
| 1 |  40 Exclusive Free Spins BITGATE | Claim bonus |
| 2 | | Claim bonus |
| 3 |  20 Free Spins No Deposit 7BITCASINO20 | Claim bonus |
Hotline Slot Alternatives
The Hotline slot game offers a glimpse into the old-school Miami culture. It has a medium volatility, which means it involves less risk while playing. If you enjoy playing Hotline for these reasons, then you may also like to try out these other popular slot games:
Narcos
Narcos is another NetEnt creation based on Columbian drug lords like Pablo Escobar. There are 243 ways to win with a max payout of 1,044x your stake. The Narcos slot is a 5x3 game grid with plenty of references to the cops vs cartel with a flurry of features like Wilds, Scatters, and Locked in Features.
Chaos Crew
The Chaos Crew slot by Hacksaw Gaming is a cultural, timely slot as well although slightly chaotic. With the chaos comes some generous features that payout well like multipliers, free spins, and wild multipliers. This is a high volatility slot with a 23.40% hit rate. The big feature of Chaos Crew is the bonus round with guaranteed Re-Spins and multipliers, which is where you can potentially win 10,000x your stake.
Steam Tower
If you’re a fan of NetEnt, the Steam Tower slot is a great title. The game grid is 5x3 and based on a steam boat. There’s a higher-than-average RTP at 97.05% with winning potential of up to 2,000x your stake. You’ll see good payouts in the base game and it gets even better when you land into a bonus round like free spins.
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9 / 10
Rating
Hotline Slot Verdict
The Hotline slot has a good theme going for it with some moving parts when features kick into high gear. NetEnt did a great job of bringing Miami Vice to this slot but with medium volatility, there’s not a lot of big wins. The defining feature of the game are the hotlines, which could be activated for better winning chances. This is what sets Hotline apart from other casino slots out there. If you enjoy the nostalgia of the 80’s, this is a slot to check out.
Frequently asked questions
The maximum win on a spin is 400x your stake. This would occur if every reel was full of expanded wilds. Expanded wilds are sticky in a bonus so they could theoretically pay out a maximum of 2,800x your stake.
There are 30 paylines in the game and played on a 5x3 game grid.
Hotline was released in 2018 by NetEnt. NetEnt also released a Hotline 2, which was released in 2020. It’s a more amped up version with 1,944 paylines and Betways for bigger wins.
- Hotline Slot — Online Slot Review & Free Demo
- Hotline Slot Review: RTP, Bonuses & Features
- Hotline Gameplay: What to Expect?
- What Makes the Game Unique?
- Bonus Features, Bonus Gameplay & Special Features
- RTP, Hitting Frequency & Volatility
- Free Demo - Play Hotline Slot For Free
- Available Bonuses To Play Hotline For Real Money
- Hotline Slot Alternatives
- Hotline Slot Verdict
