Area Link Vegas – Chip Upgrades, Vegas Glamour and Respins

Area Link Vegas, played on PokerStars, takes the familiar Area Link format to Las Vegas, with casino chips, expensive jewellery, cocktails and a pink luxury car filling the reels. The base game uses five reels, three rows and 20 fixed paylines, with most of the extra features coming from Area Link and the Vegas Feature.

The main Area Link feature starts with three respins and can bring in five different upgrades depending on which Chip colours have been collected. Blue, Orange, Green, Purple and Red each change the feature in a different way, while Vegas Sign symbols can trigger Area Link with a random selection of upgrades already active.

Area Link Vegas Game Overview

Game Setup5 reels x 3 rows

Paylines20 fixed paylines

RTP94.50%

Betting Range£0.20 to £5.00

Main FeatureArea Link Feature

Chip UpgradesBlue Blast, Orange Multiplier, Green Collect All, Purple Double Array and Red Boost

Bonus FeatureVegas Feature

Special SymbolsWild, Gold Chips, coloured Chip symbols and Vegas Sign symbols

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Theme and Design: Area Link Goes to Las Vegas

Area Link Vegas uses casino chips, jewellery, cocktails and other symbols associated with Las Vegas. The reels sit inside a gold frame, with red and gold used heavily across the rest of the game. The premium symbols include a pink car, watch, diamond ring, VIP key and cocktail. Below those are the usual A, K, Q, J, 10 and 9 card symbols. The coloured Chips are where most of the bigger changes come in once the main features start.

Blue, Orange, Green, Purple and Red Chips each have their own upgrade. The colours collected before Area Link starts decide which of those features will be used during the respins. The Vegas Sign can also trigger Area Link, although it works a little differently. Instead of relying on the Chip colours already collected, the Vegas Feature starts with a random group of upgrades.

The theme itself is pretty traditional for a Las Vegas slot. Cars, jewellery, drinks and casino chips all fit the setting, while the coloured Chips building above the reels are what stand out most. Those Chip piles are also useful during the base game because they show which colours have shown up before Area Link starts.

Core Gameplay: Keeping Things Simple

Area Link Vegas keeps the base game pretty simple, using five reels, three rows and 20 fixed paylines. Matching symbols need to land across connecting reels from left to right, starting on the first reel. The reels stay at five by three throughout the base game, so the main changes come from the special symbols instead of the grid itself.

When played on PokerStars, the betting range is £0.20 to £5.00 and has an RTP of 94.50%. Standard symbols handle most of the regular payline wins, Wilds can help complete combinations and the different Chip colours become important when Area Link triggers.

Standard Symbols

The regular slot symbols are split between playing cards and Las Vegas-themed premium symbols. The lower-paying group includes A, K, Q, J, 10 and 9, while the premium symbols include the Cocktail, VIP Key, Diamond Ring, Watch and Pink Car. The Pink Car is the highest regular premium symbol. The Watch and Diamond Ring sit below it, followed by the VIP Key and Cocktail. Chip and Vegas Sign symbols sit outside the normal premium group and are tied to the main features instead.

Wild Symbols

The Wild appears during the base game and can substitute for regular symbols to complete payline combinations. It can replace every symbol apart from Chip and Vegas Sign symbols and can also create its own winning combinations. Wilds are stacked across all five reels, so more than one Wild position can show up on the same reel. Wilds only appear during the base game. Once Area Link begins, the feature uses Chip symbols instead of the usual reel setup.

Area Link Feature: The Collected Chip Upgrades

The main bonus in the Area Link Vegas slot is the Area Link Feature. Whenever one or more Chip symbols land in the base game, there’s a chance for Area Link to trigger. Each Chip is collected into the Chip Pile of the same colour above the reels. The combination of colours collected when Area Link starts determines which Chip Upgrades are included.

Once Area Link begins, three respins are awarded and all Chip symbols already showing are locked in position. Every additional Chip also locks into place and resets the remaining respins to three. The feature ends when every available position has been filled or the respin counter reaches zero. Each Chip carries either a cash prize or one of the Mini, Minor or Major jackpots, with all prizes paid when the feature finishes.

Once a new Chip lands, it stays in place and the respin counter returns to three. The remaining spaces keep spinning around the locked Chips, and the feature carries on for as long as new ones keep appearing. If they stop landing, the counter eventually runs out. Some rounds can finish after only a few Chips have landed, while others can keep going if new symbols continue showing up. The five coloured upgrades then change what can happen during those respins.

Blue Chip Upgrade – Blast

The Blue Chip Upgrade adds the Blast feature to Area Link. Blue Chips can show up during the respins and add their value to a random number of Gold Chips already on the screen. A single Blue Chip can add its value to the same Gold Chip more than once. Once its effect has finished, a Gold Chip is created in the Blue Chip’s position.

Several Blue Chips can show up during the same feature, and each one works in the same way. Blue is different from a standard Gold Chip because its value can affect symbols already locked elsewhere on the screen. The number of Gold Chips selected is random, and the same Gold Chip can be picked more than once by a single Blue feature. If there are already several Gold Chips showing when Blue lands, there are more existing values sitting on the screen for the Blast feature to work with.

Orange Chip Upgrade – Multiplier

The Orange Chip Upgrade brings multipliers into Area Link. On every respin, the game selects a random multiplier of 2x, 3x or 5x. Any new Gold Chip that lands during that respin is multiplied once when it first locks into position.

