In August, I posted on LinkedIn about the about the price of iGaming content, or in other words, how much a gambling writer can earn. Now, I want to follow up on that with an update.

My Pricing History

If you didn’t see the original LinkedIn post, here’s a recap:

The Beginning

When I started writing gambling content, inspired by a 2008 trip to Dublin, I was paid $5 for a 300 word Premier League match report.

I quickly found regular work as a casino writer with a client that paid $0.05 per word. We worked together for around four years.

Part Two

In early 2013, I dropped that side hustle, as my gambling industry career had really taken off. I wouldn’t take any more paid work as an iGaming writer until 2020, when COVID-19 made me reassess my life.

The aim was to start writing again with a comically low rate and build a fresh portfolio, securing reviews that I could use to gain more work. If I got back to $0.05 per word, I’d be happy.

Here’s a timeline of how my rates progressed:

• July 2020 – $0.01 p/w
• January 2021 – $0.03 p/w
• July 2021 – $0.05 p/w

Mission accomplished in just one year. I was back to square one and in a position to quit my job and pivot to freelance writing.

Growing My iGaming Writing Business

I had no idea what other gambling writers were charging at this point. I was just happy to have met my short-term goals.

The next challenge was to grow the business of writing casino, sportsbook and poker content, and really make it pay.

Here’s how it panned out over the next three years:

• July 2022 – $0.08 p/w
• July 2023 – $0.10 p/w
• July 2024 – $0.12 p/w

My first six months of freelancing were surprisingly easy. You know when you think it’s all going too well and it’s bound to come crashing down? Yeah, that.

Regardless, I kept inching my rates up, but the clients kept coming, no matter what the cost. I was starting to believe that I was very good – why else did the work feel easy and the five-star reviews keep rolling in?

That gave me the confidence to keep increasing. Every time a project wrapped up, I’d put a penny on the rate of my Fiverr and Upwork gigs.

Reaching a Plateau

I kept doing this until 2023. By July of that year, I’d plateaued at $0.12 per word.

I experimented with $0.14 a few times, but couldn’t get any bites. The closest I got was by accident – an existing $0.12 client added a penny on himself to secure priority work.

October 2024 – a Breakthrough

Having realised that I haven’t increased my prices at all for 18 months – coupled with the rising costs of literally everything – I figured it was time for another crack at $0.14 per word.

There’s one client in particular that supplies me with a lot of work. It’s an agency and they have plenty of resources behind them. I’ve had nothing but glowing feedback from them for the six months we’ve worked together, so I chanced my arm and asked for a raise. I got it.

With the new benchmark secured, I’ve also increased my rates on freelancing platforms accordingly – though in fairness, I’ve almost completely moved away from them now. I get the odd bits and pieces through Fiverr, while Upwork can go fuck itself.

So, How Much Can a Gambling Writer Make?

It remains to be seen whether this particular gambling writer can consistently maintain $0.14 per word.

Obviously, I’d like to think I can. I know I’m one of the best around, as I’m constantly told so. But I have to imagine this is pretty close to the ceiling for this kind of content.

Regardless, by sharing my own pricing journey, I hope to help aspiring betting, poker and casino writers. It certainly can’t hurt to have a clear idea of what you should be getting paid.

I wish I’d had this information to hand earlier in my freelancing journey. If I had, there’s no doubt in my mind that I’d have earned better rates much more quickly than I did.

My disdain for Upwork is hardly a secret. Even though I’d prefer people not to use that money-grabbing platform, I know some people still do.

Well, if you’re going to use it, make sure you know the tricks to reduce expenditure.

Today, I’ll share a top tip of mine to help you out. You need to become an Upwork detective.

Check the Client Feedback

The tip is simple. Before bidding, take the time to scour the client’s feedback. More often than not, an unwitting freelancer will have saved you money.

Take this recent Upwork posting, for instance.

The client is looking for an iGaming writer like me, so naturally, it caught my eye. But if you think I’m paying 19 connects, you can funk all the way off.

