Santa's Stack Dream Drop slot review
Relax Gaming’s Santa’s Stack Dream Drop takes the original Santa’s Stack and adds Dream Drop jackpots on top of it. It uses an 8×8 grid with cluster wins, runs at a 94.00% RTP, and plays as a high-volatility slot, so quiet stretches can happen before anything meaningful lands.
You still get the same core features as the base game, with the Dream Drop jackpot bonus added as a separate random trigger. The max win reaches 20,000x the stake, with five jackpot tiers sitting outside the regular paytable.
In this Santa’s Stack Dream Drop slot review, I break down what this means in practice, from base-game pacing to how the features behave once they trigger.
Highlights
Santa’s Stack Dream Drop slot review summary
Santa’s Stack Dream Drop keeps the simple Christmas look of the original game and adds Dream Drop jackpots on top. The 8×8 grid stays easy to follow, clusters are clear to spot, and the symbols feel familiar in a classic holiday-cartoon way. The presentation stays light and straightforward, with the mechanics doing most of the heavy lifting.
This version plays like a jackpot slot first and a base-game grinder second. With a 94.00% RTP and high volatility, the regular spins can feel slow, and most of the session’s movement comes from features. Secret Santa respins can turn a normal win into a longer chain, and free spins give the slot its main “built-in” rush, since wilds land every spin and increase as the bonus goes on.
The 20,000x max win gives it real non-jackpot potential, but the Dream Drop feature is the reason this version exists. The pick bonus can trigger at random and sits outside the main game flow, so it adds a second layer of “waiting for something to happen.” If you like cluster slots with big gaps and occasional strong moments, this fits the mood. If you want steadier returns, the low RTP makes it a tough pick.
Pros
Dream Drop progressive jackpots
Free spins with increasing wilds
Clear 8×8 cluster layout
Cons
Low 94.00% RTP
High volatility and long quiet spells
Jackpot focus over base game
Santa’s Stack Dream Drop slot comprehensive review
In this Santa’s Stack Dream Drop slot review, I cover the core areas of the game, starting with RTP and volatility, then moving through the bonus features and the symbols and payouts. The final sections go through the stake settings, basic controls, and the main technical info listed in the game menu.
RTP and volatility
Santa’s Stack Dream Drop has a fixed RTP of 94.00% and high volatility. It plays on an 8×8 grid with cluster pays, so wins form when five or more matching symbols connect horizontally or vertically, with clusters clearing and new symbols dropping in.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| RTP | 94.00% |
| Maximum win | 20,000x (excluding jackpots) |
| Number of paylines | None, cluster wins |
| Volatility | High |
The lower RTP is linked to the Dream Drop jackpot network, since part of each bet funds the progressive pots, and the slot’s maximum non-jackpot win reaches 20,000x.
In my sessions with Santa’s Stack Dream Drop, the 94.00% RTP showed up most clearly over longer play. The base game went through plenty of spins where clusters cleared and the grid reset without building into anything bigger, so most of the session’s movement came from features rather than regular chain wins.
The volatility felt very uneven from one trigger to the next. Some Secret Santa respins turned a small hit into a longer sequence, while others stopped almost as soon as they started. Free spins carried the biggest upside when the guaranteed wilds began to stack up later in the round, but some bonuses still finished close to the total stake.
The Dream Drop layer sat off to the side as its own kind of swing. Because the jackpot bonus triggers at random, I saw long stretches where nothing changed the pace, then a feature run would suddenly do most of the work for that part of the session.
Bonus features
Santa’s Stack Dream Drop includes wilds, the Secret Santa respin feature, free spins with guaranteed wilds, and the Dream Drop jackpot bonus. Wilds substitute for all regular symbols and can land anywhere.
Secret Santa respins trigger when a wild is part of a winning cluster. After the win pays, the winning symbols turn into locked mystery symbols and a respin plays. Any new winning cluster connected to them also turns into mystery symbols and another respin follows, repeating until no new connected wins appear. The mystery symbols then reveal as the same symbol and the result is paid.
