Sweet Bonanza Pokie Review

By Eve Luneborg

Updated June 20, 2024

If you have a sweet tooth and a hunger for multipliers, then the Sweet Bonanza pokie by Pragmatic Play might be just the game for you. You’ll get to enjoy the thrilling and fast-paced Win Anywhere mechanic while hoping for the free spins game to activate. When it does, look out for balloons featuring multipliers up to 100x, and land the maximum win of 21,100x. Want to know what else this slot machine has in store for you? Read our in-depth Sweet Bonanza pokie review.

Jackpot Amount 21,000x

Rating:

4.5/5

PLAY FOR REAL MONEY

Features

Reels/Rows

6/5

Payline

Pay Anywhere

Payout Ratio (RYP)

96.51%

Stake (Min/Max)

0.2/100

Game Developer

Pragmatic Play

Bonus Feature

Yes

Table of Contents

This is Sweet Bonanza

Sweet Bonanza is a fun-filled pokie machine with all the latest game mechanics. With candies and sweet fruits filling the game grid, it’s the ultimate sugar rush. The game’s layout consists of a 6×5 grid, and the winning mechanic is Win Anywhere. As long as you have at least eight matching symbols placed anywhere on the grid — you’re in for a win. And, the pokie also uses the cascading win feature.

With base bets starting from 20c going up to $100, this pokie can suit both casual players and high rollers. If you enjoy free spins bonus games, you can place an ante bet to increase the chances of triggering the bonus or just straight out buy the bonus. The bonus game is where you have the chance to land massive wins, with the Sweet Bonanza max win being a whopping 21,100x your bet!

A Pokie by Pragmatic Play

Pragmatic Play is the game developer who created Sweet Bonanza, and the game was released in June 2019. Even though this provider offers more than 300 pokie games, Sweet Bonanza remains one of their all-time most popular ones.

The success of Sweet Bonanza can be attributed to multiple factors. Firstly, the game is well-made and has innovative and exciting features and mechanics. The fact that it became a favourite among slot streamers on Twitch for bonus hunts also contributed to the notoriety of the game.

In addition to Sweet Bonanza, Pragmatic Play is also the creator behind many other Australian pokie favourites. Some of the ones worth mentioning, with similar features as Sweet Bonanza, include Gates of Olympus and Starlight Princess. You might also want to try out the spin-offs called Sweet Bonanza Xmas and Sweet Bonanza Candyland, the latter being a live game show game.

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How to Play the Sweet Bonanza Pokie Game

Playing the Sweet Bonanza pokie is easy, and the only thing you have to do is set your bet and press play. But, there are some other options as well, which you can activate or adjust in the settings.

Firstly, to avoid having to press the spin button for every game round, you can either click and hold the space bar, or activate autoplay. Choose anything between 10 and 1,000 spins, and also adjust the settings for Skip Screens, Quick Spin, or Turbo Spin. Then, choose if you want to place an ante bet, increasing the chance of triggering the bonus game.

Lastly, there are multiple settings for audio, and you can even select to see the balance and bet in the game displayed as credit instead of Australian Dollars.

The Mechanics of Sweet Bonanza Video Pokie

The main mechanics used are Win Anywhere and Cascading symbols. What this means is that the game does not have reels, but rather a 6×5 grid layout. To win, you need to get at least eight of the same matching symbols placed anywhere on the grid. Then, when you win, the winning symbols will be removed and replaced with new ones falling from the top of the grid.

There’s no limit to how many cascading wins you can get, and this means you can win over and over again within the same game round. You might also be able to collect more and more free spin scatters, during your cascading wins.

Sweet Bonanza Pokie Symbols & Payable

In total, there are ten symbols in Sweet Bonanza. Five of them are lower value, four are high value, and then there’s the scatter. The scatter requires four of a kind to give you a win, while the rest pays out when you have eight or more. Let’s have a closer look at the various symbols:

Fruit symbols

The lower-value symbols are various fruits, and you’ll find bananas, grapes, melons, plums and apples. The least valuable one is the banana, as eight of these pay only 0.25x your bet, while 13 or more pay 2x your bet. On the other end of the scale, there’s the red apple, paying between 1x and 10x your bet, depending on how many you get.