Instead, I went trawling through the 214 reviews, panning for gold. Which I found pretty quickly:

Thanks Sabbir!

Now What?

All I have to do now is Google “Paradise Media” and look for their website. You’re always likely to find something like an email address or contact form, if not an entire page full of freelance and full-time opportunities.

No joy? Then look for pages that talk about the company’s employees. There’s always something like an “About Us” or “Meet the Team”.

You’re sure to find someone from HR, talent acquisition or the marketing department. Look up them up on LinkedIn and hey presto, a free application opportunity.

You don’t even have to mention that you found the listing on Upwork. Just send a cold, “speculative” pitch that just happens to be tailored to exactly what they asked for in the original post.

Thank me later. And screw Upwork.

When I decided to ditch my job in the gambling industry and turn freelance, Upwork unquestionably played a key role in the transition.

Once I’d picked up my first few gigs as a gambling writer, earning five-star reviews, there was no turning back.

However, in the past few years, the site has become an utter clown show. It’s nothing but price gouging and underhand tactics, carefully designed to drain every last penny out of us freelancers – the very people who make the site its money.

Penny Pinching Upwork

Three years ago, I was fully aboard the bandwagon, happily telling anyone who’d listen that Upwork was better than Fiverr, for example. But I noticed it starting to go downhill sometime in 2022.

Here’s a few of the things that upset me, causing me to move away from that money-grabbing platform and work to build my own brand.

Commission Structure

The first change that upset me was a move away from tiered commission. Upwork used to charge 20% when first working with a client, but it was quickly reduced to 10%. Eventually, it fell to just 5% for long-term clients.

Basically, you were incentivised to be good at your job. Provide excellent service and win repeat business and you’ll be rewarded with low commission.

When they chose to make it a flat 10%, it sent a clear message that people like me were no longer appreciated. Instead, they were encouraging newbies to chase a dream, prioritising newcomers over their longest-serving freelancers.

They tried to sell this as a good thing. And for some, it probably was. But given that all of my Upwork clients fell into the 5% bracket at that point, this “benefit” was actually a pay cut for me.

To then tell me it’s a good thing was a massive insult to my intelligence and began to turn me off.

Minimum Connect Fees

Soon after, I started to notice that prices were increasing. I’d never seen a job require more than 16 connects to bid before. Suddenly it was costing almost 30 to apply to work with clients that needed iGaming content.

Today, you can regularly see jobs that require more than 30. It’s too much when you only get 10 free connects per month.

Bidding System

Next up, they introduced the bidding system, designed to pit all of us against each other. My understanding is that this actually used to be the case at Upwork in the past, but this system was removed. You have to ask why they did that, and why they chose to bring it back.

Not content with directly increasing the ceiling on the number of connects, they could now massively inflate prices even more. Desperate freelancers throw every cent they have at jobs, inflating prices on Upwork’s behalf.

Even worse, they openly admitted to using phantom bids to kickstart auctions, as well as “placebo jobs”, where you waste your time applying, only to then be told it’s not a real job.

Admin Fees

General admin fees, such as the contract initiation fee, have skyrocketed in recent years. The most egregious example of this is when they sneakily brought in a fee for accepting contracts from clients approaching you directly.

In the past, if a potential client reached out to the freelancer (as opposed to bidding for the job) then it wouldn’t cost anything to start working together. Now it’s $4.99 to play.

Only, they kept this change quiet, and many freelancers continued to accept work, have their fingers burned and wonder why. The forums were full of complaints.

It’s particularly disgusting to see how they happily exploit people in developing countries. See my LinkedIn post about someone I know in the Philippines. They were charged $5.49 for a $5 Upwork job.

When people say you should give 110%, it’s not meant to be taken literally.

What’s the Solution?

Nobody cares about moaning and whining. That’s why I decided to take action.

I no longer accept jobs from Upwork and I’d encourage others to adopt a similar stance. I’ll tell anyone who wants to listen about how crappy the platform is.

