Most online slots have the commercial life of a pop single. They launch with a burst of promotion, enjoy a few weeks in the spotlight and then slide down the casino lobby as hundreds of new releases arrive every month. Very few become brands that players actively wait for. Fewer still survive long enough to get a sequel, let alone four.
Money Train is one of those rare exceptions. Launched by Relax Gaming in August 2019 as a Wild West-themed slot with an unusual bonus round, it has since grown into a series of sequels, bonus-only spin-offs and experimental side projects, with a fifth main instalment released in September 2026. Its story offers a useful case study in how a mid-sized B2B studio can build lasting intellectual property in one of the most crowded corners of the digital entertainment market.
Who Is Relax Gaming?
Relax Gaming was founded in 2010 and works on the business-to-business side of the industry. It does not run casinos itself. Instead, it builds and distributes games that online operators add to their own platforms.
Today the company describes itself as both a content creator and an aggregator:
- It offers more than 4,000 games, including titles from partner studios, through a single integration;
- Its content is live with more than 700 operator brands;
- It holds licences from regulators including the UK Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority.
In October 2021, Kindred Group, the operator behind Unibet, completed the acquisition of Relax Gaming at an enterprise value of up to EUR 320 million. Kindred chose to keep the studio independent, with its own management and board, so that it could continue supplying rival operators. Kindred itself later became part of the French lottery and gaming group FDJ.
By the time of that deal, Money Train had already shown what Relax could do with a single hit.
The Original: A Wild West Slot That Broke the Mould
On the surface, the first Money Train looked conventional: five reels, four rows, 40 paylines and a familiar frontier theme of outlaws, gold and steam trains. The difference lay in its bonus feature.
Instead of standard free spins, the game introduced the Money Cart respin round. Players received three respins on a separate grid, with the counter resetting every time a new symbol landed. The real innovation came from a cast of special symbols that interacted with each other:
- Collectors gathered the values of every other symbol on the grid;
- Payers added value to other symbols;
- Snipers fired random multipliers across the reels;
- Persistent versions of these characters kept acting on every remaining respin.
The result was a bonus round that felt like a short strategy game rather than a simple spin. Each feature played out differently, and a modest-looking bonus could escalate quickly as persistent symbols stacked up.
The headline numbers reinforced the appeal. The original offered a return to player (RTP) of 96.2%, high volatility and a maximum win of 20,000 times the stake, a striking ceiling for a 2019 release. It also offered a bonus buy option in markets where that feature is permitted. In Great Britain, direct bonus buys are not available, so UK players see the series in a different form.
From One Hit to a Series: How the Franchise Grew
The first sequel arrived just over a year later, and from then on Relax followed a remarkably steady rhythm: a new main game roughly every one to two years, with spin-offs filling the gaps. In chronological order, the core releases look like this:
- Money Train (August 2019). The original 5×4 slot that introduced the Money Cart respin bonus, with a 20,000x maximum win.
- Money Train 2 (September 2020). Same layout, new special symbols and a much higher ceiling of 50,000x.
- Money Train 3 (September 2022). A darker, steampunk-style reboot of the formula, with the maximum win doubled again to 100,000x.
- Money Train 4 (September 2023). The first big break from the classic grid, moving to a 6×6 scatter-pays layout with a 150,000x ceiling. Relax marketed it under the subtitle “The Last Stand”, positioning it as the end of the series.
- Money Train 5 (September 2026). Announced in June 2026 despite that farewell, it returns to five reels and 40 lines, adds a station-based bonus journey and offers two modes: Standard, capped at 50,000x, and Ultra, capped at 100,000x.
Notice the September pattern: four of the five main games launched in that month, turning each release into a fixed date in the industry calendar.
The Spin-Offs That Kept the Brand Alive
Between main releases, Relax kept the franchise visible with a series of side projects, each aimed at a slightly different type of player:
- Money Cart series (2021 to 2024). Four bonus-only games built around the respin feature itself, for players who only wanted the most exciting part of the experience.
- Slingo Money Train (May 2023). A crossover with the Slingo format, which blends slots and bingo.
- Money Train Origins Dream Drop (June 2023). A version linked to Relax’s Dream Drop jackpot network.
- Money Sleigh (November 2024). A seasonal, winter-themed take on the bonus mechanic.