Candies

There are four candies, and they are all considered high-paying symbols. They all come in different colours and shapes, like a blue rectangle, green pentagon, purple square and red heart-shaped. The heart is the most valuable one, paying between 10x and 50x your bet, while the blue rectangle pays between 1.5x and 12x your bet.

Lollipop

The red and white lollipop is the best symbol because this is the free spins scatter. Landing 4, 5, or 6 of these symbols will pay a win of either 3x, 5x, or 100x your bet. But that’s not all, as four or more will also trigger 10 free spins.

Balloons

The balloons only feature in the free spins bonus game, and they come in various sizes. This symbol does not pay anything on its own, as it’s simply a multiplier being applied to the wins you get from the standard symbols for that game round. The balloons can feature anything from 2x to 100x.

Available Bets in Sweet Bonanza

The minimum bet in Sweet Bonanza is 20c, while the maximum is $100. This goes for the base bets, but you can increase this by 25% by placing an ante bet. By activating this feature, you’ll bet more per spin while doubling the chance of you triggering the free spins bonus.

And, don’t forget that you can also skip the base game and go straight into playing the bonus game, by buying the bonus. Doing this will cost 100x your base bet, effectively taking the game’s maximum bet to $10,000.

Special Features in the Sweet Bonanza Video Pokie

There’s a lot to look forward to when playing Sweet Bonanza by Pragmatic Play. Not only is the bonus game a thrill, but even the base game can surprise you.

Win Anywhere & Cascading Wins

With the Win Anywhere mechanic, you can get multiple wins on the same spin, and if you’re lucky, you’ll get a large winning combination from a high-value symbol. Add to this the cascading feature and you can win over and over again, creating more and more wins in the same game round. The fact that most symbols come stacked two or three high adds to your chances of getting a big win, even in the bonus game.

Multiply your Winnings in the Free Spins Game

When you get four or more scatter symbols, you’ll trigger the free spins bonus game. You’ll get 10 free spins, but this can be retriggered with five more spins every time you get three or more lollipop scatters in one game round.

Free spins are played exactly as the base game, with one exception. You can get randomly appearing balloons, and these come with a multiplier. You can get multipliers of x2, x3, x4, x5, x6, x8, x10, x12, x15, x20, x25m x50, or x100. There’s no telling how many multipliers you get in one spin, and all the ones you get will be added up to secure a huge win. This is how you can get up to the maximum win of 21,100x your bet.

Skip the Base Game and Buy the Bonus

Even though the base game in Sweet Bonanza is a good one, there’s no doubt that the most exciting part of the game is the bonus game. This is why it’s so great that you can choose to only play the bonus.

Simply disable the ante bet (if you’ve activated this), and start the bonus. It costs 100x your bet, so between $20 and $10,000. The free spins are played exactly the same way as they are if you trigger the bonus from the main game. And don’t forget, even when buying the bonus, you might get a win from the spin that delivers the four scatters.

Graphics and Sound in Sweet Bonanza Pokie

The Sweet Bonanza pokie game is an immersive pokie that will captivate players from the first spin. There are lots of colours, both on the backdrop and the symbols. The background of the game consists of a landscape of candy and sweets, making it almost too tempting for anyone with a sweet tooth.

The symbols look delicious as well, with a mix of hard candies and ripe fruits. As we’ve started to get used to from Pragmatic Play, the graphics are well made and the colour scheme is fun yet not too busy.

As for the audio, it’s clearly drawn some inspiration from fairs and classical pokie machines. It’s a good fit and suits the pokie well. As with all pokie games, the soundtrack will get repetitive when you play it for a long time, but when that happens, just mute it for a bit.

Winning Strategies for the Sweet Bonanza Pokie Game

As an online pokie machine, Sweet Bonanza runs on a random number generator. That means the game is completely chance-based, and all players have the same chance of winning. But, since this game does offer some options through their settings, there are some things you can do to impact your chances of winning.

Strategies & Tips for Playing Sweet Bonanza

The choices you have in Sweet Bonanza, which may determine your long-term winnings, are the ante bet and the bonus buy feature. The ante bet increased your chance of triggering the free spins bonus game, where the biggest possible wins await. However, also keep in mind that a 25% increase in the bet is quite a lot, and you can still be playing many hundreds of game rounds before triggering the bonus.

