Wanted Dead or a Wild Slot Review: DuelReels, Bonuses and RTP

Wanted Dead or a Wild is a high-volatility Wild West slot by Hacksaw Gaming, released on 29 September 2021, played on 5 reels and 5 rows with 15 paylines. Its signature feature is DuelReels: VS symbols turn whole reels wild with a multiplier. It offers three bonus rounds and a bonus buy, and the maximum win is 12,500 times the stake. Hacksaw rates its volatility 4 out of 5.

Slot-style games like this are offered in South Africa only by some provincially licensed bookmakers, and their legal status is disputed: provincial regulators such as the Western Cape board permit them for their licensees, while the National Gambling Board disputes this. You must be 18 or older to play for money.

DuelReels: how the VS symbols work

When a VS symbol lands, its reel becomes a wild reel and reveals a random multiplier, which applies to every payline the reel is part of. VS symbols are what drive the biggest base-game wins, and they are also the reason the game is so streaky: most spins show none at all, and the help screen inside the game sets out the exact rules and multiplier range.

The three Wanted Dead or a Wild bonus rounds

Which round you trigger depends on the scatter symbols that land, as explained in the game help. The bonus rounds carry most of the game's value, so long stretches of the base game return little; that is what a 4/5 volatility rating means in practice.

Bonus buy and how it affects your budget

Wanted Dead or a Wild includes a bonus buy, which lets you pay a set multiple of the stake to start a bonus round immediately. It skips the base game, but it does not make the game cheaper or better: a single buy costs many base-game spins and can return far less than it costs. Some bookmakers disable bonus buys or use a different version of the game. If you are on a tight budget, leave it alone.

Wanted Dead or a Wild RTP: four versions

Hacksaw publishes four RTP versions of the game: 96.38%, 94.55%, 92.33% and 88.42%. The bookmaker chooses which version it runs, and the difference between the top and bottom versions is large. Open the game's information screen before playing to see which figure applies. A long-run RTP says nothing about one session; on a volatile game you can lose a budget quickly even on the top version.

Wanted Dead or a Wild demo and free play

SlotsReviews does not host a demo. Hacksaw Gaming publishes official demos on its own website, and some licensed bookmakers offer a demo mode in their lobby. Demo play, including a free play bonus buy where the demo allows it, uses play credits with no cash value and is the safest way to see how rarely the big features land.

The game is sometimes credited to Pragmatic Play in searches. It is a Hacksaw Gaming title; Pragmatic's Wild West slots, such as Wild West Gold Megaways, are different games.

Strategy, and where the game is listed

There is no Wanted Dead or a Wild strategy that changes the outcome: every spin is random, and the bonus buy only changes how you spend, not what you can expect back. In South Africa, Hacksaw Gaming does not appear in the provider lists published by the licensed bookmakers below, so search the lobby for the title before depositing anywhere. Similar volatile titles are covered on our slot reviews page, and other Western themes on the Megaways slots page.

Set a fixed budget for any session and stop when it is gone. The National Responsible Gambling Programme helpline is free on 0800 006 008, and our responsible gambling page lists the tools licensed bookmakers offer.