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Drill the Thrill Slot Review
Written by: Filip Gromovic Reviewed by: Nashon Khamala
Updated: Aug 2026
Drill the Thrill slot is a mining-themed video slot developed by NowNow Gaming and released through Hacksaw Gaming’s OpenRGS platform on July 27, 2026. It runs on a 5-reel grid that starts at 3-4-4-4-3 and expands to 3-8-8-8-3 during features, unlocking up to 4,608 ways to win. The default RTP is 96.32%, volatility is rated medium (3/5), and the maximum payout reaches 10,000× the bet.
The slot centres on two expanding Wild drills — Silver on reel 1 and Golden on reel 5 — that drive reel expansion, coin collection, and a Hold & Win respin round. A Blast Zone Bonus awards 5 free spins with the Silver Drill locked on every spin. Three Feature Buy options (2×, 50×, and 150× the bet) let players skip the base game entirely. Bets range from $0.10 to $100 per spin.
Below is a full breakdown of each mechanic, the paytable structure, RTP details, and the four-tier jackpot system built into the Drill It Hard feature.
How to Play Drill the Thrill
The base game runs on a 5-reel grid with a 3-4-4-4-3 row configuration. Wins form by matching 3 to 5 identical symbols on adjacent reels from left to right across any active way. Reels 1 and 5 always stay at 3 rows, while the middle three reels expand during features.
Here is how a typical session works:
- Select a bet between $0.10 and $100 using the stake controls.
- Press Spin or activate Autoplay to set a fixed number of automatic spins.
- Match 3–5 identical symbols on adjacent reels from the left to form a winning way.
- Watch for the Silver Drill on reel 1 — it triggers the Drill It Hard feature and expands the middle reels.
- If a Golden Drill also lands on reel 5 during the same spin, the Hold & Win respin round begins.
- Land 3 FS Scatter symbols on reels 2, 3, and 4 to trigger the Blast Zone Bonus (5 free spins).
- Alternatively, use one of three Feature Buy options to enter bonus features directly.
The expanding grid is the key mechanic. In the base game, the 3-4-4-4-3 layout produces 576 ways to win (3×4×4×4×3). When the Silver Drill triggers Drill It Hard, the middle reels grow to 5, 6, 7, or 8 rows. At maximum expansion (3-8-8-8-3), the ways-to-win count jumps to 4,608 — an 8× increase over the base grid.
Here is a quick-reference table of the key specs:
| Feature | Details |
| Grid Size | 3-4-4-4-3 (base) → 3-8-8-8-3 (expanded) |
| Pay System | Up to 4,608 Ways to Win |
| Stake Range | $0.10 – $100 |
| Volatility | Medium (3/5) |
| RTP (default) | 96.32% |
| Hit Frequency | 27.12% |
| Main Feature | Hold & Win Respins |
| Free Spins | 5 (Blast Zone Bonus, no retrigger) |
| Max Win | 10,000× stake |
Because the expanding reels only activate when the Silver Drill lands, the base game alternates between a compact 576-way grid and much larger configurations. This creates a clear two-phase rhythm: standard spins on the smaller grid, and high-potential spins once the drills appear and the middle reels open up.
Bonus Features: Drill It Hard, Hold & Win, Blast Zone Bonus & Feature Buy
Drill the Thrill slot packs four distinct bonus mechanics into its expanding-grid framework. The Drill It Hard feature drives reel expansion and coin collection, Hold & Win provides the respin round where the largest payouts concentrate, the Blast Zone Bonus locks the Silver Drill for 5 free spins, and the Feature Buy offers three price tiers for direct entry. Here is how each one works.
Drill It Hard
The Silver Drill can only land on reel 1. When it appears — regardless of its initial height — it expands to cover the entire first column and acts as a stacked Wild. Simultaneously, the three middle reels (2, 3, and 4) grow from their base height of 4 rows to 5, 6, 7, or 8 rows.
During this expansion, Coin symbols and Jackpot symbols can appear on reels 2, 3, and 4 alongside regular pay symbols. At least one regular symbol is guaranteed on each expanded reel. Cash Coins carry bet multiplier values ranging from 1× to 100×. Jackpot symbols award fixed amounts: Mini (10×), Minor (100×), Major (500×), or Grand (2,500×).
The Silver Drill collects all visible Coin and Jackpot values when the feature resolves. If no Golden Drill lands on reel 5, these values plus any regular-symbol wins are paid out and the feature ends.
Hold & Win
Hold & Win triggers when both the Silver Drill on reel 1 and the Golden Drill on reel 5 land in the same spin. The Golden Drill also expands to fill reel 5 as a stacked Wild. Regular-symbol wins are paid immediately, while all Coin and Jackpot symbols on reels 2, 3, and 4 lock in place and become sticky.
