The Australian outback is one of the most dangerous places in the world, and Ainsworth is taking us right into the heart of it for the Kanga Cash online slot game. Ainsworth is best known for developing slot games for land-based casinos, with its online slots often using simple mechanics and few bonus features. Does Kanga Cash take a different approach? Join me as I find out in this Kanga Cash slot review.

As I mentioned in the introduction to this Kanga Cash slot review, the game’s reels are set in the middle of the Australian outback, with the baking hot sun setting in the distance. The symbols are the animals that inhabit the land. Kanga, the titular Kangaroo, is the game’s Wild, and a kangaroo jumping in front of the setting sun is the Scatter. 

The slot does not have a soundtrack, with Ainsworth’s preference for simple, land-based gaming sound effects winning out. I tested the slot on my mobile, and while it has been well-optimized in some respects, I found the menus very hard to read on a smaller screen.

Kanga Cash by Ainsworth is an easy game for new players to adjust to. It has five reels, three rows, and ten non-adjustable paylines on each spin. You need to hit three or more matching symbols across a line to land a win.

The game’s controls are under the reels, with the stake controlled by the +/- buttons. The betting range is pretty standard, from $2.00 to $40. You will also find the auto-play, paytable, and max bet options here.

There is a minimal selection of bonus features up for grabs in the Kanga Cash online slot game. Firstly, there is the Kanga Cash free spins bonus. This triggers whenever the Kangaroo Wild symbol is part of a winning combination. Players will get five free spins. Each time a Wild lands during the round, there is a chance for more spins, with a maximum of 50 able to be retriggered.

Landing six or more Sunset Kangaroo Scatters will trigger the Hold and Spin feature. During this, the six symbols will hold in place, and three respins will be given. Any time a new Scatter lands, it sticks to the grid and resets the spin count.

The online slot features three jackpots - the Minor, Major, and Grand. These are worth $500, $2,000, and $30,000, respectively. You can win the Minor and Major ones in the free spins round, while the Grand pays out if you fill the grid in the Hold and Spin round. 

Buying your way into the Kanga Cash online slot bonus rounds is impossible.

One of the first observations I made when playing Kanga Cash for real money was that the game does not have a particularly flexible betting range. The minimum bet is $2, and the maximum is $40, which will not appeal to more budget-conscious players. 

I took the game for a spin for $2 and got lucky - hitting the Hold and Spin bonus on my fourth spin. This led to a 15x payout, which put me in the black for a while. I found wins to be few and far between in the base game, and after around 40 spins, I was slightly up, largely boosted by the aforementioned wins in the Hold & Spin round.

I continued playing the game for around another 15 spins, but the returns had slowed down, and the bonuses were not triggering.

There is considerable winning potential in the Kanga Cash slot, with the Grand Jackpot worth $30,000, which is undoubtedly one of the slot’s biggest selling points. The Kanga Cash RTP is 95.33%, which puts it lower than what we would expect from most top online slots. The game belongs to a group of high volatility slots, and this was reflected during my sessions.

Many of Ainsworth’s slots stick very closely to the basic gameplay mechanics you would find in a land-based slot machine. While having a fundamental design, Kanga Cash mixes things up a little, with the Kanga Cash and the Spin and Hold Feature both proving engaging. The game also provides considerable winning potential, with the Grand Jackpot of $30,000.

While it is far from reinventing the wheel, Kanga Cash will appeal to players looking for slots with a basic design and some good winning potential. However, with the higher betting range, this slot will not be suitable for players on smaller budgets.

If you are a fan of the Kangaroo theme, I recommend Kangaroo King from Stakelogic. This puts a quirky twist on the genre and provides some engaging bonuses. If it is the hold and spin style feature you enjoy, Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways from Pragmatic Play is a must-play.