If you opt for the option to buy the bonus, you’re betting 100x your base bet. That’s a lot, and you need to win 100x or more to make up for this investment. And, even though you trigger the free spins and may win many thousands of times your bet, you can also win nothing at all.

The use of both the ante bet and the bonus buy feature makes the game much more volatile than what it was originally made to be in the base game. This means that to use these features, you should make sure you have a substantial bankroll. Ideally, with the ante bet, keep your bet size to no more than 0.5% of your bankroll, and try to not exceed more than 5%-10% when using the bonus buy feature.

Game RTP and Volatility

Pragmatic Play’s Sweet Bonanza pokie is suitable for the average player. The Return to Player (RTP) is 96.51%, which is on the higher end compared to average online pokie games. As for the volatility, it’s between medium and high.

However, as mentioned earlier, how you play the game will affect the volatility. The bonus game is very volatile, so it’s quite a risky game. Always keep this in mind before playing and deciding on your strategy.

Playing Sweet Bonanza on Mobile

As a modern video pokie delivered by Pragmatic Play, Sweet Bonanza is fully optimised for all screen sizes. It works just as well on mobile as it does on desktop. The graphics are just as crisp, and you won’t have any issues navigating the buttons and settings.

One of the great aspects is that you can play in both portrait and landscape mode. This makes it practical for all mobile types and screen sizes. Simply hold your mobile whichever way you want, and the game will automatically adjust.

Final Thoughts on the Sweet Bonanza Pokie Game

Sweet Bonanza is one of our favourite games, and we never tire of seeing the candy and fruit spin across the game. With medium to high volatility, you know that a big win can be just around the corner, keeping you constantly at the edge of your seat. An RTP higher than the standard for online pokies makes this pokie an even better bet.

We love the bonus game, as the balloons make this feature a thrilling experience. And, we also appreciate that the ante bet can ensure that we never go too long without this bonus. But, if there’s one criticism we have, it’s that with the ante bet the minimum bet in Sweet Bonanza is 25c per game round, which is too high for many casual players.

Nevertheless, since it’s a truly great game, and one of the best from Pragmatic Play, it’s well worth a try. If you can’t afford the ante bet, simply play with the normal base bets. You’ll trigger the bonus games sooner or later anyway.

Sweet Bonanza Pokie FAQ

Can I play the Sweet Bonanza pokie for free?

Yes, the Sweet Bonanza pokie is available to play for free. You can find the demo version at most Australian online casinos, and there’s never a limit to how long you can play for free. When you’re ready to bet real money, simply switch to real money play.

What is the RTP in the Sweet Bonanza pokie?

The RTP in Sweet Bonanza pokie is 96.51%. This is on the higher end of the industry standard, making this pokie a good bet. Also, keep in mind that the volatility is between medium and high, making sure the thrills are kept at a high level.

Who made the online pokie Sweet Bonanza?

The online pokie Sweet Bonanza was created by Pragmatic Play, which is a game provider with more than 300 pokies under its belt. Sweet Bonanza, launched in 2019, is one of their all-time most popular slot games.

What is the betting range in Sweet Bonanza?

The betting range in Swert Bonanza is between 20c and $100 per game round, in the base game. But, if you activate the ante bet, this increases to between 25c and $125. Then again, you can also choose to buy the bonus feature, which costs between $20 and $10,000.

Is there a bonus game in the Sweet Bonanza pokie?

Yes, there is a bonus game in Sweet Bonanza, and you trigger it by getting four lollipops. This will activate 10 free spins, where you can get balloons with multipliers between x2 and x100. It’s in the bonus you can trigger the maximum win in the game, equalling 21,100x your bet.

Eve Luneborg

Sub-editor & Casino Content Maestro

Eve Luneborg has been a dynamic presence in the online casino industry since 2014, starting at a burgeoning casino in Malta that has now become a leading gambling site. Initially a support agent, she progressed to handling payments and training new staff on processing withdrawals and KYC documents.

In 2016, Eve transitioned from casino operations to become a writer in the iGaming industry.