Mustang Money 2 Slot Review: 94.07% RTP, Sticky Wilds & What Changed

Mustang Money 2 showed up in 2013 as the follow-up to Ainsworth's original Mustang Money. The sequel swapped 100 paylines for 20, dropped the volatility from high to medium, and introduced a new bonus mechanic where the wilds can expand and stick across entire reels. It also lowered the RTP from 94.38% to 94.07%, which already wasn't great to begin with.

On paper, these changes should have made the game more accessible to casual players. In practice, the lower payline count and reduced RTP make it harder to recommend over the original. The expanding sticky wilds during free spins are genuinely interesting, though. When they fire, the payouts can surprise you.

I've spent a fair number of sessions with this one, and my honest take: it's a downgrade from the original in most measurable ways, but the free spins mechanic has its moments.

The original Mustang Money gave you up to 100 paylines and gold coin multipliers on reels 2 and 4 during free spins. Mustang Money 2 went in a different direction. The paylines dropped to 20 (fixed), and instead of coin multipliers, you get expanding sticky wilds.

Here's how it works: the flaming mustang wild shows up on reels 2, 3, and 4 during normal play. Three of them at once trigger 10 free spins. During the free spins, special Mustang Money tiles get added to reels 1 and 5. If you land one on both of those outer reels in the same spin, they expand to cover both reels completely and stay locked for your next spin. That gives you two full reels of wilds plus whatever lands on the middle three.

The max payout drops too. The original could hit 10,000x your stake. Mustang Money 2 tops out at 1,000x per payline. With 20 paylines, the ceiling is still technically high, but you'd need an absurd alignment to get close.

The volatility shift from high to medium means wins come more often but smaller. If you liked the original for its boom-or-bust nature, this sequel won't scratch that same itch.

The return to player sits at 94.07%. That's low. The industry average for online slots hovers around 96%, so you're giving up roughly 2 percentage points compared to most games you'll find. For every $100 wagered, the math says you'll get back about $94 over time. Short sessions can obviously go either way, but the long-term expectation is below average.

Ainsworth doesn't use variable RTP, which is actually one point in their favor. Some providers let casinos choose from multiple RTP settings, so you might be playing at 94% at one site and 96% at another without knowing. With Mustang Money 2, it's 94.07% everywhere.

Bets range from $0.25 per spin (at $0.0125 per line across 20 lines) up to $500. Ainsworth categorizes this in their "High Denomination" lineup, and the upper range confirms that. You can burn through bankroll fast at the top end.

You need three flaming mustang wilds on reels 2, 3, and 4 at the same time. That's a narrow trigger condition since all three have to land on the same spin across specific reels. In 300 test spins, I only triggered it once. Other reviewers report similar frequency.

Once you're in:

You get 10 free spins. Mustang Money tiles appear on the outer reels (1 and 5). If both outer reels show a Mustang Money tile on the same spin, the tiles expand to cover those reels entirely, then freeze in place while the middle three reels respin once more. The result is two full columns of wilds plus fresh symbols in the center.

The expanding-and-sticking mechanic is the best part of this game. When it triggers, you're looking at nearly every payline hitting simultaneously. The problem is how rarely it fires. Most free spin rounds end with modest payouts because the Mustang Money tiles don't land on both outer reels often enough.

You can retrigger additional free spins during the bonus, but the same three-wild requirement applies, so don't count on it.

The paytable is straightforward. Card symbols (9, 10, J, Q, K, A) fill the low end and pay between 5x and 100x your line bet for five of a kind. Some of them only need two matching symbols to pay, which contributes to the higher hit frequency.

Premium symbols include a sunset mountain scene, gold bars, an eagle, a cactus, and a dollar sign. The dollar sign pays the highest at 500x your line bet for five across. Gold bars come in at 400x, the eagle at 300x.

The flaming mustang wild substitutes for everything and also pays 1,000x your line bet for five wilds. That's the single biggest payout in the game. During normal play, wilds only show up on reels 2, 3, and 4, so you can't line up five of them in the base game. The theoretical max requires the free spins mechanic.

Card symbols are dressed up with small accessories like dice and crowns. Ainsworth was going for a land-based mechanical slot feel, and the design reflects that. It looks intentionally retro rather than cheaply made, though opinions on whether that works will vary.

Mustang Money 2 fits a specific profile. If you prefer medium volatility and don't mind a below-average RTP, the base game delivers steady small wins with occasional bonus rounds. It's more predictable than the original.

If you're choosing between this and the original Mustang Money, the original wins on almost every metric: more paylines, higher max win potential, and a slightly better RTP. The only advantage Mustang Money 2 has is the sticky expanding wilds, which are more exciting when they hit than the coin multiplier system.

If you want the Ainsworth western theme but with better overall numbers, look at Mustang Money Super. It has 100 paylines, 94.75% RTP, and two different free spin modes.

For the full comparison of every version in the series, check the complete Mustang Money variants guide.

Mustang Money 2 is a step sideways from the original. The expanding sticky wilds are a good idea and they can produce memorable bonus rounds. But the lower RTP, fewer paylines, and reduced max win make it hard to recommend this over the first Mustang Money unless you specifically want medium volatility and more frequent, smaller hits.

For the Ainsworth western slot experience, I'd rank them: Mustang Money Super first, the original second, and Mustang Money 2 third. The sequel isn't bad, it's just not the strongest version in a series that keeps iterating.

Worth trying in demo mode to see if the sticky wilds mechanic clicks with you. Just go in knowing the math is working against you a bit more than usual.