What Your Experts Say about Arabian Nights

This page will take you through an extensive review of the classic Arabian Nights jackpot slot, produced by Swedish gaming giant NetEnt. It is a five-reel, 10-line progressive jackpot slot.

This review will also discuss everything Arabian Nights has to offer to players, as well as explaining how the game works and different approaches you can take when playing the game.

Also on offer will be a breakdown of the various payouts available when playing Arabian Nights, and there will be a focus on some of the more technical details of the game in order to give you an insight of how Arabian Nights operates in order to give the player as much of a fair and fun experience as possible. 

How often do slots hit the jackpot? Well, in this review we will go into detail about what you can expect from Arabian Nights, especially in relation to what triggers a jackpot on a slot machine, in case you have ever wondered. Can you tell when a slot machine is about to hit the jackpot? The details that we provide about Arabian Nights, will provide clarity around this much talked about subject.

The review will conclude with a snapshot of some of the largest and most recent jackpot wins on Arabian Nights.

Arabian Nights Theme and Branding

As one of NetEnt’s longest-standing jackpot slots having been released in 2005, Arabian Nights has a typically retro look and feel to it. The theme of the game is relatively self-evident: it has an exotic Arabic theme with the title name of the game itself being displayed in font which imitates the Arabic alphabet. 

It could be said that the theme of the game takes inspiration from the all-time Disney classic Aladdin, with some of the symbols in the slot resembling images and characters which are seen in the movie. Examples include a red fez hat, a camel, a curved sword (or sabre) and a genie-like character. 

The graphics of Arabian Nights have stood the test of time, with the game being over 15 years old it is still a stalwart amongst the classic jackpot slots and it continues to offer large payouts to its players from time to time. 

Arabian Nights has a flowing golden border surrounding the slot reels with the size of the jackpot clearly defined at the top-right corner of the game. 

One of the defining features of a jackpot slot, which helps to set them apart individually, is often the symbols that are included and these are, more often than not associated with the theme of the jackpot slot itself. 

The game uses a set of basic, more common symbols in conjunction with more glamorous rare symbols. The basic symbols are: 9, 10, J, Q and K. These are all formed out of small squares, to give the symbols an appearance as though they are formed from rock. Each symbol is on a stone-grey background which is segmented - again, as though it is formed by numerous rocks. 

The rarer symbols have more of an elegant design to them, and they definitely stand out more. These are a camel, a fez hat, a tent, a pair of genie slippers, an Arabian sword, a gold lantern (this also acts as the scatter symbol) and the genie symbol which acts as the wild symbol. 

The camel symbol is a light brown camel on a navy blue background, giving the feeling that it is the middle of the night. The fez hat is a scarlet red colour with a golden brim, giving the impression that it belongs to royalty. 

The tent has red and white vertical stripes which are quite eye-catching, the genie slippers are lime green in colour with curled toes set on a burgundy background, and the Arabian sword has a golden and brown handle with light shining off the blade of the sword. 

The two most elusive symbols which players want to watch out for are the scatter and wild symbols. The scatter symbol is a genie lamp (or lantern) which is golden with artwork on the snout, and orange, blue, red and green gems spread across the middle of the lamp. 

The genie is a man with a moustache and a typical small genie’s beard, he is wearing plenty of jewelry (two necklaces and a pair of earrings) as well as a light green hat. He is also holding up a ruby-like gem which implies that he holds all the goods in the game - which is fitting given that this is the wild symbol which doubles your win. 

Undoubtedly, the symbols that you should be looking out for, are the genie and the lamp as these can result in substantial payouts while also unlocking bonus rounds, which are important for substantially increasing your bankroll. This also helps you to stay in the game, without having to make more deposits.

The Arabic theme is hammered home by NetEnt in the design of this game when you look at the background in  Arabian Nights. Either side of the slot reels is a tall, sleek white tower with a swirled blue and white top. Behind this is the night sky - fitting with the name ‘Arabian Nights’, and a crested moon with a bright star directly underneath it resembling the moon and star on the Pakistanian flag. 