If you have to use it, perhaps because you’re just starting out, take full advantage and don’t be afraid to be as unscrupulous as they are. Win a few clients, talk to them off-platform and arrange private payments.

Build Your Own Brand

Put together a portfolio, take Upwork for everything you can and build your personal brand in the meantime.

The aim should be to get off as quickly as possible, using platforms like LinkedIn and your own website.

Upwork doesn’t care about you. There’s no need for you to care about them and their rules. Treat the platform the same way they treat us. Shabbily.

Psst. AI checkers don’t work. Pass it on.

These bloody things were briefly the bane of my life, but I’ve cut them out entirely for a more stress-free existence as a freelance writer.

Ahead of the AI Curve

At the start of the ChatGPT-fuelled AI hype, I figured I’d better get ahead of the curve. After all, as a freelance iGaming writer, editor and translator, this could be a threat to my livelihood.

What could I do? I figured it would be smart to offer an AI editing service. So I did.

If people want to save money by mass-producing crappy AI-spun content, don’t fight them. Instead, I could offer to improve it for them, adding the humour, nuance or empathy that a robot simply can’t.

Plus, I could also offer to fact check it, since LLMs are always wrong about literally everything, and rewrite it to beat the newly-emerging AI checking tools.

Sounds good, right? LOL.

How it Started

In fairness, this worked pretty well for a few weeks. But then I took on a client who was using Originality.AI, the most egregious of the AI checking pseudoscientists. He asked me to rewrite 2,500 words of content created with ChatGPT. No problem, I thought. Should take about three hours.

I edited, quite literally, every single sentence. After submitting, the client said that Originality was still showing a very high percentage of AI-generated content (I forget the exact figure). Okay, fine. I’ll have another crack.

After rewriting every single sentence a second time, he told me that it was still only 59% human, according to the AI checker.

Strict Conditions

At that point, I decided I would only continue with this service if we set some clear expectations. Firstly, I would never work with Originality.AI again. End of discussion.

Then, I would ask what the client’s expectations were. If they told me they wanted more than 80% human, regardless of the AI checker, I wouldn’t take the job as it would no longer be worth my time.

After one further bad experience, I pulled the plug on my gigs. In short, AI checkers are complete and utter garbage.

Even OpenAI Admits It

Interestingly, OpenAI themselves discontinued their own AI checker, because it doesn’t work, which is pretty revealing.

I’ve also heard many horror stories from other writers going to insane lengths to prove to clients that their content is genuine.

Filming themselves writing, running 8-year old copy through the AI checker and having it come up as AI-generated, all kinds of bullshit.

Well, fuck that. I haven’t got time for it. I simply won’t work with any client who insists on using these trash tools, and I feel much better for it.

Just Say “No”

It’s important that we all, collectively, as a community of writers, push back against this nonsense. It is hurting our reputations and costing us work.

I would encourage my fellow writers to do the same as me.

Your blood pressure will thank you for it.

Dominic Field is a freelance creator of AI-free iGaming content.

In this post, I want to share a few tips for new writers. They might seem incredibly basic. You might dismiss them as obvious. Yet I see these errors time and time again.

Read the Brief

Before you begin, read the brief from start to finish. Once you start, refer to it multiple times throughout the process.

When you think the content is complete, read your brief again and make sure you’ve not missed anything. You’ll be amazed how many times something has slipped through the net.

Check Before Submitting

This one just screams “duh” and yet so many writers don’t bother to do it.

I’ve seen work submitted with half-written sentences that just trail off into nothingness. I’ve seen documents with blue squiggly lines everywhere, indicating obvious spelling errors.

If Word or Google is literally telling you “hey, there’s an error here” and you haven’t bothered to fix it, you’re definitely not getting any more writing jobs from that client.
Proofread your work before submitting. Ideally, the next day with fresh eyes.

Disappearing

It’s never okay to miss a deadline *without communication*.
Of course real life can surprise you. Sometimes deadlines can be missed due to a genuine emergency. However, all you need to do is message the client with an explanation *before* the deadline. They’ll understand.
But they’re never going to trust you again if you just disappear and deliver late. Or worse, not at all.

