Empty the Bank

Empty the Bank Slot Review

Empty the Bank hides nearly all of its money in one room and offers almost nothing worth counting on the walk there. The base game pays a maximum of 20x for a full line of crowns, which means the entire session is a long wait on a moonlit rooftop for the feature that actually pays.

It’s a handsome wait, admittedly. A full moon rises behind the skyline, a money sack slumps open on the gravel, and the reels are bolted to a timber board like the least subtle getaway vehicle ever built. Pragmatic Play commit fully to the crime-caper look, right down to the water tower poking over the top rail and the coin pot brimming in the opposite corner.

Underneath sits a 5×4 grid with 20 paylines, bets from 0.20 to 240 per spin, high volatility, and a 96.48% RTP that dips slightly to 96.44% on the bonus buy. One respin feature, capped at 10,000x, carries the lot.

Base Game & Features

Wins pay left to right across the 20 fixed paylines, with only the highest combination counting on each line. Multiple line wins all add into the total. The WILD appears on all five reels and substitutes for everything except the BONUS symbol. That’s the entire base-game toolkit; this is a slot that saves its ammunition for the heist.

The paytable is a loot-themed ladder, and it’s a modest one. All values are multiples of the total bet:

• Crown – 2 pays 0.25x, 3 pays 2.5x, 4 pays 5x, 5 pays 20x
• Jewel Bag – 3 pays 2x, 4 pays 5x, 5 pays 10x
• Gold Bar – 3 pays 2x, 4 pays 4x, 5 pays 5x
• Cash Stack – 3 pays 1x, 4 pays 3x, 5 pays 5x
• Coins – 3 pays 1x, 4 pays 3x, 5 pays 4x
• A, K – 3 pays 0.5x, 4 pays 1x, 5 pays 3x
• Q, J – 3 pays 0.25x, 4 pays 0.5x, 5 pays 2x

Even the Crown’s full line returns just 20x the stake, which tells you where the money actually lives. Base wins here are change found down the back of the sofa.

Ante Bet

Two bet multipliers are on offer. The default 20x multiplier is normal play. Switching to the 25x multiplier puts more BONUS symbols on the reels, raising the natural chance of triggering the respin round, at the cost of disabling the buy option entirely.

The RTP is 96.48% either way, so it’s a preference about how you arrive at the feature rather than a value judgement.

In play, the board keeps its cards close: bonus symbols only ever visit reels 1, 3 and 5, and wilds turn up wherever they like. The payline diagram runs to twenty lines, each paying left to right with no room for negotiation.

Empty the Bank Bonus Features

Land a BONUS symbol on each of reels 1, 3 and 5 and the base game is swept away. In its place sits a grid that starts at 4×5 and can grow to 6×7, seeded with three MONEY symbols carrying random values in the spots the BONUS symbols occupied.

Only special symbols spin from there, and they land on any open position. You start with three respins, and every special symbol that hits sticks until the round ends and resets the count back to three. The round finishes when the respins run dry or the screen fills with symbols, at which point everything collected is paid out.

Nine accomplices crew the round, and each does a different job:

• MONEY – takes a random value of 1x to 10x total bet on every respin
• WALKIE TALKIE – adds a random +1x or +2x to all MONEY symbols, now and for the rest of the round
• COMPUTER – doubles the value of every MONEY symbol on screen and awards 1x
• BURGLAR – collects the value of all MONEY and other BURGLAR symbols, freeing those spaces for new symbols
• ALARM – raises the respin count from three to four for the rest of the round and awards 1x
• DRILL – opens closed spaces on reel 1 and awards 1x
• HAMMER – opens closed spaces on reel 7 and awards 1x
• LADDER – first hit opens row 5, second opens row 6, each hit awards 1x
• SAFE DOOR – awards 1x; hit three during the round to crack the vault for the game’s full maximum instantly

The tools are what tie the round together. Drills, hammers and ladders unlock closed rows and reels, so the board physically grows while the modifiers inflate the values sitting on it. A round can end on a cramped 4×5 or sprawl across the full 6×7.

The order of operations counts. A Computer that lands before a Burglar doubles the pot the Burglar then collects; a Walkie Talkie that lands early keeps adding its bonus to every MONEY symbol that arrives afterwards. Neither affects a Burglar already on screen, so a collected haul is collected.

Buy Respin Round

The feature can be triggered instantly from the base game for 80x the total bet, running at 96.44% RTP. It’s available only on the default 20x multiplier; switch the Ante Bet on and the buy button goes dark.

One hard rule governs everything: if the total win reaches 10,000x, the round ends immediately and anything still in progress is forfeited.

Our Honest Verdict

Overall Rating: 7.2/10

Most of a session on Empty the Bank is spent staring at a rooftop and waiting for three bonus symbols to line up on reels 1, 3 and 5. That’s the whole reason to pick it: one long stakeout, one shot at the vault. If that structure sounds like a flaw rather than a premise, this isn’t your heist.

When the round finally arrives, it’s the best-built part of the game. Nine distinct symbols that collect, multiply and physically expand the grid means no two rounds play out the same way, and the order they land in genuinely matters.

The problem is everything before it. A paytable that tops out at 20x leaves the base game with nothing to say, and the wait between features can be long. It suits patient players who want one big set-piece rather than a steady drip of smaller features; anyone who needs the base game to pull its weight will lose interest on the roof. For those who stay, the crew is worth meeting and the vault really does open.

Empty the Bank FAQs

• What is the RTP of Empty the Bank?

  Empty the Bank runs at 96.48% RTP in its default configuration, and the same figure applies when using the Ante Bet. Buying the respin round drops it marginally to 96.44%.
• Is Empty the Bank high volatility?

  Yes, it’s a high volatility game. Wins come less often on average, but the respin feature carries a much larger ceiling than the base game paytable suggests.
• How do you trigger the respin feature in Empty the Bank?

  The feature starts when BONUS symbols land on all three of the reels they visit: 1, 3 and 5. Three of them anywhere across that set sweeps the base game away and opens the rooftop grid.
• What does the Burglar symbol do in Empty the Bank?

  The Burglar collects the value of all MONEY symbols and other Burglar symbols currently on the grid, awarding them and freeing those spaces for new symbols to land in. The Computer and Walkie Talkie don’t affect Burglars already on screen.
• Can you retrigger respins in Empty the Bank?

  Yes, in effect. Every special symbol that lands resets the respin count back to three, and an Alarm symbol raises the count from three to four for the rest of the round. The round only ends when respins run out or the grid fills.
• Can you buy the bonus on Empty the Bank?

  Yes. The Buy Respin Round option triggers the feature instantly for 80x the total bet. It’s disabled while the 25x Ante Bet multiplier is active, and it runs at 96.44% RTP.
• What is the maximum win on Empty the Bank?

  The maximum win is 10,000x the total bet, awarded instantly if you hit three Safe Door symbols during the respin round. Reaching the cap ends the round immediately and forfeits any remaining features.
• How big does the grid get in the Empty the Bank respin round?

  The round starts on a 4×5 grid, seeded with three MONEY symbols where the BONUS symbols landed. Drill, Hammer and Ladder symbols open closed reels and rows, and the grid can grow to 6×7 depending on what hits.