In October 2024, one of the Gibraltar-based provider’s most popular slot lines received another addition—the seventh. More than five years have passed since the debut of The Dog House, and its newest iteration, Muttley Crew, has taken a significant step forward in mechanics and bonus features. Pragmatic Play implemented cluster payouts, wild symbols with multipliers, and a free spins feature of up to 20 spins with the ability to retrigger. In this article, the editors explore how profitable this slot can be and how the results change across different betting modes.
Expert review
Compared to the classic “Dogs,” the new game has undergone significant changes. This applies to both the playing field format and the payout mechanics. The usual paylines are replaced by clusters. The number of rows has increased from three to five.
The slot has a variable RTP. In the basic betting mode, it’s 96.5%. However, purchasing free spins with three and five scatters increases it to 96.54%.
Volatility is at its highest—5 out of 5. This makes betting results more unpredictable. A streak of 10-15 “empty” spins is normal for The Dog House — Muttley Crew. However, this drawback is offset by the increased payout potential—up to 7,500x the bet.
What do you know about slot payouts in online casinos?
High volatility is felt in all game modes. Betting results vary significantly across different periods. Therefore, it is recommended to have a balance sufficient for at least 200-300 spins.
Basic mode
The Dog House — Muttley Crew has 5 reels and 5 rows. The provider has eliminated paylines, replacing them with a cluster mechanic. To win, you need to land a combination of five or more identical symbols adjacent to each other on any side. The position of the symbols doesn’t matter.
Main game mode
The basic payout multipliers for different symbols vary greatly. A minimum combo of five playing card symbols awards a win of x0.25. Twenty or more blue dogs award a payout of x50. Wild symbols add excitement to the game. They appear on all reels and rows, and each symbol has a multiplier of x2 to x10. If multiple wild symbols are included in a combination, their multipliers are summed.
There’s no limit on the number of wild symbols that can appear in a single spin. This significantly increases the payout potential, but also makes the slot more volatile.
The second special symbol is the Scatter. Traditionally, it depicts a dog’s paw print. This symbol can also appear on any reel. It doesn’t form clusters and is required to activate free spins. The payout for Scatters themselves is nominal. If at least three of these symbols appear on the reels in a single spin, the player receives a 2x win.
Free spins
To activate free spins, 3, 4, or 5 scatters must appear on the reels. For this, the player will be awarded 10, 15, and 20 free spins, respectively. This mode retains all the basic mechanics, but has an additional feature. Wilds that land on the reels “stick” to their positions until the bonus feature ends.
Free spins in the slot
Unlike classic The Dog House, the user can extend the free spins streak. To do this, at least two symbols marked with a dog paw print in the upper right corner must appear on the reels in a single spin. This awards 5 to 20 extra spins. This can occur multiple times—there is no limit to the potential number of free spins.
Free spins extension
The Dog House — Muttley Crew also features a bonus buy feature. Paying 100, 250, and 500 times your bet will award you 10, 15, and 20 free spins, respectively. This also increases the RTP slightly.
Test progress
The analysis of the device was carried out in its demo version on the website Pragmatic Play studios The editors placed a thousand test bets, dividing them into 10 equal intervals of 100 spins each. The results are presented in the table below.
| segment | Results (general) | Biggest wins | Free spins results |
| First | -40 (-40) | x15, x7.5, x6 | — |
| Second | -18 (-58) | x27, x13.5, x8 | x2.5 |
| Third | +145 (+87) | x14.5, x10.5, x7 | x197 |
| Fourth | -75 (+12) | x10.5, x4, x2.5 | — |
| Fifth | +120 (+132) | x14, x12, x10 | x126, x12 |
| Sixth | -15 (+117) | x8.75, x7.5, x6.5 | x43 |
| Seventh | -77 (+40) | x8, x4, x2.5 | — |
| Eighth | +116 (+156) | x7, x5, x2.5 | x113, x51 |
| Ninth | -49 (+107) | x10.5, x10, x5 | x17 |
| Tenth | +151 (+258) | x54, x9, x5 | x143 |
High volatility The slot doesn’t feel like it’s playing. Payouts are fairly frequent—on average, every 3-5 spins. In most cases, they cover the bet’s value. Free spins mode also switches regularly. However, during testing, only the minimum series of 10 spins was triggered.
There were virtually no balance drops. Most of the time, it remained close to the starting level. Only towards the end did I manage to achieve a significant profit. In total, there were four winning streaks and six losing streaks during the test. Free spins were activated nine times, four of which resulted in winnings of over 100x.