Dominic Field is a freelance iGaming writer, Fiverr Top Seller and ex-gambling industry professional of 15+ years.

With October just around the corner, I thought I’d share some of my favourite Halloween slots. 

As an iGaming writer, I’m often asked to compile “best of” articles based on holidays, but I’ve never written anything about Halloween slots before. So, let’s put that right with a look at my three favourite games from this genre. 

Blood Suckers Megaways (Red Tiger)

Reels x Rows	6 x 2-7
Paylines	Up to 117,649
RTP	97.66%
Volatility	High
Maximum Payout	20,521x
Release Date	January 2023

No collection of spooky slots would be complete without a reference to Blood Suckers, released by NetEnt in 2009. It’s mostly famous for its staggeringly high Return To Player rate of 98.00%. 

The thing is, though, it’s really dated and just not that interesting any more. However, when Red Tiger released a much-needed Megaways reboot in 2023, I was all over it. 

First of all, the graphics are much better. They’ve kept the original symbols, but polished them up a little, adding a few animations. The RTP of 97.66% is pretty close to the first release, too. But the dynamic Megaways engine makes it just that little bit more interesting.

Finally, as a fan of highly-volatile games, I’ve no problem with the variance here. Especially given the low new maximum potential payout of 20,521x.

Overall, it’s everything you want in a reboot. It stays true to the original, while adding several key improvements.

Big Bass Halloween 2 (Pragmatic Play)

Reels x Rows	5 x 3
Paylines	10
RTP	96.71%
Volatility	High
Maximum Payout	5,000x
Release Date	October 2024

I didn’t know this game was coming out until I saw a recent LinkedIn post about it. It’s honestly crazy how prolific the Reel Kingdom and Pragmatic Play partnership is. They just keep milking that poor fisherman dry, so it’s no surprise they’ve tried Halloween slots.

Like pretty much all of the Big Bass titles, Halloween 2 is yet another rehash of the same old mechanics. But, like the idiot that I am, I was drawn in by the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre-inspired theme.

I’m also a sucker for witty puns, and we get off to a good start with the start screen. Our newly zombified angler friend tells us to “feel the buzz” as he wields his motorised bonecutter.

Apart from the fun theme and Halloween novelty value, there are some genuinely nice elements. For instance, the RTP is much better than the 96.04% offered by the first Big Bass Halloween title. As is the 5,000x maximum payout, improving on the original figure of 2,100x.

I’m not going to pretend it’s anything ground-breaking, because it isn’t. But not every game has to reinvent the wheel, and these Big Bass games are popular for a reason.

Mental (Nolimit City)

Reels x Rows	5 x 3
Paylines	1,024+
RTP	96.08%
Volatility	Very High
Maximum Payout	66,666x
Release Date	August 2021

I wasn’t aware of Mental until a long time after its release, when I was asked to write about the best horror slots for AllSlotSites. It’s pretty bleak – exactly what we’ve come to expect from Nolimit City over the years – but an intriguing game, nonetheless.

Clearly inspired by Dr Hannibal Lecter, the theme is one of a serial killer locked up in an institution. Look out for the grim Dead Patient feature, which plays on this motif while offering multipliers up to 9,999x.

The 3-2-3-2-3 reel layout was pretty unusual at the time, especially given that some of these symbols can split. That makes things extra interesting, creating more than 1,024 ways to win and ensuring that every spin is different. 

Like all Nolimit City releases, the volatility is extremely high, setting up the possibility of some huge potential wins. I like the very specific top payout of 66,666x – a fitting figure for such a demonic game.

Need a Scarily Good Gambling Writer?

Looking for a writer that’s all treats and no tricks? Then contact me and let’s create some horrifyingly good slots content.

What? I couldn’t make it all the way through an article without a lazy Halloween cliché or two, now could I?!

Dominic Field is a freelance iGaming Writer based on the island of Boracay, in the Philippines.

