The National Football League (NFL) is one of the most-watched sports leagues in the United States. It also enjoys a worldwide audience of over 56 million people. Such wide popularity is spilling over into the online casino industry. It means if you’re looking for games that generally offer a higher RTP percentage displaying your favourite team’s colours, you’re very likely to find it. Keep reading to learn what the passion for football and casino games have in common.
Fun Always Wins
The NFL is incredibly popular, but online casino games are everywhere. The global online gambling industry is expected to close the year spectacularly, with a market size of USD 95.05 billion in 2023. The steep upward trend should last at least for the next few years. However, the NFL’s enviable viewership is shy compared to the number of online gamblers. Over 4 billion people worldwide are reported to enjoy iGaming at least once a year, with 1.6 billion regular players.
So, when those games are also based on American football, they’re likely to reach an even broader audience than just the NFL. After all, most online casinos are accessible via smartphone, which means there’s a casino in your pocket wherever you are, all the time. As such, the crossover between football teams and such games seems to be a profitable business.
Not long ago, Pittsburgh Steelers fans cheered in an entirely different manner. Unibet, one of the most relevant brands in the online gambling industry, launched blackjack and roulette themed on the Men of Steel. The deal with Unibet even included bringing fans to home games, where they could meet their heroes in person.
Another industry giant, BetMGM, followed Unibet’s lead. The brand released an online casino with Black and Gold colours, which is now quite popular in Pennsylvania. In 2020, the brand released a promotion offering 10 years of free tickets for Steeler’s fans.
Pigskin Reels
One of the most popular casino games has several titles dedicated to the pigskin. If you’re also really into football, check the best games based on this theme below.
Touchdown Madness – Playtech
Touchdown Madness is for those with mild risk appetite. It’s a medium volatility game with a return to player rate (RTP) of 95.50%. It runs on a 5×3 grid and only five paylines, but with a juicy jackpot of 7,500x your initial bet. Symbols include a helmet, a ring, a shirt and some foam fingers. It’s a straightforward game with an engaging touchdown bonus feature, where the best prizes await you.
End Zone Riches – Nucleus Gaming
The end zone is where the fun begins in End Zone Riches. It also has a standard 5×3 grid, but it has 25 paylines. Naturally, the symbols also revolve around football culture, with a whistle, a stopwatch and a helmet. The game also includes quite a lot of card symbols, ranging from nine to Ace. This game has four bonus features, where you can walk away with a prize of up to 25,000 coins.
Gridiron Glory – Proprietary Games
If you’re looking for a game with loads of ways to win, Gridiron Glory has 243 of them. It’s also packed with special features like stacked wild reels, cascading reels, free spins and a unique feature called Wild Event. Four scatters multiply your bets 50x instantly, but if you’re lucky enough to get five of them, the multiplier goes up to 250x. It’s a low-volatility game, which means you probably won’t have to wait ages to land on a winning combination.
Pigskin Payout – Rival
This 5×3 game really deserves the payout in the name. Depending on your bet, it offers a jackpot of up to 7,500 coins and between one and 20 paylines. It also has quite a few bonus features, including Can’t Lose Free Spins, Wild Cheerleaders and Mascot Crocodiles. You don’t need to score a jackpot to win big, though. With the help of quarterbacks, you can win a prize of up to 1,500 coins.
Touch Down Slots – WorldMatch
Be a good sport and give Touch Down slots a go. The game is perfect for those who love classic slots, with five reels and 25 paylines. You can play with tactic boards, sports equipment and ball icons here. Special features include extra spins and the Injection Bonus, where you must choose six players out of nine and see how they perform. It’s a low-volatility game, which is perfect if you don’t want to risk much.
Pittsburgh Steelers Deluxe Slot – Everi
How about fighting for a jackpot of 99,999.99 coins? If you don’t think you’re lucky, don’t worry: three other jackpots await you. Despite the massive prize, the game runs on a pretty minimalistic 3×3 grid and nine paylines. Even the multipliers are great here and can return up to 77x times your initial wager. Despite the inspiration of the Men of Steel, the game has classic aesthetics, with symbols like BAR, single, double and triple 7s.