Free spins trigger with three or more scatters and start with five spins, with extra scatters adding more. During free spins, at least one wild lands every spin, and the number of guaranteed wilds increases by one per spin. Scatters during the feature can award extra spins, increase a win multiplier, or apply both, and any multiplier gained applies for the remainder of the bonus.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Bonus features | Wilds, Scatters, Reel features, Free spins, Respins, Multipliers, Dream Drop Jackpot Bonus |
| Top features | Wilds |
| Jackpot | Available |
The Dream Drop bonus can trigger randomly on any base-game spin and opens a pick screen with 15 gift boxes. You pick until three matching jackpot symbols appear, awarding one of five progressive tiers: Rapid, Midi, Maxi, Major, or Mega.
All features trigger independently, and the slot has no ante bet or bonus-buy option.
When I played Santa’s Stack Dream Drop, most of the real session swings came from the free spins and the Secret Santa respins instead of regular cluster clears. The respin feature acted like a second chance on a paid win. Its results depended heavily on whether the mystery symbols kept pulling in new connected clusters.
Free spins had the clearest ramp-up feel. Early spins could stay quiet even with guaranteed wilds, but later spins became more dangerous once multiple wilds were being added automatically and clusters started to grow faster.
The Dream Drop bonus felt like a separate event layered on top of the slot. It didn’t change how the grid plays, but it added another way for a session to swing in a single moment.
Symbols and paytable
Santa’s Stack Dream Drop uses a set of holiday-themed symbols built for cluster payouts. Wins are paid based on the size of a connected group, where larger clusters award higher multiples of the stake.
The lowest-paying symbols are simple Christmas items such as colored lights. These form clusters frequently but sit at the bottom of the paytable and mainly serve as filler symbols that help clear the grid.
The higher-paying symbols are character-based and include festive figures such as elves, reindeer, Mrs. Claus, and Santa himself. These symbols require much larger clusters to reach meaningful payouts, but they offer the strongest base-game returns when they do connect. The top-paying symbol can contribute toward the slot’s 20,000x non-jackpot win potential when a large enough cluster forms.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Theme | Christmas |
| Reel layout | 8×8 grid |
| Highest paying symbol | Santa |
| Adjustable paylines | N/A |
| Visuals | 8-bit pixels |
| Sound | Retro-style sounds |
| Mobile quality | Great |
Wild symbols substitute for all regular symbols and play a central role in cluster formation. Beyond helping complete larger groups, wilds are also required to activate the Secret Santa respin feature and are guaranteed to appear during free spins.
Scatter symbols don’t pay on their own. Their role is limited to triggering free spins and adding effects during the bonus round.
On the paytable level, Santa’s Stack Dream Drop feels built around one thing: catching a big premium cluster. I saw plenty of small light clusters, but they mostly acted as quick clears that kept the grid moving.
Wilds made the real difference for me. In the base game, a single wild in the right spot could turn a “whatever” cluster into something worth noticing, and it also pulled me into the Secret Santa respin loop more often than any single symbol did. During free spins, the guaranteed wilds changed the feel even more, because later spins had better wild coverage and gave me more chances to grow a premium cluster instead of settling for small clears.
When the grid lined up a larger character cluster, the paytable finally started to show its value. Most of the time, it felt like I was waiting for that one spin where wilds and a premium symbol actually met in the middle.
How to play the Santa’s Stack Dream Drop slot
Santa’s Stack Dream Drop uses a total-bet setup, with most casinos offering a range from €0.20 to €50.00 per spin. You adjust your stake through the bet menu under the grid, then use the plus and minus controls to move through the preset bet amounts. The game updates your total wager automatically as soon as you change it.
To start a round, press the main spin button. Autoplay is next to it and lets you run a set number of spins in a row, with optional stop settings in the autoplay menu, depending on what your casino version supports. You’ll also usually find quick spin or turbo speed in the same area, which cuts the animation time and makes sessions run faster.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Min bet | €0.20 |
| Max bet | €50 |
| Autoplay | Available |
| Turbo mode | Available |
| Game history | Available |
If you want to check rules before you commit to a longer session, open the info panel (the “i” button or menu icon, depending on the casino skin). This is where you’ll find the full paytable, wild and scatter rules, Secret Santa respin rules, free spins details, Dream Drop jackpot info, and the RTP listing for that game version.
Most casinos also let you tweak practical settings from that same menu, such as sound, speed, and gameplay preferences, and the game runs smoothly on both desktop and mobile layouts.