The round starts with 3 respins. Empty positions on the expanded middle reels are filled with Void symbols — only these positions respin. Each time a new Coin or Jackpot symbol lands, it replaces a Void, locks in place, and resets the respin counter back to 3. The round ends when either the respins run out or every position on the expanded grid is filled.
Filling the entire expanded grid awards the 10,000× maximum win instantly. The same cap applies if the total value of all collected Coins and Jackpots reaches 10,000× at any point during the round. Otherwise, all locked values are summed and paid at the end.
Blast Zone Bonus
Landing 3 FS Scatter symbols on reels 2, 3, and 4 during a base-game spin triggers 5 free spins. Only one Scatter can appear per reel, so all three middle reels must contribute. The Blast Zone Bonus cannot be retriggered during the round.
During these 5 spins, the Silver Drill is locked on reel 1 for every spin. This guarantees the Drill It Hard feature is active on every free spin, meaning the middle reels always expand and Coin/Jackpot symbols always have a chance to appear. If the Golden Drill also lands on reel 5 during any of these spins, a Hold & Win round triggers within the bonus.
The guaranteed Silver Drill turns every free spin into a potential Hold & Win entry point. Multiple Hold & Win sessions can chain within a single Blast Zone Bonus if Golden Drills appear on successive spins.
Feature Buy
Drill the Thrill offers three Feature Buy options, each at a different price point and entry level:
| Buy Option | Cost | What It Activates |
| Bonushunt Featurespins | 2× bet | Spins with a 3× higher chance to trigger the bonus round |
| Drill It Hard Featurespins | 50× bet | Guaranteed Silver and Golden Drills on reels 1 and 5 (enters Hold & Win) |
| Blast Zone Bonus | 150× bet | Direct entry into 5 free spins with locked Silver Drill |
The 2× option is the cheapest and simply increases trigger odds without guaranteeing anything. The 50× option skips directly to Hold & Win with both drills active. The 150× option buys the full Blast Zone Bonus, which can produce multiple Hold & Win sessions across its 5 spins.
Symbols & Payouts
The paytable splits into two groups of regular symbols, plus special symbols that drive the bonus mechanics. Wins require 3 to 5 matching symbols on adjacent reels from left to right. Because the grid uses ways to win rather than fixed paylines, every position on each reel connects to every position on the next.
Low-paying symbols are playing card ranks from 9 through Ace. A 5-of-a-kind combination on these symbols pays between 0.3× and 0.5× the bet.
High-paying symbols are thematic icons: a mining hat, a lantern, a pickaxe, a bundle of dynamite, and the miner character. These pay between 0.8× and 2× the bet for a 5-of-a-kind set, with the miner as the top-paying regular symbol.
Special symbols include:
| Symbol | Function | Where It Appears |
| Silver Drill (Wild) | Expanding Wild; triggers Drill It Hard | Reel 1 only |
| Golden Drill (Wild) | Expanding Wild; triggers Hold & Win when paired with Silver Drill | Reel 5 only (requires Silver Drill active) |
| FS Scatter | 3 trigger Blast Zone Bonus (5 free spins) | Reels 2, 3, 4 (max 1 per reel) |
| Cash Coins | Carry bet multipliers (1×–100×) | Reels 2, 3, 4 during Drill It Hard only |
| Jackpot Symbols | Fixed prizes: Mini 10×, Minor 100×, Major 500×, Grand 2,500× | Reels 2, 3, 4 during Drill It Hard only |
Both Wild drills substitute for all regular pay symbols. Coin and Jackpot symbols do not appear during normal base-game spins — they only land on reels 2, 3, and 4 once the Drill It Hard feature activates and the middle reels expand.
RTP & Volatility of Drill the Thrill
Drill the Thrill ships with three RTP settings. The default (and highest) is 96.32%, confirmed across AboutSlots, BigWinBoard, and iGamingToday. Two lower variants exist at 94.32% and 92.27%. Operators select which version to run, so the active RTP at your casino may differ from the default. Check the in-game Paytable or Info screen before starting a session.
At 96.32%, the return sits above the industry baseline of roughly 96%. The volatility is rated medium (3 out of 5) by the provider. Combined with a 27.12% base hit frequency, this means roughly 1 in 4 spins produces a payout of some size in the base game — though many of those will be small card-rank wins.
| Metric | Value |
| RTP (default) | 96.32% |
| RTP (lower settings) | 94.32% / 92.27% |
| Volatility | Medium (3/5) |
| Hit Frequency | 27.12% |
| Max Win | 10,000× stake |
| Grand Jackpot (fixed) | 2,500× stake |
The medium volatility rating means payout distribution is more balanced than a 4/5 or 5/5 title. Base-game wins land more often, but the big-ticket returns still concentrate inside Hold & Win rounds where Coin and Jackpot symbols accumulate. The 10,000× cap requires filling the entire expanded grid or reaching that total in Coin/Jackpot values during a single Hold & Win session.