A new multiplier is selected for each spin, so the amount can change as the feature continues. A Gold Chip arriving under a 2x multiplier keeps that result, while another Gold Chip landing later could arrive when 3x or 5x is showing. Orange also has specific rules when it appears alongside the other coloured upgrades. Those combinations decide when the multiplier is used and whether it is applied before or after another feature is triggered.

Green Chip Upgrade – Collect All

The Green Chip Upgrade adds an instant collection feature. When a Green Chip lands, it collects all new credit prizes and/or jackpot prizes included in that collection. After the Green Chip has finished collecting, a Gold Chip is created in its place.

Green works differently from Blue because it is collecting qualifying new prizes instead of adding value to Gold Chips already sitting on the screen. If Blue and Green are active together, the Blue Chip effects happen first. When Purple Double Array is also active, Green stays tied to the array where it lands and doesn’t collect values from the second grid.

Purple Chip Upgrade – Double Array

The Purple Chip Upgrade adds a second Area Link array. Both grids play independently, with each one continuing until all of its spins have been used or every position has been filled. The complete feature only finishes once both arrays have ended. One array can run out of spins before the other.

New Chips stay with the array they land on, so the two sides can end at different times. Green Chips stay on their own array, while Blue Chips can only add their value to Gold Chips on the same side. If Orange Multiplier is active as well, the multiplier selected for that respin applies to new Gold Chips on both arrays. Purple doesn’t merge the two grids together. Each side still has its own locked Chips and its own remaining respins.

Red Chip Upgrade – Boost

The Red Chip Upgrade adds the Boost feature. Red Chips show up during Area Link and lock into position alongside the other Chip symbols. During every respin, all Red Chips already on screen have their prize values boosted by a random amount. A Red Chip that lands earlier can get more than one increase before the feature ends. New Red Chips can appear later and work in the same way. If Orange Multiplier is active at the same time, the Red Chip prize is multiplied before the Red Boost is applied.

Multiple Chip Upgrades

More than one Chip Upgrade can be active during the same Area Link Feature. If several colours are involved when Area Link triggers, all of those upgrades are used during the feature. Orange and Purple work together by applying the selected multiplier to new Gold Chips across both arrays.

With Orange and Green, the multiplier is used on the Gold Chip created after the Green collection has finished. Orange and Blue have their own order too. The multiplier is applied before the Blue Chip feature takes place. If Orange and Red are both running, the Red prize is multiplied before its Boost is added. Green stays limited to its own array when Purple is active, while Blue Chips also stay tied to their own side of the Double Array.

When Green and Blue are both active, all Blue Chip features take place before the Green collections. Things get busier when several upgrades are active at the same time, as more than one effect can happen during the same Area Link round. The locked Chips and respin counter still work in the usual way while those extra features take place.

Triggering the Vegas Feature

The Vegas Feature gives the Area Link slot another way into its main respin round. Whenever one or more Vegas Sign symbols land, there’s a chance for the feature to trigger. Each symbol is collected into the Vegas Sign above the reels.

When triggered, the Vegas Feature awards the player Area Link with a random selection of Chip Upgrades. A normal Area Link trigger uses the Chip colours collected on the base spin, while the Vegas Feature picks its upgrades at random. Once those upgrades are chosen, Area Link starts with the same three respins. Chips lock into place, every new Chip resets the remaining total to three, and the selected upgrades work exactly as they normally would.

Blue can still add values to Gold Chips, Orange still brings a 2x, 3x or 5x multiplier and Purple still adds a second array when it is selected. Green and Red keep their normal Collect All and Boost rules too. The main change with the Vegas Feature is the random selection of upgrades before Area Link starts.

Mini, Minor, Major and Grand Jackpots

Area Link Vegas has four jackpots: Mini, Minor, Major and Grand. The Mini, Minor and Major jackpots can show up on individual Chip symbols during Area Link. If one of these Chips is collected, the jackpot is included with the other prizes paid when the feature finishes.

Those Chips stay locked in position alongside the others for the rest of Area Link. The Grand works differently and is awarded when every available position has been filled. There’s no separate Grand Chip that needs to appear; the trigger is completing the full feature area.

Area Link Vegas Chip Symbols

Chip symbols sit behind most of the extra features in Area Link Vegas. Gold Chips are the standard symbols used during the respins and can have cash values or the Mini, Minor and Major jackpots. Blue is connected to Blast, Orange brings the Multiplier, Green uses Collect All, Purple activates Double Array and Red uses Boost.

Before Area Link starts, matching colours are collected into their own piles above the reels. Once the respins start, those colours decide which upgrades are used. Gold Chips carry the standard prize values, while the coloured versions change what can happen around them. Blue can add to Gold Chips already on the grid, Orange can multiply new ones, Green can collect prizes, Purple can add a second array and Red can keep increasing its own values.

Final Thoughts: Area Link Heads to Vegas

Area Link Vegas, played on PokerStars Casino, is a classic style slot that keeps things simple before the features kick in. There are five reels, three rows and 20 fixed paylines, with the coloured Chips doing most of the work once Area Link kicks in.

The feature starts with three respins and every new Chip sends the counter back to three. From there, the colour matters. Blue can add value to Gold Chips, Orange brings 2x, 3x or 5x multipliers, Green collects prizes, Purple adds a second array and Red can keep boosting its own values. More than one can be active during the same feature, so some Area Link rounds can get much busier than others. Vegas Signs can also trigger Area Link, but with a random set of upgrades already selected. Mini, Minor and Major jackpots can appear on individual Chips, while filling every position awards the Grand Jackpot.

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