Casinos where you can play Santa’s Stack Dream Drop slot
Relax Gaming slots show up at a range of online casinos, and Santa’s Stack Dream Drop is usually listed anywhere the Dream Drop network is available. If you want to play the jackpot version rather than the standard Santa’s Stack, these are some of the online casinos where you can typically find Santa’s Stack Dream Drop:
| Casino Logo | Rating | Bonus | Go-to-casino button | Show more | T&C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
88/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
92%
Playscore
based on
|
$20 Bonus Dollars + 100% up to $1,000
|
Play now players accepted |
|
Visit Borgata.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. NJ only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable site credit, unless otherwise provided in the applicable Terms. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling Problem? 1-800-GAMBLER. |
2
|
85/100
Expert rating
by Dasha G.
86%
Playscore
based on
|
100% up to $1,000 and 2,500 Reward Credits on a $25+ wager
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
3
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
91%
Playscore
based on
|
100% up to $1,000 + $25 On The House
|
Play now players accepted |
|
Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. MI, NJ, PA or WV only. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable site credit, unless otherwise provided in the applicable Terms. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling Problem? 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA & WV). |
1
|
94/100
Expert rating
by Sophie P.
81%
Playscore
based on
|
50,000 Gold Coins + 1 Sweeps Coin
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
2
|
94/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
91%
Playscore
based on
|
1.5 million WOW Coins + 35 free Sweepstakes Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
3
|
93/100
Expert rating
by Sophie P.
79%
Playscore
based on
|
50,000 Gold Coins + 1 Sweeps Coin
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
4
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Sophie P.
77%
Playscore
based on
|
50,000 Gold Coins + 1 Sweeps Coin
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
5
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
81%
Playscore
based on
|
10,000 Gold Coins + 2 Sweeps Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
6
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
79%
Playscore
based on
|
25,000 Gold Coins + 2.5 Spree Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
7
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
87%
Playscore
based on
|
Up to 120,000 Gold Coins + 10 Sweeps Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
8
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Vule P.
79%
Playscore
based on
|
500 Gold Coins + 3 FREE Sweeps Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
9
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
89%
Playscore
based on
|
Up to 650,000 Gold Coins + 1,400 Fortune Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
10
|
88/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
96%
Playscore
based on
|
250,000 Gold Coins + $25 Stake Cash
|
Play now players accepted |
|
Expert verdict
Santa’s Stack Dream Drop feels like a jackpot version first and a regular Santa’s Stack slot second. The grid and cluster style stay the same, but the Dream Drop layer changes the focus. Instead of getting much from the base game, most of the session waits for a feature or a jackpot trigger to do something meaningful.
The 94.00% RTP and high volatility make the results jumpy. Free spins and Secret Santa respins can carry a session when they land well, but some triggers end fast and leave you close to where you started. The Dream Drop bonus sits outside the grid, so it can show up at any time, and it doesn’t depend on how the base game is going.
I see Santa’s Stack Dream Drop as a better fit for players who can handle long quiet stretches while they wait for a bigger moment. It suits anyone who likes cluster slots and wants a jackpot chance, even with the lower RTP. If you want more regular wins and steadier play, this one can feel slow.
FAQs
What is the RTP of Santa’s Stack Dream Drop?
Santa’s Stack Dream Drop has a fixed RTP of 94.00%. The lower RTP is linked to the Dream Drop jackpot network, since part of each bet contributes to the progressive jackpots.
What is the maximum win in Santa’s Stack Dream Drop?
The maximum non-jackpot win is 20,000x the stake. On top of that, the Dream Drop bonus offers five progressive jackpots that can pay out larger amounts.
How do free spins work in Santa’s Stack Dream Drop?
Free spins trigger when three or more scatter symbols land on the grid. The bonus starts with five free spins, and extra scatters can add more spins. During free spins, at least one wild lands on every spin, and the number of guaranteed wilds increases by one per spin.
Does Santa’s Stack Dream Drop have a progressive jackpot?
Yes. The game is part of Relax Gaming’s Dream Drop network and includes five progressive jackpot tiers: Rapid, Midi, Maxi, Major, and Mega. The jackpot bonus triggers randomly on base-game spins.
Can I buy free spins or use an ante bet in Santa’s Stack Dream Drop?
No. Santa’s Stack Dream Drop doesn’t include a bonus-buy feature or an ante bet option. Free spins can only be triggered through the standard scatter mechanic.
