Features

How slots actually work

16 slot mechanics are covered here. Mechanics are the engines that determine how wins are formed and how the bonus economy distributes value. Megaways, Hold and Win, Cluster Pays and Cascading are among them.

All Slot Features

Three Features in Detail

Megaways Spotlight

Big Time Gaming created Megaways and licenses it to other studios. The number of symbols on each reel changes every spin, so the count of ways to win changes too, up to 117,649 on six reels of seven symbols. The RTP depends on the game and on the version a casino runs.

Slot Provider RTP
Bonanza Megaways Big Time Gaming 96%
Extra Chilli Megaways Big Time Gaming 96.82%
White Rabbit Megaways Big Time Gaming 97.24%
The Dog House Megaways Pragmatic Play 96.55%

Hold and Win Spotlight

When enough cash or coin symbols land, they lock in place and three respins start. Each new cash symbol that lands locks too and resets the count to three; when the respins run out, the locked values are added up and paid. Pragmatic Play's Wolf Gold is one example.

Slot Provider RTP
Wolf Gold Pragmatic Play 96.01%
Money Train 4 Relax Gaming 96.1%

Book of Mechanic Spotlight

Three or more Book scatters start the free spins, and one symbol is picked at random as the expanding symbol: when enough of it lands to pay, it fills its whole reel. Novomatic's Book of Ra set the pattern, and Play'n GO's Book of Dead followed in 2016.

Slot Provider RTP
Book of Dead Play'n GO 96.21%
Legacy of Dead Play'n GO 96.58%
John Hunter and the Book of Tut Pragmatic Play 96.5%
Book of 99 Relax Gaming 99%

How Features Affect RTP and Payouts in UK Slots

Many slots ship in more than one RTP version and the casino chooses which one it runs, so the same Megaways game can return less at one casino than at another. The game's help panel shows the version that applies.

Progressive jackpot slots usually have a lower base-game RTP, because part of each stake feeds the jackpot. See Progressive Jackpot slots.

Volatility describes how wins are spread: low-volatility slots pay smaller amounts more often, while high-volatility slots pay less often and hold more of their value for the bonus round. Each review lists the slot's volatility where the studio rates it.

Feature Buy in the UK — What Changes for Real-Money Play

Bonus Buy, or Feature Buy, means paying a set price, a multiple of the stake, to go straight into the bonus round. Casinos licensed in Great Britain have not offered it since the Gambling Commission's notice of January 2020.

Some slots offer an Ante Bet instead: a higher stake per spin for a better chance of triggering the bonus. Pragmatic Play's Sweet Bonanza is one example.

At GB-licensed casinos these games run without the buy option, so the base-game RTP and volatility on each review are the figures that apply. See Bonus Buy slots for the list.

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