Here’s a sentence I didn’t see coming: As an adult, I’ve become a fan of Willy Wonka.

It didn’t do it for me as a kid, not even a little bit. But as an adult – and because of my kids, specifically my now 13-year-old – I’ve gone deep.

The original book by Roald Dahl? Genius. The original movie with Gene Wilder? Brilliant. The Johnny Depp remake? Totally fine with it. 

And the recently released Wonka starring Timothée Chalamet? It’s an origin story, and it is a total and complete delight.

As for my 13-year-old, she’s got autism, and so she can occasionally get “sticky” when it comes to things. Right now, she is stuck on all things Wonka. You can imagine how psyched she was when her school put on a production of the show and she got to play both an Oompa-Loompa and one of the bedridden grandmothers.

All that said to say this: I was pretty stoked to see the FanDuel online casino exclusive World of Wonka slot from Light & Wonder debut last week.

First of all, I’ve never seen a game hyped like this one has. There was a trailer, a week-long countdown, and the game dominated – and continues to dominate – the casino home page.

Furthermore, when you click on the game, it doesn’t just take you there; an Oompa Loompa appears and “pulls” the game onto the screen.

And it all seems to be working. According to FanDuel’s “top 10” games on its homepage, World of Wonka sits at No. 1.

So, is it any good? (And let’s never mind the fact a beloved children’s story is being used as a casino game.)

Short answer: A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.

The facts

First off, the Return to Player is just 93.94%. I would prefer it to be higher, but I don’t want to be a glutton. We know what happens to gluttons.

As for the game play, it’s an uncommon 6×4 setup. Three across gets a win, and the more matches on the reels, the more you win.

Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka is the top symbol, followed by Charlie and Grandpa, Veruca Salt, Mikey Teavee, and Violet Beauregarde. Candy symbols bring up the rear.

But it’s the bonuses where this game shines.

First up is the Oompa Loompa feature, where a pair of the workers come out, do their little dance, and then expand the reels from six to upwards of 10, along with additional pay lines and a bunch of wilds. All wins here are paid at 2x.

Then there’s the re-spin bonus, when you get three or more jacks/candy/tesseract-looking things. Get three, you unlock the wheel-spin bonus. Get four, five, or six, and you get the bonus, plus 10x, 20x, or 50x your winnings.

Within the wheel spin, you can unlock a 5x to 80x multiplier, up to 12 free spins, the Chocolate River (which you can select up to seven multipliers until you pick a “You Fall In” game-ender – or you can land on “You Get Nothing,” which is a misnomer because you get to pick from one of three choices that yield a 100x to 400x bet multiplier.

Then there’s a golden ticket feature. You receive a chocolate bar to unwrap, which reveals nothing, a 1x to 10x bet multiplier, or The Golden Ticket, which is a 500x bet multiplier. 

Look and feel

The game is bright and poppy as one might expect, the Oompa Loompas are continually poking around in the background, and it’s a pleasant screen to observe.

But the real joy is the music, which vacillates between versions of I’ve Got a Golden Ticket, Oompa Loompa, and Pure Imagination.

Instead of the fast-paced music that exists on most slots, the music here kind of lulls you into a happy little state where you find yourself quietly singing along to the music.

The results

Spins are from 20 cents to $100. Betting the lower end, I’ve come out ahead so far, received a few Oompa Loompa wild reel extenders, and got a bonus spin that yielded at 35x multiplier. (I also got a 35x multiplier when I landed a reel full of Charlies from stem to stern.)

If you like all things Wonka and don’t mind a little gamble, this game is for you. Not a Wonka fan? Well, the bonus games are fun, but you’ll probably find other games out there that offer a little more bang for the buck.