Rainbow Riches Pick'n'Mix (Barcrest) RTP review: 98% (bet-dependent)
How stake-tiering works — and who it punishes
Most conditional-RTP games gate their best figure behind a mode or a strategy. Pick'n'Mix (2016) gates it behind spend, in hard bands. Bet 90p and the machine is calibrated to 94%; cross the £1 line and it steps to 96%; the 98% headline exists only inside Big Bet — fixed-price packages of linked spins at high stakes. The design reads as a loyalty ladder, but functionally it's a small-stake surcharge: the players least able to absorb house edge get the most of it. If you take one thing from this review, it's the £1 threshold — sitting just under it is the single most expensive place to play this game.
The pick-your-own-bonus gimmick
The game's name comes from its genuinely novel setup: from the franchise's classic feature roster — Road to Riches, Wishing Well, Cash Crop, Magic Toadstool, Free Spins — you pick which bonuses are active on your reels. Fancy only the trail and the toadstool? Deselect the rest and the reels re-weight accordingly. It's slot-as-tasting-menu, the best idea Barcrest attached to the Rainbow Riches brand, and it gives repeat sessions real variety across a 5×3, 20-line frame at medium volatility (3/5) with a 500x cap.
The Great Britain paradox
Here's the twist for the game's home market: Big Bet packages fall under GB's feature-buy prohibition, so British players — the franchise's core audience — cannot access the 98% tier at all. Their practical menu is 94% or 96%, decided at the £1 line. The same regulatory geometry applies to Barcrest's Ooh Aah Dracula, whose 99% Hi-Roller mode is likewise off-limits in GB; between the two, Dracula offers the higher peak where accessible, Pick'n'Mix the better everyday structure via its feature selection.
Strengths
- Feature selection is a genuinely original franchise idea
- 98% Big Bet tier is elite where available
- Clear, published tier structure — no hidden operator ladder
- £1+ play at 96% is respectable value
Weaknesses
- Sub-£1 stakes are locked to 94%
- The 98% tier is expensive, package-only and GB-blocked
- 500x cap is small even for the risk level
Verdict: read the tiers, then bet accordingly
Skip if: you're a sub-£1 player — the 94% band makes this a poor home for small stakes.
Pick'n'Mix pairs the most interesting idea in the Rainbow Riches stable with the most regressive pricing structure. Our rating rewards the transparency — every tier is published, unlike silent operator ladders — and the strong value available to those who read the bands and position themselves above the line. Position yourself below it and the game quietly becomes something else.