Dancing Drums is an Asian-themed slot that offers players the chance to win a fixed jackpot of up to $250,000. Shuffle Master, a studio owned by industry giant Light & Wonder, released this medium-volatility slot in 2017. The company has unveiled two sequels since then, but the original game remains popular at online casinos and land-based casinos.
Volatility: | Medium |
RTP percentage: | 96% |
Number of reels: | 5 |
Paylines: | 243 |
Minimum bet: | $0.88 |
Maximum bet: | $220 |
Bonus round: | Free spins, mini-games, spin wheel, etc. |
Jackpot: | Grand jackpot of $250,000 |
Dancing Drums highlights
- Medium-volatility slot that offers large multipliers
- Four fixed jackpots of up to $250,000
- Betting limits to suit high rollers
Dancing Drums is a fast-paced, entertaining slot with colorful graphics and a captivating soundtrack. The game is ideal for anyone using an iPhone or Android phone, but you cannot play Dancing Drums in widescreen mode, so it is not really optimized for desktop play.
This slot could prove popular with high-stakes players, as you can wager up to $220 per spin. However, the minimum bet is only $0.88, so this Asian-themed slot should suit most budgets, and there are some large fixed jackpots available.
How to play Dancing Drums slot
Dancing Drums is a five-reel slot with 243 paylines. That means you will win by forming any combination of at least three matching symbols from left to right on the grid. Special symbols include a scatter and a wild, which are explained in our guide on how slots work, and there are a couple of bonus features, too.
Game rules
Tap or click on the question mark symbol at the bottom right of the screen to access information about the game rules. You will see the pay table, details about the jackpot bonus and the free spins round, and information about the wild and scatter symbols.
How to read paylines
This is a 243-payline slot. That means you simply need three or more matching symbols to appear anywhere on adjacent reels, from left to right on the grid, in order to win. The paylines are fixed, so you simply choose your bet size, and it will cover all of the paylines.
Ways to spin
The minimum bet on the Dancing Drums slot is $0.88. You can alternatively wager $1.76, $2.64, $4.40, $5.28, $8.80, $13.20, $22, $44, $88, $132, or $220 per spin. Just use the plus and minus buttons to select your bet size and hit the large play button to spin the reels.
If you click the autoplay button, you can choose 5, 25, 50, or 100 auto spins. The game gives you the chance to set a stop loss, or you can stop if you win a certain amount.
The RTP (return to player) rate of this game is 96%. That is pretty average for an online slot. Dancing Drums has a medium level of volatility.
How Dancing Drums works
Dancing Drums is played out on a 5×3 grid. This is a pays-all-ways slot, so there are no traditional paylines. You will receive a payout if you simply land three or more matching symbols on adjacent reels from left to right, and there are a few bonus features, too.
Dancing Drums symbols
This online slot features traditional Asian symbols, including gold dragons and gold coins, plus high cards. You can win up to 44x your bet from a single combination during the base game, and larger payouts are available during the bonus rounds. These are the base game multipliers.
Gold drum | Gold dragon | Gold ship | Gold flowers | Gold pot | Gold coins | Ace, King, Queen | Jack, 10, 9 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 | 44 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 | 0.2 | 0.15 |
4 | 8.8 | 2 | 1 | 0.75 | 0.5 | 0.25 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
3 | 4.4 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.25 | 0.15 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
Special symbols: wild and scatter
A framed Chinese symbol serves as the wild in this game. The symbol can appear on Reels 2, 3, or 4, and it helps you form winning combos. The wild can also randomly trigger the jackpot bonus.
The dancing drums are the scatter symbols. If at least three of them appear from the first reel, you will unlock the free spins bonus round.
Dancing Drums bonus rounds
There are a few interesting bonus rounds on the Dancing Drums slot. You can unlock free spins or win fixed jackpots by triggering the bonus rounds.
Free spins round
If you land three or more scatter symbols on adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost reel, you will trigger the free spins bonus round. The game will allow you to choose from four options:
- 15 free spins on a 3×5 grid
- 10 free spins on a 4×5 grid
- 5 free spins on a 5×5 grid
- 3 free spins on a 6×5 grid
If you land two or more drum symbols on adjacent reels, starting from Reel 1, during the bonus round, you will be awarded another three free spins. Payouts are identical to the base game during the free spins round.
Jackpot bonus pick game
When one or more of the Fu Babies jackpot bonus symbols appear, you can trigger one of the four fixed jackpots. If you are eligible for more than one jackpot, you will be taken through to a separate screen, where you will find 12 coin symbols.
You can click the coins until you reveal three matching icons. Then, you will be awarded the corresponding jackpot.
Dancing Drums jackpot
There are four fixed jackpots on Dancing Drums: Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand. If you play for the full $220 per spin, the Mini jackpot will be $3,750, the Minor jackpot will be $7,500, the Major jackpot will be $125,000, and the Grand jackpot will be $250,000.
However, if you only play for $0.88 per spin, the jackpots will be $15, $30, $500, and $1,000. You will see them increase or decrease immediately on the screen if you adjust your bet size. This is one of the best fixed jackpot slots, and some online casinos also apply their own progressive jackpots to the game.
Dancing Drums series
Light & Wonder has released a couple of sequels to Dancing Drums. These are the games in the series:
- Dancing Drums
- Dancing Drums Explosion
- Dancing Drums Prosperity
Popular games by Light & Wonder
Where to play Dancing Drums slot for real money
Most leading real money online casinos allow players to enjoy the Dancing Drums slot. These are a couple of the best sites to play Dancing Drums.
DraftKings Casino
You can play Dancing Drums from $0.88 to $220 per spin at DraftKings Casino. The game is also covered by DraftKings’ in-house jackpot network, so you can opt to pay an extra $0.10 per spin to be in with a chance of winning a single progressive jackpot, which is often worth more than $1 million. That is in addition to the four fixed jackpots available on Dancing Drums.
Caesars Palace Casino
Caesars Palace Casino hosts Dancing Drums and Dancing Drums Explosion. This online casino has a strong VIP program for high rollers. You will quickly rack up Reward Credits and Tier Credits if you play Dancing Drums at the maximum bet limits, and you can then begin to unlock a wide range of perks. Caesars Palace Casino also offers lots of ongoing promotions for all players, plus regular leaderboards.
Final thoughts
Dancing Drums is an entertaining slot that offers the chance to win large, fixed jackpots. The 243 paylines mechanic keeps things simple, and it is nice to be given a choice of four grids when you trigger the free spins round. The RTP rate is decent for a medium volatility slot, too.
The slot is displayed in portrait mode only, so the symbols are a bit small. The sequels offer superior graphics and larger multipliers, but Dancing Drums is still a fun online slot that should appeal to players who like Asian-themed games.
Similar games to Dancing Drums
If you like Dancing Drums, you might enjoy these slots.

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River Dragons
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