The Reel Steal

Drop into a Gritty 70s Heist Fantasy

Drop yourself into a world straight from a 1970s action flick—leather jackets, neon lights, cigar smoke swirling. The Reel Steal slot captures that retro crime saga, the kind where you’re one funky bassline away from a car chase. Instead of Egyptian gods or magic forests, here it’s all grit—guns, diamond-stuffed briefcases, and cops in the rearview.

NetEnt put this one together back in the day, bringing their reputation for clean, honest gameplay and solid mechanics. Even if you grew up on Grand Theft Auto or old-school heist movies, this slot hits that sweet spot between nostalgia and straightforward, rewarding spins.

Visually, things can feel a bit old school here. Symbols are painted in bold, almost pastel colors—getaway muscle cars, sticks of dynamite, over-the-top criminal characters that could have stepped out of any cult classic. It’s not high-gloss 3D, but what The Reel Steal lacks in slickness, it makes up for with attitude.

The real star, though, is the soundtrack. NetEnt nailed the vibe with pure 70s funk—think Shaft, complete with police sirens and the occasional gunshot. It might not be cinematic gold, but it locks you right into the action.

How Does The Reel Steal Slot Actually Play?

The Reel Steal uses a classic 5 reel, 9 payline setup—you won’t get overwhelmed by endless features or confusing formats. There’s no adjusting the paylines; it’s all or nothing, so every spin carries real weight, especially if you’re the kind who likes to push for big wins.

Bets start tiny, just 0.01 per line, so if you want to get a feel for the game without risking much, you can. Max bet can climb up to 45, or even 90 euros/dollars depending where you play. The whole thing’s beginner-friendly but also lets high-rollers crank the stakes if they’re feeling bold.

RTP sits at 95.9%—just a hair below the industry line, nothing shocking. Volatility here is on the medium to high side. Translation: don’t expect small wins every other spin, but when the game wakes up—especially during bonus features—it can really pay out. A run of dead spins is common, but so are those rare, thrilling hits.

The interface is simple enough. Spin, Max Bet, Auto-Play (if you don’t want to sit there hammering the button for hours). Bet levels and coin values can be shifted, which gives you some control, but the overall feel is old-school and no-nonsense.

Bonus Features That Pack a Punch

The bonuses in The Reel Steal slot are the real reason it still gets played, despite its age.

Wilds are represented by an orange muscle car—couldn’t be more on brand. These wilds substitute for every symbol except scatters, but they don’t just help you hit wins: every line win featuring a wild gets multiplied by 5 in the base game. Not bad, but the wilds really show off during free spins, where they multiply wins a hefty 25 times. That’s when the chase can get wild, if you’ll pardon the pun.

Scatters are clearly marked sticks of dynamite. Land three or more, and you’re into Free Spins—15 for three, 20 for four, and 25 for five. Pretty generous, and the fun doesn’t stop there. Any scatter landing during Free Spins adds a spin, so extra value is always a possibility.

Every win during Free Spins gets a 5x boost, with the potential for a wild to kick that up to 25x. Plenty of room for sweat and excitement. Sure, these bonus rounds are rare—but if you catch them, the multipliers can seriously change your balance.

No progressive jackpots and no pick-me rounds here, so if you want that style of action, you’ll want to look elsewhere. This is a slot that keeps its bonus features straightforward, but that’s not a bad thing when the multipliers are this juicy.

Paytable: Where the Money’s Made

The paytable sticks close to the crime theme. Your high symbols? The rogues’ gallery: the mob overlord with his cigar, the gun-toting henchman, the femme fatale in sunglasses, and a few more criminal archetypes. The most you’ll see is up to 1,500x for five of the gunman, and the woman with the shades drops 1,000x for a five-symbol hit. The Don pays up to 750x. These stand out visually too, popping with color on the reels.

Other symbols round out the story: safes, bags of cash, jewel-laden suitcases, cameras, pistols, passports. Even the low-paying symbols are tied to the heist vibe. The safe is nothing to sneeze at either—five of those brings in up to 100x.

The real heat, though, is always the wild multiplier or those scatter-triggered bonuses. The wins won’t come easy, but they hit big. Everything’s got a little flash, whether you’re watching tumbling cash or briefcases glitter across your screen. No modern 3D animation, just classic flash and theme.

Getting Started Is Easy

If you’ve played any classic NetEnt slot, you’ll feel right at home. Choose your coin value, use Bet Level to set how many coins per line, and hit Spin. There’s a Bet Max if you’re feeling bold, or Autoplay if you want to set a batch of spins and let it ride.

The paytable’s just a click away, giving a quick rundown of what every symbol pays. After a few rounds, you’ll know who to root for. In The Reel Steal demo or free play mode, you can try all this out with no risk, which is a smart way to get a handle on the game’s swings before putting real money down.

The first few spins? Expect a lot of nothing, a few base wins, and then the anticipation as you hunt that elusive scatter combo for the main event.

What Else Scratches That Heist Itch?

If you like the crime scene, The Reel Steal isn’t alone. Wild Heist at Peacock Manor takes you to Victorian larceny with even more features and random wilds. Microgaming’s Bust the Bank keeps it goofy but filled with bonus rounds and a classic art style. After Night Falls by Betsoft flips the coin, letting you play detective or thief in a stylish 3D outing.

In terms of gameplay, The Reel Steal lands closer to old-school slots, much like NetEnt’s other crime-linked games, but with a touch more volatility and a lot more potential for big multipliers.

Should You Try The Reel Steal Slot?

There’s no pretending this slot is cutting-edge. The graphics feel like a throwback, and there aren’t endless features to keep you chasing something new.

But if you’re after a crime slot where the soundtrack gets your head bobbing, every wild counts, and a single bonus round could turn your day around, this is a strong choice. It’s fair, it’s honest, and when it’s on your side, you feel every bit the getaway driver. Try The Reel Steal free play or demo version first—it’s the quickest way to see if you’re feeling the chase before you risk your own cash.

If you enjoy the setup here, you’ll find a lot to like in NetEnt’s lineup, and you’ll probably be coming back for a shot at those 25x multipliers sooner or later.