Leprechauns, Shamrocks and Rainbows: An Enthusiast's Guide to More Irish-Themed Slots

We’ve all heard the saying “The Luck o’ the Irish,” right? 

Whether or not you believe that people with Irish blood have some sort of extra fortune in life is up to you and your experiences, but believe me, I know plenty of Irish slots players who would tell you it’s a load of old codswallop!

I’m a huge fan of Irish culture – the bars, the music, the positivity, and the straight-talking characters. Having visited Dublin many times, I’m a self-confessed Guiness lover, and as a passionate slots player, I’ve played my fair share of Irish themed slots, too.

St. Patrick’s Day on 17 March is a global celebration of everything Irish. The bars will be jam-packed with hat-wearing, green-clothed revelers, folk music will be heard the world over, and if you haven’t said “Top o’ the Morning” at least once then you’re not doing it right.

However, if you want to partake in some St. Patrick’s Day casino fun, then why not play some fun Irish-themed slots that are sure to get you in that “Grand” spirit.

“Wherever you go, whatever you do, may the luck of the Irish be there with you!”

‘Luck of the Irish’ Origins

The words “Irish” and “Luck” have always gone together, but there are different ideas about why this is the case.

One historical explanation suggests the link between the two actually comes with a negative association rather than a positive one.

This is because the most successful miners during the gold and silver rush years in the second half of the 19th century were of Irish and Irish American birth. But rather than receive praise for their skill, intelligence and hard work, it was deemed that their success must be purely down to luck and nothing else. Hence the “Luck of the Irish” saying was born to belittle their achievements.

However, for most, the link between Irish and Luck comes from a much more wholesome positive place. That of Celtic traditions, legends, and the mythical Irish leprechaun protecting his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Whatever its origins, Irish culture has certainly embraced its “lucky” identity and symbolism and made it into something very positive. Lucky charms, four leaf clovers (aka shamrocks) and horseshoes are all-over Ireland and Irish merchandise, not to mention the tourists that flock to Ireland to kiss the Blarney Stone to gain the “gift of the gab” (charm).

Irish-Themed Slots

Before we get into my favorite Irish-themed slots let’s be clear, these slots offer unadulterated joy. Although, of course, it’s still possible to win big on them, whether you win or lose, the focus is very much on entertainment. Expect dancing leprechauns, rainbows, big pots of gold, diddly-diddly soundtracks to sing along to, and if you hit something big, then that’s just good craic.

“May your day be touched by a bit of Irish luck, brightened by a song in your heart and warmed by the smiles of the people you love.”

Wild Lepre’Coins Double Luck

Following on from the success of the original Wild Lepre-Coins slot game, Aristocrat released two follow-ups Wild Lepre’Coins Double Luck and Wild Lepre’Coins Gold Reserve.

I actually still love playing the original, but the Double Luck version does double-up on the features so it’s hard to resist. I first played this game at Luxor, but I’ve seen it in plenty of other casinos on and off-Strip too.

The original, green-suited leprechaun character is joined by a second gold-suited leprechaun in the Double Luck game and yes, both of them dance A LOT. 

Fun features of the game include the leprechauns digging into their pot of gold to throw down random wilds. The green character looks after the regular wilds, while the gold guy throws down wilds with monetary values. Sometimes, they disappear entirely into the pot and fish out a whole bag of wilds to drop into the game.

If either of the leprechauns reach into their hat then look out, because that means they’ll be blowing a lucky charm out of a pipe which spawns many more wilds.

Also, keep an eye out for both leprechauns doing the "floss" dance at high speed, as that usually means all the regular wilds will convert into monetary values.

The free games feature is triggered by landing three pots of gold and as the wheel spins to reveal how many free games you’ve won, you get to just sit back and enjoy both leprechauns dancing Gangnam style in synchro to the Irish music. What more could you want?

Additional features include landing a gold pot for extra spins and triggering a secondary wheel where you can win one of the Mini, Major or Grand Jackpots, but these are quite rare.

I love this game because it’s so much fun to play. The characters, the music and the dancing provide non-stop entertainment and the random wild feature triggers regularly, so it keeps you on the edge of your seat. 