A guide on how to play Arabian Nights

Below we have explored everything about the Arabian Nights jackpot slot itself, when it comes to how the story of the slot unfolds as well as potential gameplay eventualities.

Getting started

In order to play Arabian Nights for real money, players will need to first choose an online casino to play with, and then have a funded account. 

This can be done by making a deposit with the online casino you are using. It is always worth checking for any potential deposit bonuses that may be available which you could use on this game - shopping around for a good promotion could really help boost your bankroll. 

Once you have got a funded account, simply use the search tool to find Arabian Nights and load the game. Once the game is loaded it is fairly easy to digest - the playing area is clearly defined where the reels are, the jackpot is outlined in an abundantly clear fashion and it is very easy to choose your stake and start spinning.

A lot of the major modern operators in the online casino industry will allow players to try the game for free before staking real money. If this game is new to you and you wish to get a feel for how it works before staking real money then this is a great option for you. 

It is also worth noting that every licensed online casino has an array of different banking options available to you. While a debit card is usually the most common, you are likely to find internet payment gateways such as PayPal, while you can even choose to deposit using a prepaid paysafecard, which means you do not have to enter your bank details into the casino site. Furthermore, some of the newer casino sites also offer cryptocurrency, which can work to your advantage if you understand how these work and if you get the timing right. 

In addition, some online casinos also offer you the chance to make a deposit using the paybyphone method (using your mobile device), which can save you a lot of time, should you need to do this while playing. Quite simply, the amount that you select to deposit is added onto your mobile phone bill.

The game also offers an information slide which details the structure of the game, what results in a win and the various payouts on offer and so on. 

Aim of the game

The aim of the game when playing Arabian Nights is to win as much money as possible by spinning the reels and landing matching symbols on one or more of the 10 win lines, therefore returning a portion of money to your bankroll - ideally more than your stake. 

There are a total of 15 symbol spaces displayed across the reels at any one time, and players win when they match either two or three (or more) symbols one any one of the 10 line combinations. With the rarer symbols you win some money back if you match two or more symbols, but when it comes to the more common symbols you require a match of three symbols or more in order to win money. 

At the end of the day the aim of the game when playing Arabian Nights is for the player to strike gold and win a monumental amount of money, which would happen by hitting the progressive jackpot. More information on how this can be achieved can be found in the ‘bonus round’ section.

Possible stakes

There are two ways in which you can adjust your stake per spin in Arabian Nights, and these are by changing the ‘bet level’ or the ‘coin value’. 

The ‘coin value’ effectively means the amount of money you are putting on each of the 10 win lines. The minimum coin value is 0.01 and the maximum is 2.00.

Secondly there is the option for players to alter the ‘level’ of their bet, the lowest being level 1 and the highest being level 10. This multiplies the amount of coins won on any win line (as displayed in the paytable) by the bet level. 

This means that the minimum stake per spin is £0.10 (bet level 1, coin value 0.01) and the maximum stake per spin is £200 (bet level 10, coin value 2.00) 

As you can see from the table, there is a magnificent level of choice for players when it comes to how much you stake per spin. If you like to chop and change regularly, then Arabian Nights is a game for you, with a total of 80 different stake levels. 

Some players may like to play conservatively with low stakes hoping for a big win relative to what they are staking, and some players might try the opposite tactic of fairly large stakes hoping that winning spins from larger stakes could result in bigger profits. 

Another possible tactic is to chop and change your stake depending on how you feel the game is playing. This is a tactic of ‘hot and cold’ - hot corresponds to when the game is paying out large sums and/or paying out regularly. Cold refers to periods when the game is paying out smaller returns and/or less often. 

Some players will increase their stake when they feel the game is getting hot, and will reduce their stake when it is cold. This is with the hope to capitalise on winning spins by increasing your stake (and therefore the returns), while minimising your exposure by reducing your losses with a reduced stake when the game is not paying out. 

While it is a fantastic tactic in theory, this ‘hot and cold’ approach requires good judgement, and obviously there is no telling what the next spin on a jackpot slot may bring, so it is far from a perfect science. 

