Item: Christmas Big Bass Bonanza Pokie Review
Rating: 6
Author: Noah Williams

Noah Williams Updated on:January 07, 2026

Christmas Big Bass Bonanza gives Pragmatic Play’s classic fishing pokie a festive makeover, swapping the usual fisherman for Santa and dropping you into a cheerful North Pole setting where even the fish wear Christmas hats.

Aussie players looking for free pokies online in Australia will appreciate the easy betting range and the solid 96.71% RTP. The maximum win of 2,100x your stake is not huge by modern standards, but that is not really what this game is about.

Christmas Big Bass Bonanza Featured Image

Quick Facts

Max Payout up to 2,100x stake

Slot Type
5-Reel

Payout %
96.71

Min/Max Bet
0.20/500 credit

Pokie Volatility
Med-High

No. of Paylines
10 fixed

Software Developer
Pragmatic Play (Reel Kingdom)

Jackpot Type
In House

Android

iOS

Browser

Play For Real Money

Table of Contents

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Editor's Verdict of Christmas Big Bass Bonanza

Pros

Above average RTP at 96.71% rate
Festive theme executed with polished visuals
Engaging free spins with multiplier progression
Wide betting range suits all budgets

Cons

Low 2,100x maximum payout potential
Pure reskin with zero mechanical innovation
High volatility creates extended dry spells

I’ve put Christmas Big Bass Bonanza through plenty of testing, and it delivers pretty much what you would expect. It is a solid festive reskin of the original Big Bass Bonanza, keeping the same core mechanics while dressing them up with a Christmas theme. The North Pole backdrop and cheerful fish symbols add genuine seasonal charm, and the sound design does a good job of creating a cosy Christmas vibe without becoming annoying during longer play sessions.

The free spins feature is still the main draw. Hitting three or more scatters triggers the bonus round, where Santa wilds collect money symbol values across the reels. The retrigger system and rising multipliers of 2x, 3x, and up to 10x help keep things interesting. I also liked the wide betting range, starting at $0.10 and going all the way up to $250 AUD, which makes the game suitable for most bankrolls. The 96.71% RTP is comfortably above average and feels fair for a Pragmatic Play slot.

That said, the 2,100x maximum win feels a bit underwhelming when many modern pokies now push 5,000x or more. The base game can be slow, with plenty of dead spins that come with high volatility slots, and the 10 payline setup feels dated by today’s standards. Outside of the festive visuals, there is nothing new here from a gameplay perspective.

Christmas Big Bass Bonanza is best suited to players who already enjoy the Big Bass formula and want a bit of seasonal flavour, or bonus chasers who are happy to ride out volatility for a chance at free spins wins. If you are looking for innovation or huge win potential, this one is easy to skip.

Ratings Breakdown

Jackpots & Bonus Games

Graphics & Audio

Ease-of-Use & Gameplay

Mobile Compatibility

Payout

Fun

Gameplay and Design

From the first spin, Christmas Big Bass Bonanza feels responsive and smooth. The reels drop at a comfortable pace that never feels rushed or slow, which makes longer sessions easy to settle into. You are playing on a classic 5×3 grid with 10 fixed paylines, and wins pay from left to right in the usual way, so everything feels familiar and easy to follow.

Pragmatic Play fully leans into the Christmas theme on the visual side. A frozen North Pole lake sits behind the reels, while the symbols include cheerful fish in Santa hats, tackle boxes wrapped like presents, and even dragonflies wearing winter scarves. It is festive without going over the top, striking a nice balance between playful and polished.

Win animations are kept subtle rather than flashy. Symbols light up with a soft glow instead of loud explosions, which suits the relaxed pace of the game. When the Santa fisherman wild lands, it comes in with a smooth swoosh animation, and money symbols give off a gentle shimmer on the reels.

Overall, the game feels well made and seasonally on point. It runs smoothly and looks festive without overpowering the familiar Big Bass fishing theme that fans already know and enjoy.

Jackpots and Bonus Features

Christmas Big Bass Bonanza lives and dies by its free spins feature. You trigger it when three or more scatter symbols, shown as festive fish, land anywhere on the reels. Three scatters award 10 free spins, four give you 15, and five unlock 20. In practice, this bonus tends to land about once every 113 spins, so a bit of patience is definitely required.

Once you are in free spins, money symbols start appearing with random values ranging from 2x up to 2,000x your stake. These values do nothing on their own until a Santa Wild lands. When it does, Santa collects the value of every money symbol currently on the screen, which is where most of the excitement comes from.

The feature really ramps up through retriggers. Every fourth Wild symbol collected during the entire free spins round awards an extra 10 spins and increases the collection multiplier. The first retrigger boosts it to 2x, the second to 3x, and the third all the way up to 10x. This is where the best wins usually happen, especially if multiple Wilds land in the same spin during the later stages.