I call myself an iGaming writer. However, when I first started freelancing, I used the term copywriter. But they’re not the same thing.

At first, I didn’t know the difference. I don’t mind admitting it. Now that I do, I see lots of people on LinkedIn making the same mistake.

So, what’s the difference between a copywriter and a content writer?

Copy or Content?

A copywriter is more of a salesperson than a regular content writer. The idea is to use words to capture people’s attention, trigger emotions and provoke their imagination. Ultimately, the intention is to convert a reader into a paying customer.

But you write casino reviews for iGaming affiliates. You’re selling a product. Isn’t that copywriting?

No, it isn’t.

When I write a casino review, I write an objective piece of text that lays out the negatives as well as the positives. Even if your client asks you for an insanely biased review, you’re still producing content, not sales copy.

What is Sales Copy?

I’m no expert in copywriting, so if you are, please forgive my clunky definition. But in my mind, copywriting is about producing short, sharp messages that urge a potential customer to act. It’s purely sales-driven and it addresses a specific need, often in an emotionally engaging way.

Content is more of an umbrella term. A piece of sales copy could certainly be described as “content”, but not all content is “copy”.

Content Builds Trust

As an iGaming writer, I produce lots of content that aims to build long-term trust with readers. Hence the importance of honesty when reviewing a gambling site like a casino or sportsbook.

Whether it’s a blog post, an ebook or text for a corporate website, the mission is usually to inform. These are the rules of Pot Limit Omaha. This is how to play blackjack optimally. These are our company’s values.

Sure, the client’s overall goal might be to drive readers towards opening a new casino account, or signing up to play online poker. But the purpose of my iGaming content is not usually to provoke someone into taking immediate action.

And that’s why you should call me a gambling writer, a content creator or anything other than a copywriter.

Overthinking. The art of creating problems that don’t actually exist. It’s certainly a problem I’ve struggled with in the past. Luckily, I had no such issues when creating my first portfolio as a freelance iGaming writer.

Just look at it. It’s awful.

But here’s the thing: nobody cares.

Your Portfolio Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect

I wrote about this recently in a LinkedIn post, jokingly entitled How to Create the Perfect Portfolio.

If you’re a new writer, you need a portfolio. But it doesn’t have to look great.

People spend far too much time worrying about what other people will think. They want everything to look and feel perfect. So, instead of just putting themselves out there, they do nothing. This isn’t good.

Something Beats Nothing

You don’t have to spend time and money on a pretty website. Prospective clients only need to see that you can write. They’re not looking for graphic designers. They’ll view the portfolio once, maybe twice, then it’ll be erased from their memories.

By putting out my ugly portfolio, thrown together in a simple Google Doc, I was able to acquire my first clients as a gambling writer. Once I’d earned a little money, I could then invest in a website and put together a proper portfolio.

Mind you, the showcase on my website is still pretty ugly. Something to add to my to-do list, I think.

---

What About Ghostwriting Portfolios?

After publishing that LinkedIn post, a fellow iGaming writer contacted me privately with a related dilemma.

He’s published more than 500 articles, but none with a byline. Everything he’s done has been as a ghostwriter. He was putting off making a portfolio for a long time, because he wasn’t sure how to approach it, and asked for my advice.

Just Do It – It’ll Be Fine

Well, from my experience, this is common in the world of gambling affiliates. You’re often ghostwriting, but without an official discussion ever taking place around who owns the work.

I see it like this. Unless you signed some kind of agreement that says you can’t claim credit for the work, there’s no harm linking to it in your portfolio.

If you want to be extra careful, ask the owner if it’s okay first. I can’t imagine too many cases where the client would say no. It’s been three-and-a-half years since I turned freelance, and nobody’s ever resisted when I’ve asked.

Your main issue is whether or not the prospective client will believe that you really wrote the articles, since there’s no credit. Well, if they don’t trust you, I’m not sure that’s a good platform on which to build a new working relationship anyway. Don’t lose any sleep over it.

Besides, if you really did write it, you’ll have no problem sending the original Word or Google doc to prove it.

