A rating out of ten is only useful if you know how it was reached. This page explains exactly how we test and score Royal Express: Hold and Win, which figures we trust, and where we draw the line between a verified number and a marketing claim. The short version: we play the game, we read the specification, we cross-check the maths, and we score against a fixed set of criteria that does not bend to suit an affiliate partner.
Step one: play the free demo
Every review starts in the demo. Before writing a word, we run Royal Express in free-play mode across enough spins to see the base game and the Hold and Win bonus behave in practice. The demo uses the same maths as the real-money version, so it is the honest way to learn how a slot actually plays without asking anyone to risk money to find out. We note how often the bonus triggers in our session, how the 3x3 grid fills, how the four jackpots surface, and whether the pacing matches the medium-high volatility on the spec sheet. These are observations from a limited sample, not statistical guarantees, and we say so.
Step two: log the mechanics
As we play, we log what happens: the trigger for the Hold and Win feature, how respins and coin values work, what lands the jackpots, and any behaviour that differs from how the game is marketed. This log becomes the backbone of the review, so that when we describe a feature we are describing what we watched happen, not paraphrasing a promo blurb.
Step three: source the figures
Numbers matter more than adjectives on a slot review, so we are careful about where ours come from. Our first source is Playson’s own published specification for Royal Express - RTP, volatility rating, grid size, maximum win, release date, and the structure of the Hold and Win bonus and its jackpots. We then cross-reference those figures against reputable independent slot databases to confirm they line up. Where a stated RTP appears as a small range - Royal Express sits around 95.62 to 95.64 percent depending on the source - we report the range rather than pretending to a false precision.
Playson is a well-established studio, founded in 2012 and based in Malta, licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority and AGCO in Ontario, with certified RNG output. That regulatory footprint is part of what we verify, because it speaks to whether the game’s stated maths can be trusted.
What we verify versus what we flag
We verify anything Playson publishes or an independent database confirms: RTP, volatility, the x1,000 maximum win, the 3x3 layout, the four-jackpot Hold and Win bonus, and the 27 March 2025 release date. Where a figure is not published - fine-grained hit frequencies, per-symbol paytable weights, or exact bonus trigger probabilities - we say it is unpublished rather than inventing a number. A guessed statistic dressed up as fact is worse than an honest gap, so we leave the gap and label it.
How we set the rating
The /10 score is a weighted judgement across a fixed set of criteria, applied the same way every time so scores stay comparable:
- Return to player. Where the RTP sits relative to the market average, and whether it is disclosed clearly.
- Volatility and value. Whether the risk profile matches the paytable and the entertainment you get per spin.
- Bonus design. How engaging and well-built the Hold and Win feature and jackpots are in practice.
- Maximum win potential. The top prize in context - x1,000 here - relative to comparable Hold and Win titles.
- Transparency. How much of the maths the studio publishes, and how honest the marketing is.
- Play experience. Pacing, clarity of the interface, and how the game feels over a real session.
We set the score before any affiliate link is placed on the page, and the score does not move afterward. If the game deserves criticism on one of these axes, that criticism lowers the number - that is the point of having criteria.
Affiliate independence
We earn commissions when readers sign up at licensed casinos through our tracked links, and we disclose that on every relevant page and in full on our disclaimer. The firewall is straightforward: editorial happens first, monetisation second. No operator can pay to raise a rating or remove a flaw we have documented. If that independence ever seems compromised to you, tell us at [email protected] and we will look into it.
Keeping it current
Slot specifications can change - studios adjust RTP configurations, and casinos deploy different versions. We revisit the review when we learn a figure has moved, and we correct promptly when a reader flags an error. More about the team and our standards is on our about page.