How we work

01Starting point: what a game page here actually relies on

There are two ways to describe a slot. One is based on anecdotes from a session: what happened when the writer played for an hour, how often the bonus hit, how big the largest win was. The other is based on verifiable material: the provider's own specifications and the feature descriptions as they appear in our catalog data.

We work according to the other model, and we say it plainly because it changes how you should read us. One hour with a game says almost nothing statistically. If a writer says the bonus "hit often", they have described 300 spins out of a mathematical model built for millions. We'd rather tell you how the model is set up than what happened by chance one afternoon.

The consequence is that you won't find personal session accounts on this site. No narrative about what happened on a given afternoon, no tally of how often a writer triggered the bonus round. If you do come across that kind of thing in a text here, it's an error and we'd like to be informed.

02Step 1: the figures are locked first

Before a word is written about a game, we collect the factual fields: provider, release date, reel structure, number of win ways or paylines, RTP, volatility level, maximum win expressed in times stake, and whether a bonus buy exists. The source is our catalog data, which comes from providers' published data sheets. We have not opened the games' information screens ourselves — where the catalog source is silent, we state that.

If a field is not stated, we write that it is not stated. We don't guess, we don't round up to the nicer number, and we don't borrow a figure from a previous edition of the same game series because it seems likely. A missing disclosure is information in itself: a game where the ceiling for the maximum win is not shown tells you something about how transparent the provider is.

03Step 2: read the feature list as a description, not a promise

The next step is the mechanics. We go through what the features do, how they’re triggered according to the description, and how they interact with each other. Multipliers that are added behave differently than multipliers that are multiplied. A wild that only lands on three reels is a different thing than a wild that can land anywhere. Four free spins with a growing multiplier are not the same product as fifteen free spins with a fixed multiplier.

Here we try to translate marketing language into something usable. Providers love grand words about their own features. Our task is to write what actually happens on the reels, and how often it can happen according to the description. When something cannot be inferred from the available material, we state that it cannot be inferred.

04Step 3: RTP versions and series are compared

Many Olympus games exist in several RTP versions. If the feature list says RTP range, we record the provider's standard value and state that the operator may run a lower version. The applicable percentage is shown in the game's own information screen, and that is where you should check it.

Next we compare with the rest of the series. A sequel with the same name can have a different reel set, a different cap on maximum win or a new bonus engine. We never borrow figures across editions, but we point out the differences so you can see what is actually new.

05Step 4: keeping the catalogue current

Providers adjust their data sheets, withdraw games and release new titles every month. When a figure changes at the source, we correct the game page and the lists the game appears in. A new game only enters the catalogue once RTP and maximum win are documented.

Corrections from readers are handled the same way: we check the information against the provider's own material before anything is changed. A screenshot of the game's information screen or a link to the data sheet is enough for us to get started.

06How we compare the games

We don't give the games points or scores. Instead we place the figures in relation to each other: the payout percentage compared with the provider's other catalogue, the relationship between volatility and the cap on maximum win, whether the bonus round adds anything beyond extra free spins, and how the game differs from the many other Olympus titles.

The comparison is written out on each game page and in the collections, where the games sit side by side with RTP, maximum win and release date. That way you decide for yourself which figure matters most to you.

07What we explicitly do not do

We don't claim to have played through the titles, and we present no photographic evidence from our own play sessions as proof of anything. We do not record how many rounds it took for a bonus to trigger. We do not invent licence numbers, company names or addresses for operators. We don't promise winnings, strategies or systems, and we don't write that a game 'must' pay out.

Finally, the order of the catalogue is not for sale. Which games appear on a list, and in what order, is decided by the data – not by commercial agreements.