Be like Nike. Just do it.

I support the creation of a European “Super League”. There, I said it.

This is not a popular viewpoint, I know. But I’ve thought about this for a long time and I’m in favour. The current system is broken and I can’t see how it can ever be fixed. Not without a major shake-up, anyway, comparable to that which took place when the Premier League broke away from the rest of the pyramid.

Before I get into why I feel this way, allow me to lay my cards on the table. I’m a Sheffield United supporter of 33 years. Even though I left for the Philippines in 2016, I still manage to get to around five to ten games a season, home and away.

I realise everyone will now claim “sour grapes” because, at the moment, we’re shit. But I can assure you, I came to this conclusion last season, during one of my most enjoyable seasons as a supporter. I was able to watch a generational talent, the best I’ve ever seen pull on the red and white strips, as we brushed aside pretty much every team in the league with ease. 

When I Were a Lad…

I don’t want to sound like a boring old man, even though I am a boring old man, and claim that “things were better in my day”. But they were. Big teams like Liverpool had a stranglehold on the title, but many other teams were still in with a shout. The year I was born, Liverpool won the league, but Watford – Watford – finished second. Spurs won the FA Cup, beating QPR in the final. 

The first season I attended a game, Arsenal won the title, but Crystal Palace finished third. Coventry and Wimbledon lifted the FA Cup in 1987 and 1988. In my first campaign as a fully-fledged fan, the unmentionables from across the city finished third and qualified for Europe. Blackburn won the league in 1995.

What’s my point here? Well, none of those teams I’ve mentioned can even dream of cracking the top six these days. It’s literally impossible.

The Impossible Dream

I know someone will mention Leicester, but let’s be real. A billionaire bought them, they had one season of glory and now they’re in the Championship, despite banking Champions League moolah. So how sustainable was that? Yeah, it wasn’t. And that’s the absolute best you can hope for nowadays.

I don’t enjoy Premier League football any longer. I really don’t. Some of this might be due to my age. I’m 41 now, so you could rightly say that maybe I should have grown out of supporting a football team by now. But at the moment, it all just feels like “what’s the point?”

We all want our teams to go as far as possible and win every game. Of course I’ll be cheering every kick next season in the Championship, hoping we can win the league. But I would love it, Kevin Keegan-style, if we could win the league and then say “no thanks, we’ll stay here and defend our title”. 

I don’t want to be back in that joyless, uncompetitive league where, even if we spent one billion pounds, we’d still be unable to challenge Manchester City. Or even Tottenham. 

Real Football

Football in the Championship still gives me that buzz. I love going to games, reconnecting with my old mates, having a beer with my dad and all of the social stuff. You can still celebrate a goal earnestly, without fear of the pedants at Stockley Park getting their microscopes out and engineering a way to piss on your chips. That’s what football should really be about, and I love all of that.

But in the Premier League, it’s just crap. It’s sterile, it’s joyless and it’s a product that’s designed for Kwame in Accra, Faisal in Qatar and Ahmad in Kuala Lumpur. VAR is awful, there’s an undeniable bias towards the bigger teams and the best you can hope for upon promotion is to become the next Crystal Palace, finishing 10th every season. Whoop-de-doo.

This season, everyone is waxing lyrical about plucky old Luton. And you know what, I have no beef with Luton, I quite like them. The entire team there is doing an incredible job and I hope they stay up. But they won’t. And they’ve won five games. Five. From a total of 29. That’s crap. I’m sick of everyone going on about how “competitive” they’ve been, when they haven’t.

And don’t get me started on Burnley. For all this talk of “Sheffield United are the worst team ever”, media darling Vincent Kompany has earned a massive haul of 17 points. That’s three more than the Blades, who’ve played a game less. It’s laughable. 

Haves and Have-Nots

Anyway, back to my point, which is not to fight with Burnley and Luton. We’re all in the same boat. We all came up together, and we’ll go back down together. Last season, Leicester, Leeds and Southampton went down, and there’s a really, really good chance that all three go straight back up. Leeds and Leicester are currently joint-top of the Championship table, with Southampton comfortably in the play-off spots.