You can see the game in action played by The Good Life 88:

Leprechauns Gold: Rainbow Oasis

Originally by Scientific Games, this slot game now comes under the Light and Wonder banner and offers a new angle on the Irish theme.

Here we see a rare glimpse of a leprechaun and his family on vacation. He’s ditched the suit and shoes for board shorts, t-shirt and sandals and he relaxes on a sunbed on the beach with a cocktail, as Mrs Leprechaun and his cute pet dog lay beside him. 

You might wonder where the Irish theme comes in here but believe me it does. Clearly, leprechauns don’t get a day off, as he occasionally takes a break from sunbathing to use his tall green hat to create a rainbow that releases wild pots of gold onto the game board.

His wife also helps out, throwing wilds down through kisses or blowing a four-leaf clover, and even the dog digs in the sand to find rainbow wilds to help you win. 

The free games bonus is triggered when three green shamrock-filled bonus symbols land and when that happens be sure to watch the dog, as he jumps up from his sleepy slumber and excitedly barks and wags his tail.

From the wheel you can win free games, cash amounts and progressive jackpots which are appropriately called "Lucky," "More Lucky," "Luckier" and "Luckiest."

While the free games run, Mr and Mrs Leprechaun entertain us with comical dances and costumes based on their vacation location. In one version of the game, they are in Egypt surrounded by Pharaohs and Pyramids and in the other they are in Hawaii, so expect lots of hula dancing.

This slot game is just as amusing for its characters as it is the game play. The game is fully Irish themed, but I like the fact that the leprechaun family aren’t in a traditional setting. It makes it stand out from other Irish themed slots and, honestly, it just makes me smile.

I always search this game out in the Bellagio, but I know it's widely available at other casinos too.

Watch the bonus features in action in this video by The Big Payback:

Shamrock Fortunes 

Shamrock Fortunes is one of the Triple Coin Treasures slot games from AGS, the other is Long Bao Bao which has a dragon theme.

When it comes to Shamrock Fortunes, it’s all about our main character, yes you’ve guessed it, he’s a leprechaun. And he doesn’t just have one pot of gold, he has three, all with a different game feature – Extra Spins, Grow Reels and Symbol Upgrade.

The Shamrock Fortunes leprechaun is definitely the jolliest of them all so far. He is having a whale of a time jumping in and out of the pots and foolishly leaving his wiggling bottom sticking out of them. He jigs, he does the River Dance, he waves at you while you play and he even hand-glides too.

The aim of the game is to collect pots of gold consecutively from the left-hand reel; if they join together, you win the monetary values of them. The base game has red, green and blue coins which collect in each bonus pot above making them seem tantalizingly close to triggering. Of course, it’s all random, but the great news is that one, two or all three pots can trigger at once.  

Within the bonus feature, our leprechaun buddy throws out multipliers, progressives and free spins, dancing and jumping along to the fairly loud Irish jig music that plays throughout. You might want to turn the volume down if you don’t want to draw a crowd, but personally I love it.

Shamrock Fortune is one of my favorite Irish slots because it's so visually pleasing. The overflowing pots with their shimmering stashes of gold coins, the jolly leprechaun diving in and out of the pots, the chance to land three thrilling features all at once – it just all adds up to a great slot experience. 

I first played this game on a Celebrity X Cruise Ship touring around Alaska, but as soon as I arrived in Las Vegas I searched it out in the Cosmopolitan and played it there. 

Take a look at the game's potential on this video by Oh Yeah! Slots:

More Irish-Themed Slots

The slot games above are just my top three Irish themed games but there are plenty more out there. Whether you prefer to play in land-based casinos or online casinos, you can take your pick from a huge range of Irish slots, not just for St. Patrick’s Day but all year round.

Here’s a few other Irish themed games you might want to try:

• Charms Full Link – Konami
• Lucky O’Leary’s Jackpots – Konami
• Lucky O’Reilly – AGS
• Irish Red – Incredible Technologies
• Diamonds of Dublin – Light and Wonder
• Shamrock 777 – Everi

And here are some Irish-themed slots that you can play for free at Casinos.com:

• Fishin’ Pots of Gold (Microgaming)
• Mining Pots of Gold (Games Global)
• Rainbow Riches (Barcrest) 
• 9 Pots of Gold (Microgaming)
• Fishin’ Bigger Pots of Gold (Games Global)