Balloon Race

A live game by Evolution Gaming

Spin a slot to qualify, top up your multipliers, then watch four hot air balloons race to the finish, moved by a live ball draw.

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  • • Slot plus live race
  • • Each balloon wins 1 race in 4
  • • 96.09% top RTP
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Balloon Race game table
Best RTP 96.09% Normal spin
Lowest RTP 96.00% XXXtreme spin
Balloons 4 colors 20 balls each, first to 5 steps wins
Max payout $500,000 Evolution's payout cap

Should you play it?

Balloon Race is a slot you spin to earn a place in a live race. Every way of playing returns between 96.00% and 96.09%, and the plain Normal spin is the cheapest. The XXXtreme modes buy a faster route to the race, not a better price: they cost 5 or 50 times your base bet per spin, but every win is still paid on the base bet.

Play it if

  • You like a slot with a live bonus round at the end
  • You want a sure Bonus round payout once you qualify
  • You are fine with a return of about 96%

Variance profile

High. Line wins on the slot are small, 0.1x to 15x the base bet per winline, so most of the return comes from the Bonus round, where multipliers in Evolution's own examples reach 614x.

Bets and payouts

Spin modes and Top Up

Each mode is a way to pay for spins. Whatever you spend, Bonus round and line wins are paid on your base bet.

Bet When it wins RTP House edge
Normal spin Costs your base bet. Qualify with 3 scatters or Expanding Wilds in any mix. 96.09% 3.91%
XXXtreme spin Costs 5x your base bet. One scatter or Expanding Wild guaranteed per spin. 96.00% 4.00%
Super XXXtreme spin Costs 50x your base bet. Two scatters or Expanding Wilds guaranteed per spin. 96.03% 3.97%
Top Up Optional after you qualify. Costs at least your base bet per Top Up spin and adds to your multipliers. 96.05% 3.95%

Qualification slot line wins

Three or more matching symbols on one of the 10 fixed winlines, starting from the leftmost reel.

Bet Pays
10 3 pay 0.1x, 4 pay 0.3x, 5 pay 1x
J 3 pay 0.2x, 4 pay 0.5x, 5 pay 1.3x
Q 3 pay 0.3x, 4 pay 0.8x, 5 pay 1.5x
K 3 pay 0.4x, 4 pay 1x, 5 pay 2x
A 3 pay 0.5x, 4 pay 1.5x, 5 pay 3x
Bronze Ribbon 3 pay 1.5x, 4 pay 5x, 5 pay 10x
Silver Ribbon 3 pay 4x, 4 pay 7.5x, 5 pay 15x

Once you qualify, the Bonus round always pays: your base bet times your final multiplier on the winning balloon. Each color has 20 of the 80 balls, so each balloon wins exactly 25% of races; the color decides how much you win, not whether you win.

Only the highest win on each winline is paid, and wins on different winlines add up.

Line wins pay the multiple of your base bet shown, and your stake is not returned on top: 0.5x on a $1 base bet pays $0.50. Bonus round wins pay your base bet times your final multiplier. RTP is the share of all money bet that comes back over a very long run; house edge is the rest. Neither predicts a single session.

Where to play Balloon Race

Showing casinos that carry Evolution Gaming live tables and accept players in your region. This is provider availability, not confirmation that each casino offers this game. Check its live lobby before depositing.

How Balloon Race works

Balloon Race is a live game show from Evolution that starts as a slot. You spin a five reel Qualification slot until you land three scatters or Expanding Wilds, then join a live race of four hot air balloons, moved one step at a time by colored balls drawn from a machine.

1 5x3 slot

Qualify on the slot

Spin the Qualification slot at your base bet. Three scatters or Expanding Wilds, in any mix, put you into the Bonus round. Scatters can carry multipliers of 2x to 10x.

2 3 to 6 balloons

Top Up if you like

While you wait for the race, optional Top Up spins release balloons whose values add to your multiplier on each color.

3 First to 5 steps

The race

The machine draws colored balls one at a time and the matching balloon rises a step. The first balloon to reach the fifth step wins, and you are paid your multiplier on that color.

How your final multiplier is built

Before the race, a plane drops a random multiplier on each of the four colors. Your scatter multipliers are added together and multiplied by each color’s race multiplier, then your Top Up value for that color is added. Evolution’s rules give this example: 8x from scatters times a 50x race multiplier is 400x, plus 12x from Top Up makes 412x. On a $2 base bet that balloon pays $824, and a $5 line win from your qualifying spin is added for $829.

The spin modes

Normal spin is the default, and the bet you choose there becomes your base bet. XXXtreme spin costs 5x the base bet and guarantees one scatter or Expanding Wild per spin; Super XXXtreme costs 50x and guarantees two. Both also raise the chance of better multipliers. Every payout is still figured on the base bet, so with a $1 base bet a Super XXXtreme spin costs $50, and a 412x finish pays $412.