How the bonus round works

Unfortunately there is no bonus round feature in Arabian Nights. This is largely due to the fact that it was one of the original jackpot slot games and was released before the concept of bonus rounds had become commonplace in the jackpot slot industry. 

On the positive side this makes for a far simpler game and more importantly a game in which you can win big without needing to hit the bonus round. The feature round in Arabian Nights is free spins, and there will be more information on how this part of the game works later in this section of the article.  

Arabian Nights wilds

The wild feature in Arabian Nights takes the form of a genie and it has the potential to be a very lucrative aspect of the game for players because all wins featuring a wild symbol are doubled. 

The symbol has a fairly classic look to it, and unlike more modern wild symbols it does not have the word ‘WILD’ across the front of the symbol, so players should keep a keen eye out for this symbol appearing on the reels at any time. 

The wild symbol substitutes for all other symbols except for the scatter symbol, so even if the symbols on the reels appear to be mismatching to the naked eye, if there are a couple of wild symbols sandwiched between other symbols then there could be the potential for a lucky win. 

Arabian Nights free spins

Players can win free spins in Arabian Nights by matching three scatter symbols, which are in the form of a golden genie’s lamp. Importantly, free spins can be won by the scatter symbols  appearing anywhere on the reels and they do not need to correspond to any of the listed win lines. 

Three or more scatter symbols wins the player 15 free spins, and players will be delighted to learn that all wins in free spins mode are trebled. This means the free spins round has the potential to land a big win if you hit a hot streak in these 15 spins. 

On top of this, during the free spins the scatter symbol can still make an appearance so you retain the possibility of landing three or more scatter symbols, which will grant you another 15 free spins. 

Technical details of Arabian Nights

Below, we have explored the all important technical details of how the Arabian Nights Jackpot slot works, which are there to give you more of a clear understanding regarding vital subjects like payout frequency and these affect this. 

Arabian Nights RTP

The return to player (RTP) percentage is a theoretical figure which every slot game is assigned based on the amount of money it pays back in return to players, where 100% is the amount staked over any given amount of time. 

The RTP for Arabian Nights is 95.22%, which is a good figure considering that a typical RTP for a classic jackpot slot would be somewhere in the low 90s percentage-wise. 

This figure means that on average, across everybody playing the game, for every £100 staked a total of £95.22 will typically be paid back in returns. 

Players should still consider the fact that the law of averages applies to this figure however, and the 95.22% RTP cannot be applied to any one finite sample size. This means that one playing session will not necessarily return exactly 95.22% of your stake back to you - it could potentially be more than this figure or less. 

Slot volatility of Arabian Nights

The slot volatility of Arabian Nights is low to medium. This means that the game tends to pay out smaller wins but a lot more often than a slot with high volatility. 

This can enhance the enjoyment of the slot for the player because (in theory) they will be winning more regularly, even if those wins aren’t particularly large amounts. 

It could be argued that having a low slot volatility has led to such a good lifespan and longevity of the Arabian Nights jackpot slot as it prolongs the enjoyment of the game for players. 

Possible payouts

The payouts in Arabian Nights operate from left to right on the reels - the reels do not pay both ways. 

Players should always bear in mind that matching symbols must occur on one of the 10 win lines. Seeing three of the same symbol land after spinning the reels does not necessarily mean it will result in a payout, because they may not correspond to a payout line even if they appear to do so at first glance.

The 10 paylines are detailed on the information slide available in-game, it would be advisable to familiarise yourself with these before playing.  

Random number generator
Like nearly all slot games, Arabian Nights uses a random number generator (henceforth RNG). This serves several purposes. Firstly, the RNG randomises the game and therefore ensures fairness to the player, but it also serves to safeguard against players that may want to gain an unfair advantage over the game. 

RNGs are micro computers that are always generating numbers, normally between one and several billion, and they are able to do this every second. 

This system is used to determine the position of the reels when they come to settle, so in other words the RNG is used to determine which symbols a player is presented with when they spin the reels. 