- Money Plane (July 2026). An arcade-style experiment that borrows the brand for a new kind of game.
Taken together, these releases turned Money Train from a game into an umbrella brand. Players who never tried the original might discover it through a jackpot version, a Slingo crossover or a Christmas special.
Bigger Numbers, Bigger Launches
One of the most visible threads through the series is the escalating maximum win: 20,000x, then 50,000x, 100,000x and 150,000x. Each step gave operators and streamers a simple, eye-catching headline for launch day.
The strategy appears to have paid off commercially. Speaking to CasinoBeats after the launch of Money Train 4, Relax Gaming’s Simon Hammon said the game had a stronger first day than Money Train 3, previously the franchise’s best performer, and that interest in the older titles also rose. He described the two launches as “the number one and number two best launches from any supplier in the industry”.
Money Train 5 signalled a change of approach. Its Ultra mode caps at 100,000x, below the previous instalment. Relax’s Chief Product Officer, Tony O’Mahony, reportedly said that “simply pushing the number higher wasn’t the goal”, suggesting the studio now sees gameplay depth, rather than ever-bigger numbers, as the way to keep the series fresh.
Why Franchises Make Business Sense in iGaming
For a B2B supplier, a franchise solves several commercial problems at once. Online casinos list thousands of games, and a new title has only a few days to prove itself before it is pushed down the lobby. A recognised name changes that equation:
- Built-in demand. A sequel arrives with an existing audience that is curious to see what has changed. Relax’s CPO has said there “aren’t many franchises in iGaming that genuinely create anticipation before they’re even announced”.
- Easier deals with operators. Casinos are more willing to give prominent lobby positions and promotional support to a proven brand than to an unknown title.
- A halo effect on the back catalogue. Every new release sends some players back to the earlier games, extending their commercial life.
- Lower creative risk. The core mechanic has already been proven with players, so the studio can innovate around a stable centre.
- Content for streamers and media. Launch dates, maximum-win figures and new features give the slot community something to talk about long before release.
What Relax Did Differently
Plenty of studios have released sequels that players ignored. Simon Hammon has argued that “a series isn’t necessarily a marker of success” and that the mechanic, not the theme, should decide whether a follow-up makes sense. Looking at Money Train’s history, a few habits stand out:
- Iterating on feedback. The team has described reviewing each release critically, including what players said on forums, before designing the next one.
- Changing enough, but not everything. Each sequel kept the Money Cart idea at its heart while introducing new symbols, layouts or progression systems.
- Being willing to break the formula. Money Train 4’s switch to a 6×6 scatter-pays grid was a significant risk for a fourth instalment, and it paid off.
- Reusing mechanics across formats. Bonus-only versions, a Slingo crossover and a jackpot edition let the same core idea reach new audiences.
- Making launches predictable. A recurring September release window turned each new game into an industry event.
Lessons for the Wider Industry
Money Train’s story suggests that, in a market flooded with content, the most valuable asset a studio can own is not a single hit but a mechanic that can evolve. It also shows the limits of an “always bigger” strategy: by the fifth main game, Relax chose to lower the maximum-win ceiling and focus on gameplay instead. For other developers, the takeaway is clear: franchises work when each new release gives players a genuinely new reason to play, not just a larger number on the banner.
A Note on Responsible Play
High-volatility slots like those in the Money Train series can produce long losing streaks between large wins, and headline maximum-win figures are extremely rare outcomes rather than realistic expectations. Anyone who plays should treat it purely as paid entertainment:
- online gambling is for adults aged 18 and over;
- set a budget and a time limit before you start, and stick to them;
- play only at casinos licensed in your country, such as by the UK Gambling Commission in Great Britain;
- if gambling stops being fun, free and confidential support is available in the UK from GamCare and the National Gambling Helpline.
Conclusion
Seven years after its debut, Money Train has become something unusual in online slots: a recognisable brand with a loyal following, a back catalogue that keeps earning and a release calendar that the industry watches. Relax Gaming built it by treating a single clever bonus mechanic as a platform rather than a one-off, refining it through sequels and spin-offs while staying willing to take risks. As the market becomes ever more crowded, that approach may prove to be the most reliable way for a studio to stand out.
David Prior
David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.