Purchase of a bonus
The Dog House – Muttley Crew has a feature instant activation of free spins There are three purchase options available: x100, x250, and x500. The editors tested each of them, comparing the costs over a period of 1,000 spins. The cheapest bonus mode option—x100—was analyzed first.
| № | Pay | Results (general) |
| 1 | x2 | -98 (-98) |
| 2 | x904 | +804 (+706) |
| 3 | x96 | -4 (+702) |
| 4 | x67 | -33 (+669) |
| 5 | x153 | +53 (+722) |
| 6 | x92 | -8 (+714) |
| 7 | x276 | +176 (+890) |
| 8 | x44 | -56 (+834) |
| 9 | x5 | -95 (+739) |
| 10 | x8 | -92 (+647) |
Purchasing the bonus feature felt more volatile than the basic betting mode. The free spins that yielded the best results awarded three additional spins, totaling 25. This series of free spins ultimately allowed me to post a nice profit.
Purchasing spins increases the slot machine’s return to player. It reaches up to 96.53% for 250x bets and up to 96.54% for 100x and 500x bets.
Next, the editors tested a more expensive version of free spins worth x250. The free spins were purchased four times. The results are shown in the table.
| № | Pay | Results (general) |
| 1 | x4 | -246 (-246) |
| 2 | x12 | -238 (-484) |
| 3 | x430 | +180 (-304) |
| 4 | x133 | -117 (-421) |
This purchase option appears more volatile. Just four activations of the feature resulted in the loss of almost half of the starting balance. To reduce the risk, you can decrease the bet size and purchase more free spins.
The most expensive version of free spins was tested last. Activating them costs 500 bets, so the purchase was made twice. The results are shown below.
| № | Pay | Results (general) |
| 1 | x194 | -306 (-306) |
| 2 | x683 | +183 (-123) |
The test results suggest that reducing the number of purchases significantly impacts volatility. For more consistent results and minimized risks, it’s best to spread your budget over at least 10 free spins activations.
Statistics
During the slot machine analysis, the editors collected basic statistics and noted several key points. The key points are listed in the table below.
| Parameter | Result |
| Go to the bonus feature | Approximately once every 111 spins |
| Cluster formation frequency | Approximately once every 5 spins |
| Possible series of failures | Up to 10 spins |
It’s also worth noting that the basic betting mode primarily activates the most basic version of free spins. During testing, the bonus feature was triggered nine times, and 100% of the time, it was a series of 10 free spins.
Features of the machine
Although The Dog House – Muttley Crew slot is a continuation of Pragmatic Play’s legendary “dog” series, it differs significantly from its other entries. Its key features include the following:
- Cluster payout mechanics.
- The number of dropped wilds with multipliers is limited only by the playing field.
- Three levels of free spins with the option to purchase them.
- Payout potential up to x7500 bets.
The slot is easy to play on both a PC and a smartphone. Mobile optimization is implemented using HTML5 technology. The slot’s interface adapts to the display size, allowing you to place bets on any portable device.
Mobile version of the slot
Additional features include an autoplay option with flexible settings, a battery-saving mode for smartphones, and quick spins. Also worth mentioning are the pirate-themed graphics and soundtrack.
Machine gun characteristics
The provider has provided detailed technical specifications for the slot on its website. A wealth of information is also available in the help section of the slot machine itself. The table below lists the main technical specifications.
| Parameter | Meaning |
| Studio | Pragmatic Play |
| Slot release date | October 2024 |
| Topic | Animals |
| Basic RTP | 96,5% |
| Maximum RTP | 96,54% |
| Risk level | High |
| Number of lines | No |
| Field grid | 5 x 5 |
| Mechanics of winnings calculation | Payouts for clusters of identical symbols |
| Instant activation of free spins option | For 100, 250 and 500 bets |
| Repeated rotations | No |
| Highest multiplier for symbols | x50 |
| Maximum payout | x7500 |
Results
The Dog House — Muttley Crew is a worthy continuation of the iconic slot line created back in 2019. Despite its high volatility, the gameplay doesn’t feel overly risky. Combined with a good RTP, this makes the slot a good choice for wagering bonuses.
The sticky wilds mechanic with multipliers, while not new, remains relevant. Thanks to a larger field compared to classic “dogs” and the absence of restrictions on the number and placement of wild symbols, the slot offers high payout potential—up to x7500. This win can be achieved both through free spins and by placing a regular bet.
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