Merkur

What the spec sheets say about Merkur

Read the two Merkur spec sheets on SlotSpecs together and a pattern appears at once. Both games pay on a choice of 5 or 10 lines. Both have an RTP above 96% in the versions we list. Both build everything around a single wild and a free-games round that opens on three or more scatters. That is the signature of a brand that grew up making arcade cabinets, not one that started life online.

Merkur’s own articles on these titles use the same cabinet language: each runs on 5 or 10 lines, and each line setting has its own range of stakes. A paytable this short takes about a minute to learn. That is the appeal, and also the limit. Players looking for grid layouts or long lists of bonus modes will find little here.

Two games, one design habit

Eye of Horus does more of the work of the pair. According to Merkur’s description, the Horus wild stretches to cover its whole reel, and during the 12 free games the symbols climb one step at a time from the lowest-paying picture towards the top one. Every upgrade makes the next part of the round richer.

Fishin Frenzy is the gentler game. The fisherman only turns up as a wild inside free games, and boat symbols decide the length of the round at 10, 15 or 20 spins. While there, the fisherman gathers the values printed on fish symbols.

The labels follow the mechanics. Eye of Horus is rated Medium and Fishin Frenzy Low-Med. Neither has a max win figure confirmed by the studio, and the individual game pages set out why the numbers published elsewhere disagree.

The licensing question behind the famous titles

There is a twist in who actually made these games. The editions of Eye of Horus and Fishin Frenzy branded Merkur were most likely created by Reel Time Gaming, released under the Merkur label rather than built in-house.

The route runs through Blueprint Gaming, the developer based in Newark. The group bought a stake in Blueprint in 2008 and took full ownership in 2012. The group says Blueprint distributes Merkur titles, Reel Time Gaming titles and games by other studios into both online and land-based markets. Blueprint also made the well-known follow-ups, the Megaways editions of both Eye of Horus and Fishin’ Frenzy, and the group lists those among its award winners.

The practical advice is simple. When you read about Eye of Horus anywhere, check which edition is being described: the original carried under the Merkur name, or one of Blueprint’s later versions.

From jukeboxes to MERKUR GROUP

The parent company has kept the Merkur name but changed its own. In 2024 the Gauselmann Group became MERKUR GROUP, with MERKUR.COM AG as the holding company. Paul Gauselmann, the founder, left after 67 years, and Lars Felderhoff took over as chief executive.

The company history begins in 1957, when Paul Gauselmann began placing jukeboxes as a side business. The milestones that shaped the brand:

• 1974: Delmenhorst gets the group’s first arcade.
• 1976: artist Werner Ganteföhr designs the sun logo. The Merkur name is traces back to the hundred-year calendar, where the year was a "Mercury year".
• 1977: Merkur B arrives as the first slot machine the group developed itself.
• 1983: Merkur Disc launches, and the group reports sales of over 40,000 units.
• 2016: the Gauselmann Family Foundation becomes the owner.

Holding-company staff are based at Espelkamp and Lübbecke in North Rhine-Westphalia, according to the group’s subsidiaries page. Merkur’s website calls the business family-owned and puts the workforce at around 15,000.

How Merkur handles RTP

We found no brand-wide RTP statement on the Merkur pages we checked. The Eye of Horus page on SlotSpecs notes lower RTP settings as well as the 96.31% build, so the return can vary with the site that offers the game. The two figures in the table are the verified numbers for the specific versions listed here.

Is Merkur a good fit for you?

It is a strong match for:

• Fans of pub and arcade machines who prefer a 10-line screen to a grid.
• Newcomers to slots, since each game turns on one main rule.
• Megaways players curious about the originals behind the spin-offs.

It is a weaker match for anyone who wants several bonus rounds, cascading reels or a published max win before choosing a game.

The balance sheet

In its favour

• Ownership is clear and the company history is unusually well documented.
• Games are easy to read, with a 5-line or 10-line option.
• Both titles we list return more than 96% in the versions shown.

Against it

• Developer credit is often blurred, because some Merkur-branded games are licensed from Reel Time Gaming.
• The studio publishes no max win for either game on our site.

Questions about Merkur