The gap between the Premier League and the second tier is as wide as it’s ever been, and it’s only heading in one direction. All three sides that win promotion this season will target survival. None of them will be anywhere near the top six, which is a league within a league. Why? Because there’s too much money at the summit, plus the rules are stacked in favour of the big boys.

Financial “Fair” Play

Nottingham Forest went up and spent a fortune just to stay up. Their reward for that was a points deduction, for breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). Yet we have Manchester City facing over a hundred charges from years ago and nothing is done. 

How is a team ever supposed to compete if it’s not allowed to spend money upon promotion? Especially while others flagrantly flaunt the league’s own laws with impunity. The whole system is broken, rigged in favour of the biggest teams, and clubs like Sheffield United have no way of ever breaking in. 

Which is why I say let them go. Get rid of them.

Go On Now Go

If Sheffield United won the FA Cup, would that experience be tarnished knowing that Manchester City and Liverpool didn’t take part? Absolutely not. I’d celebrate wildly, finally getting to see my team lift a major trophy. I’d be on the first flight over to London to make sure I was part of the occasion.

I think it would be great if the big teams got what they wanted. Let them go off to their boring little European Super League to play Barcelona four times a season so the armchair fans around the world can spaff in their pants about Haaland and Mbappe. But wouldn’t there be less money for the Premier League? Almost certainly, and I think that would be wonderful.

Maybe we’d see Watford finishing second again, with QPR in a cup final. I’d love it, honestly. Return football to the real supporters and take it out of the hands of the suits. Give it back to the families who pay thousands of pounds every year for season tickets and associated travel costs. 

What’s the Alternative?

I don’t see any other way to get a handle on the finances which are spiralling out of control. You can’t impose a salary cap, because the best players would leave for other leagues. You’d have to apply it to the whole of Europe, which will never happen. But even then, they’d all bugger off to Saudi Arabia.

You can’t have any sort of a draft system, like in US sports, since academies just don’t work like that. There’s no way to implement a transfer limit, because then you wouldn’t have a free market. We all know how well-run communist economies are, amirite? 

So what’s the answer? How do you stop teams owned by insanely wealthy individuals and, in some cases, Emirates — essentially small countries — from spending billions and rendering the league uncompetitive? I honestly don’t think there is one. And the Premier League, and therefore the English football pyramid, is suffering as a result.

If You Love Them, Let Them Go

Let them go. Seriously, let them have their Super League. If they do it properly, with some sort of promotion and relegation system, it could work really well. But even if it’s a closed shop, I honestly don’t care. 

If West Ham win the inaugural Premier League MKII title, do you think they’ll be sad they didn’t get to be battered 6-0 by Arsenal along the way? Do me a favour.

Dominic Field is a freelance gambling writer. Check out his portfolio of iGaming content here.

It’s Saint Patrick’s Day this week, so I thought I’d share my thoughts on Irish-themed slots. After all, they are undoubtedly some of the most popular casino games — from the perspective of the software developers, at least. 

In an already saturated market, no fewer than 40 such titles were released between March 17th 2023 and this year’s celebrations. Begorra, that’s a lot o’slots to be sure, to be sure. Ahem.

Who Is Actually Playing Irish Slots?

The thing is though, I’ve been around gambling my entire adult life, and I’ve never known anyone who actually enjoys Irish slots. I certainly don’t play them.

Well, as a gambling writer, I sometimes have to, in order to review them. And I can tell you, they’re always packed full of stereotypes, they often have terrible RTPs and frankly, they all look the same. 

I think I dabbled with the original Rainbow Riches back when I was a deputy manager in a William Hill shop. In demo mode, mind you. But let’s face it — Rocky was far superior anyway!

Even though I produce dozens of slot reviews every month, I can only remember working on one Irish-themed game in the past three years. They just all blend into a giant green mass in my mind. 