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Play Drill the Thrill for Free
A free demo of Drill the Thrill is available at multiple slot databases and casino sites. The demo uses the same math model, hit frequency, and feature mechanics as the real-money version, making it a reliable way to test how the expanding reels and Hold & Win round behave before committing funds.
In the demo, you can trigger all features — Drill It Hard, Hold & Win, and Blast Zone Bonus — and test each of the three Feature Buy tiers with play credits. This is useful for gauging how often the Silver Drill lands and how frequently it pairs with the Golden Drill to launch the respin round.
Demo access varies by region and operator. Some casinos require account registration, while others allow instant play. The slot is built in HTML5, so it runs in any modern browser on desktop or mobile without additional downloads.
FAQ about Drill the Thrill
The default RTP is 96.32%. Two lower settings also exist at 94.32% and 92.27%. Operators choose which version to run, so check the in-game Paytable at your specific casino to confirm the active setting.
Volatility is rated medium (3 out of 5) by NowNow Gaming. The base hit frequency is 27.12%, meaning roughly 1 in 4 spins returns a payout.
The maximum win is 10,000× the bet. It is awarded when either the entire expanded grid fills with Coin and Jackpot symbols during Hold & Win, or when the total collected value reaches 10,000× at any point during the round.
Yes. The Blast Zone Bonus awards 5 free spins, triggered by landing 3 FS Scatter symbols on reels 2, 3, and 4. The Silver Drill is locked on reel 1 for every free spin. Free spins cannot be retriggered.
Hold & Win triggers when the Silver Drill (reel 1) and Golden Drill (reel 5) land in the same spin. All Coin and Jackpot symbols on the middle reels lock in place, and you receive 3 respins. Each new symbol that lands resets the counter to 3. The round ends when respins run out or the grid fills completely.
The base grid is 3-4-4-4-3 (576 ways). When the Silver Drill triggers Drill It Hard, reels 2, 3, and 4 expand to 5, 6, 7, or 8 rows. At maximum expansion (3-8-8-8-3), the grid reaches 4,608 ways to win.
Yes, three options. Bonushunt Featurespins at 2× the bet increases bonus trigger odds. Drill It Hard Featurespins at 50× the bet guarantees both drills (Hold & Win entry). Blast Zone Bonus at 150× the bet buys 5 free spins directly.
Four fixed jackpot tiers appear as symbols during the Drill It Hard feature: Mini (10×), Minor (100×), Major (500×), and Grand (2,500×). These are bet multipliers, not progressive pools.
Yes. The game is built in HTML5 and is fully responsive across desktop, smartphone, and tablet browsers. No app download is required.
Bets range from $0.10 to $100 per spin. Adjust using the stake controls in the game interface.
The base hit frequency is 27.12%, meaning roughly 1 in every 3.7 spins produces a payout. This figure covers base-game wins only and does not account for feature triggers.
Conclusion: Who Suits Drill the Thrill
Drill the Thrill slot fits players who enjoy Hold & Win respin mechanics paired with expanding grids. The medium volatility and 27.12% hit frequency deliver a more balanced session rhythm than high-volatility coin-collect titles, while the 10,000× max win and four-tier fixed jackpot (up to 2,500× Grand) give the Hold & Win round meaningful upside. Three Feature Buy tiers at 2×, 50×, and 150× provide flexibility depending on budget and risk preference.
Players looking for deep free-spin rounds or high-variance payout profiles will find this slot limited. The Blast Zone Bonus awards only 5 non-retriggerable spins, and the medium volatility means the payout ceiling is more constrained than comparable 5/5-rated titles. The mining theme and visual design follow a well-established template without adding a distinctive angle.
Start with the free demo to test how frequently the Silver Drill lands and how often it pairs with the Golden Drill for Hold & Win entry. When switching to real money, verify the active RTP in the paytable — the three available settings (96.32%, 94.32%, 92.27%) represent a significant spread, and only the highest version matches the industry-standard return.
Filip Gromovic is a senior slots reviewer here at FreeSlots99 with over five years of experience evaluating the latest drops in the world of iGaming.
Being a slot fan himself, Filip approaches slot ratings just the way we like it – professionally, but also from a player’s standpoint.
That enables him to give his unbiased take on the slot’s features, gameplay and design, while only recommending top-tier releases to our readers.
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Having served FreeSlots99 for more than 5 years as a senior content editor and reviewer, Nashon Khamala has extensive knowledge in game slots and iGaming.
His membership in the Editorial Freelancers Association helps him deliver content that reaches both editorial excellence standards and an engaging information level.
By using his expertise in slots games combined with player-focused analysis, Nashon delivers a professional evaluation of slot features and player experiences in his reviews.
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