There is no progressive jackpot, and the maximum win is capped at 2,100x your stake, which will feel modest to players used to modern pokies offering much higher ceilings. Even so, the climbing multipliers and repeated Wild collections can still deliver satisfying payouts. Much of the appeal comes from watching the Wild counter inch closer to the next multiplier, turning each free spin into a moment of genuine anticipation.

RTP & Volatility

Christmas Big Bass Bonanza runs at an RTP of 96.71%, which means it is designed to return $96.71 for every $100 wagered over the long run. For Aussie players, that sits comfortably above the usual 96% industry benchmark and offers slightly better value than many other pokies.

That said, Pragmatic Play does allow casinos to run lower RTP versions at 94.62% or 95.67%, so it is always worth checking which version you are playing before you commit any money.

In terms of volatility, this is a medium to high variance slot, and it plays exactly how you would expect. The base game can feel slow, with long stretches of spins that return very little. When the free spins feature does land, payouts tend to be more concentrated and meaningful, which creates a stop start style of gameplay.

This setup suits patient players who are comfortable riding out dry spells and who have a bankroll that can handle longer gaps between wins.

Mobile Play

Christmas Big Bass Bonanza runs smoothly on mobile thanks to its HTML5 build, so there is no need to download a separate app. It works just as well on both iOS and Android devices, whether you are playing in portrait or landscape mode. The 5×3 grid scales nicely to smaller screens, and the buttons are large enough to make spinning and adjusting your bet easy without accidental taps.

The visuals hold up well on mobile, with sharp festive graphics and smooth animations that do not lag on modern phones or tablets. Load times are quick too, usually taking only a few seconds on a decent connection, which makes jumping in for a short session easy.

In some ways, the game actually feels better on mobile than desktop. The cleaner layout removes any unnecessary clutter while keeping all the key features intact. It also runs reliably across common browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Firefox, so you get the same experience no matter how you choose to play.

Software Provider

Pragmatic Play is one of the most active developers in the industry, having released well over 200 games since 2015. Despite the high output, their pokies generally maintain a strong level of polish and consistency. They tend to focus on solid maths models, clean visuals, and gameplay that is easy to pick up without feeling overly basic.

The Big Bass series is a good example of this approach. With more than a dozen versions now available, Pragmatic Play has shown they know how to build long running franchises around proven mechanics. Australian players, in particular, have come to associate the studio with clear RTP information, strong mobile performance, and bonus features that are designed to be entertaining rather than overly complicated.

Their games are tested and certified across multiple regulated markets, which helps ensure fair outcomes and reliable performance. Across the wider catalogue, you can generally expect sharp graphics, intuitive controls, and volatility that feels well balanced for the type of slot you are playing.

Conclusion

Christmas Big Bass Bonanza offers a festive twist on a well known formula, making it a good fit for players who enjoy familiar gameplay with a bit of seasonal flavour. The 96.71% RTP and medium to high volatility will suit patient players who are happy to spin for the free spins feature, which is where most of the fun happens. With bets ranging from 0.10 up to 250 units, it works for both smaller and larger budgets, while the 2,100x maximum win keeps expectations grounded rather than unrealistic. Overall, it is best suited to fans of the original Big Bass Bonanza who want a Christmas themed version without added complexity.

If you are looking for similar pokies, Big Bass Splash delivers the same core mechanics with a tropical theme that works all year round. Bigger Bass Bonanza steps things up with more paylines and higher win potential for players who want a bit more action. For something more original, Santa’s Stack by Relax Gaming is worth a look, offering a festive theme with genuinely different gameplay thanks to its cluster pay system.

Christmas Big Bass Bonanza FAQs

Yes, Christmas Big Bass Bonanza runs directly through mobile browsers on iOS and Android devices without requiring app downloads. Most Australian facing online casinos optimize the game for touchscreen interfaces, ensuring smooth gameplay on smartphones and tablets with responsive button sizing and fast loading times.

Licensed online casinos serving Australian players typically accept POLi, bank transfers, credit/debit cards, and cryptocurrency options for deposits. Minimum deposit requirements vary by casino (usually between AUD 10 to AUD 20), and you should verify whether your chosen payment method qualifies for welcome bonuses before funding your account.

Yes, reputable online casinos require identity verification (passport, driver's license, or proof of address) before processing withdrawals, though you can often play immediately after depositing. This Know Your Customer (KYC) process protects against fraud and ensures compliance with anti money laundering regulations across licensed jurisdictions.

Christmas Big Bass Bonanza remains available at offshore licensed casinos accepting Australian players, despite domestic restrictions on online casino operations within Australia. Players should verify that their chosen casino holds valid licensing from recognized jurisdictions like Curaçao, Malta, or Gibraltar to ensure legitimate operation and player protection standards.

Most licensed casinos provide deposit limits, session time reminders, reality checks, and self exclusion options accessible through account settings. Given this pokie's medium to high volatility and bonus focused mechanics, setting strict session budgets and loss limits before playing helps maintain control during extended dry spells between free spins features.