For reference, that particular slot was Pot O’Gold by Wizard Games, which does at least try to be a little different. It offers three different bonus games, which genuinely makes a nice change from the standard free spins features.

Don’t Knock It Until You’ve Tried It

Still, you know what they say. Maybe I’m in the minority here. Perhaps I’ve been too harsh and these games are actually quite good? So, with Saint Patrick’s Day just around the corner, I thought I’d try out a few of the Irish-themed slots released in the past 12 months. 

Honestly, most of them were complete trash and I stand by my opinion. However, there were a couple that I quite enjoyed. Here are my favourites.

Shamrock Saints (Push Gaming)

Reels x Rows	5 x 4
Paylines	20
RTP	96.30%
Volatility	Medium-High
Maximum Payout	10,000x
Release Date	March 2024

I do like Push Gaming slots, generally speaking. Jammin’ Jars is obviously a classic, but the Fat series was enjoyable too. Their games often feature really high potential payouts, so the 10,000x maximum win in Shamrock Saints is actually comparatively low. However, the 96.30% RTP is decent for a game that’s inspired by the Emerald Isle.

That’s probably because this isn’t your typical Irish slot. Sure, it stars a bunch of Leprechauns and yes, it’s set in a pub. But there are no rainbows or pots of gold here. Nor will you hear the standard “diddly-dee” of fiddles as you spin the reels. Instead, this 5×4 slot is actually quite dark.

I think that’s the main reason I enjoyed playing it. I’ve already bemoaned the fact that Irish slots are all the same, but this one really switched things up. To be honest, if it weren’t for the Leprechauns, you likely wouldn’t even call it an Irish slot. Either way, it’s certainly entertaining, with its mystery symbols and increasing multipliers.

Hiding Clovers (Triple Cherry)

Reels x Rows	6 x 3-10
Paylines	Up to 1,000,000
RTP	96.35%
Volatility	Medium
Maximum Payout	7,703.5x
Release Date	February 2024

We’re back on familiar turf with Hiding Clovers by Triple Cherry. Lucky horseshoes, mugs of frothing beer and green, shamrock-studded outfits adorn the reels grid, which starts out with three rows but expands to 6×10. I can’t say that I’m massively familiar with this particular studio, but I actually did enjoy playing this game. 

Although the RTP is abysmal at some sites, plumbing depths as low as 88.15%, it’s pretty entertaining if you can find a better-paying version. In a sort of reverse-cascade mechanism, an extra row is uncovered with every win, potentially creating additional combinations. I don’t see this type of idea often, and I genuinely appreciated the creativity in what is an otherwise tired theme.

My only real gripe is that it’s too centred on the bonus round. I actually found it really hard to win prizes of note until I finally unlocked the feature. Still, at least there’s a Bonus Buy, allowing you to skip straight to the good bit.

Irish Treasures: Wild Celtic Charms (Spinomenal)

Reels x Rows	5 x 4
Paylines	Up to 100
RTP	96.04%
Volatility	Medium-High
Maximum Payout	3,000x
Release Date	February 2024

I’m not going to lie, this game is awful. It’s everything I hate about Irish slots, riddled with Paddy-painted clichés everywhere you look. But you know when something’s so bad that it’s actually sort of good? Yeah, it’s that. I just couldn’t help but chuckle, for instance, at how innuendo-laden and route one the whole thing is. 

An unnecessarily-buxom redhead is the only character in this slot, and she serves as the wild. The game is literally called Wild Celtic Charms, which honestly sounds like something from an adult website. While I can’t confirm how domesticated she is, there are certainly some ample “charms” on display. It’s hilarious, and obviously quite intentional, that the wilds in this game are said to be “stacked”. 

You just have to take it all with a pinch of salt the size of a pint of Guinness. Yet, in terms of the mathematical model, at least, the game is actually fairly solid. You’ll find a perfectly average RTP of 96.04%, for example, though some versions are quite a lot lower. The maximum possible win of 3,000x is adequate, too, while the volatility seems reasonably well-balanced.

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