An RNG randomises the frequency and size of payouts (keeping in line with the slot volatility and RTP) which maintains the unpredictability of the slot and keeps the game fun and fair for players.

About the jackpot and historic wins

As detailed in the table above, the progressive jackpot is won by matching five wild symbols on one of the 10 win lines. It is a very simple structure for a progressive jackpot, but that doesn’t detract from the endless possibilities should you get lucky. 

Most recent wins

Below is a table briefly outlining the most recent wins of the progressive jackpot on offer at Arabian Nights. Unfortunately there are not many juicy details available as the winners chose to exercise their right to remain anonymous. 

Largest historical wins

The largest win in the longstanding history of the Arabian Nights jackpot slot was for a staggering €4,865,159. This was won on 5th March 2010 by a Norwegian man called Peter. At the time he was playing at the online casino Betsson. 

Betsson kindly released an excerpt from their live chat feature, which Peter had utilised to verify his jackpot win: 

10:17:28 PM Is this true???
10:17:50 PM Hi "Peter", Welcome to Betsson Support, I am Mike. What can I do for you?
10:18:28 PM Hi. Take a look at my account balance.
10:18:43 PM Is this really true???
10:19:18 PM What do you mean?
10:19:35 PM Have I won the Jackpot?
10:19:56 PM One moment.
10:20:16 PM I am shivering now!!!!
10:21:29 PM One moment "Peter", I am checking this now.
10:21:38 PM Thanks.
10:21:48 PM Hoping for a phone call
10:24:47 PM now???
10:25:08 PM I can confirm that you have won a Jackpot!
10:25:14 PM Do you want me to call you?
10:25:20 PM JESUS!!!!
10:25:50 PM Will someone call me to confirm it??
10:26:14 PM We can call you to confirm, if that's what you want?
10:26:43 PM No, I can see that the money is on my Betsson-account.
10:27:04 PM Congratulations!
10:27:06 PM But how much is it (€4,850,000, ed) in Norwegian Crowns???
10:27:41 PM I can calculate, give me a second.
10:29:43 PM In Norwegian Crowns is it today 38 119 098,24
10:30:07 PM OMG, thx, thx, thx!!!
10:30:46 PM Your welcome. Again, congratulations!
10:30:58 PM If you have further questions, don't hesitate to contact us.
10:31:13 PM Thank you!!!!!

The next-largest win behind Peter’s was picked up by an anonymous player at the site Casumo. The lucky winner is said to have been a 50-year-old Finnish man and the big win was a total of €3,332,926 which was scooped up on 3rd March 2014. 

At the time NetEnt Chief Product Officer Simon Hammon said “It’s a pleasure to announce yet another life-changing Jackpot Arabian Nights and we extend our congratulations to both the winner and Casumo. This is the second significant sum paid out this year and it reinforces that our video slot pooled jackpots build up very quickly, which is supported by the high liquidity passing through these games.”

Final thoughts

To sum up, the Arabian Nights jackpot slot is an all-time online fan favourite which is truly one of the classics in the industry. This can be seen not only just based on the 16-year lifespan of the game, but also by the fact that it is still played online around the world. 

Boasting strong technical details such as a generous RTP and low to medium slot volatility, in combination with a unique retro appearance and easy-to-understand playing structure, players clearly find it very easy to get on with this game.

If you are a fan of jackpot slots and also a fond Disney (Aladdin) enthusiast, then this slot should have all of the elements that you are looking for from your overall experience.

It could be said that the lack of a modern bonus round leaves the game wanting, however fans of Arabian Nights would be very quick to highlight the importance of a sizeable jackpot and the need to understand the game in front of you, without overcomplicating the structure of the game, and this is what Arabian Nights has going for it: straight forward, easy to digest while simultaneously offering some of the largest jackpots across the industry.   

Pros:

• Longstanding history of huge jackpot wins
• Longevity of the game speaks for its popularity amongst players
• High quality artwork to design the background and some of the symbols
• Low to medium slot volatility in conjunction with 95.22% RTP 

Cons: 

• No bonus feature
• Only 10 pay line