Top Up

Once you qualify you can Top Up while you wait for the race. Each Top Up spin costs at least your base bet and releases 3 to 6 balloons, no more than two of each color. A balloon that reaches the top adds its value to that color’s finish target; one that pops adds nothing. A bigger Top Up bet raises the values.

Line wins on the slot

The Qualification slot also pays ordinary line wins on 10 fixed winlines: three or more matching symbols in a row from the leftmost reel. Expanding Wilds fill their whole reel and stand in for any symbol except the scatter. Line wins are paid at once, unless the same spin qualifies you; then they are paid after the Bonus round.

Watch out for the payout cap

The maximum payout is $500,000. Your Top Up bet is checked against the cap before each Top Up spin, so a player close to it may find some bet sizes are not offered.

The math behind Balloon Race

Evolution publishes the RTP of each spin mode and of Top Up, so those figures are the studio's own. The race itself can be counted exactly, because every color has the same number of balls.

Each balloon wins one race in four

Each color has 20 of the 80 balls, so no balloon is favored: each wins exactly 25% of races. What differs between them is the multiplier riding on each one.

A race runs 5 to 17 draws

The quickest race is five balls of one color in a row. The longest has all four balloons on their fourth step after 16 draws, so the 17th ball always ends it.

What each mode costs per spin

On a $1 base bet, a Normal spin loses about 4 cents on average. An XXXtreme spin costs $5 and loses about 20 cents; a Super XXXtreme spin costs $50 and loses about $1.99. The returns are close; the amount you put through is not.

Official rules: Evolution Balloon Race game rules, checked October 30, 2026. The rules at your casino may show different figures; its in game help is the version that applies to you.

Is there a Balloon Race strategy?

Only in how you pay your way in. The reels, the multipliers and the ball draw are random, and there is no color to bet on, so your choices are the spin mode and whether to Top Up.

Normal spin is the best price

Normal spin returns 96.09%, the most in the game. XXXtreme returns 96.00% and Super XXXtreme 96.03%. They get you to the race sooner, but each spin costs 5 or 50 times as much while wins are still paid on the base bet.

Top Up is optional

Top Up returns 96.05%, a little below Normal spin. It raises your multipliers but costs extra each time, and no color is a better home for a Top Up value, since every balloon has the same 1 in 4 chance.

Join now or wait

When you qualify close to a race start you can join it or keep topping up for the next one. Waiting only matters if you want more Top Up spins, each priced at 96.05%.

What you can control

Your cost per spin

House edge, cheapest first. A shorter bar costs less.

  1. Normal spin3.91%
  2. Top Up3.95%
  3. Super XXXtreme spin3.97%
  4. XXXtreme spin4.00%

Your stake per spin

Your base bet sets every payout. Choose it first, and remember an XXXtreme mode multiplies the cost of each spin by 5 or 50.

How long you play

At about a 96% return, play costs around 4% of everything you bet over time, and the race multipliers make short sessions swing far more than that.

Play for fun, with money you can afford to lose. Set a time and money limit before you start and keep to it. If gambling stops being fun or you feel the urge to chase losses, take a break and get support: see our problem gambling help page.

Full game specifications

🎰 Game specifications

Format
Live game show: a Qualification slot, an optional Top Up, and a live balloon race decided by a ball draw
RTP stated by the studio
96.09% (optimal, Normal spin; XXXtreme 96.00%, Super XXXtreme 96.03%, Top Up 96.05%)
Slot
5 reels, 3 rows, 10 fixed winlines
Qualify with
3 scatters or Expanding Wilds, in any mix
Scatter multipliers
2x to 10x each, added together
Spin modes
Normal 1x, XXXtreme 5x, Super XXXtreme 50x the base bet
Race
80 balls, 20 each in yellow, purple, green and red
Bet limits
$0.10 to $2,500; check the table's Bet Limits panel
Max payout
$500,000

Balloon Race FAQ

Do I bet on a balloon color?

No. There is no color to pick. The race decides which of your four final multipliers is paid, and every qualified player is paid on the same winning balloon.

Can two balloons finish at the same time?

No. Balls come out one at a time and each moves only its own balloon, so one balloon always reaches the fifth step first. A race takes at least 5 draws and never more than 17.

What if I qualify just as a race is about to start?

If you qualify about 15 seconds before the Bonus round begins, a pop up asks whether to join it or keep topping up and play the next race instead. If you do not choose, you join the race that is starting.

Does Autoplay keep spinning after I qualify?

No. Autoplay stops as soon as you qualify. You also cannot change the bet or the spin mode while Autoplay is running.

What happens if I lose my connection?

Your bets stay valid and are settled without you, and the results are in your History when you return. If a game error cannot be fixed right away, the round is cancelled and bets are refunded.

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