Megaways Slots

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Written by Alex Vasile
Alex Vasile
Alex Vasile has an iGaming background with over five years working in Support and Account / VIP management. He is also an experienced writer covering topics related to gambling legislation and jurisdictions, casino bonuses and wagering requirements and casino games rules.
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Whenever players assume that software suppliers have pushed the concept of slot play as far as it can go, innovation, creativity, and technology prove them wrong. The evolution of slots over the past century is truly astounding.

They have evolved from simple, mechanically operated machines with three reels, a limited set of symbols, and a single payline into advanced online games with sophisticated animations, hundreds of ways to win, progressive jackpots, and a wide range of lucrative features.

Yet the evolution of one-armed bandits continues, as software suppliers constantly seek new ways to push the boundaries of traditional slot play. The Megaways pay structure ranks among the most interesting innovations that reel spinners have seen in recent years.

First introduced by the developers at Big Time Gaming, Megaways slots have taken the online gambling community by storm. In games with this structure, the number of symbols per reel changes with each spin, giving players thousands of ways to win. The format piqued the interest of rival software companies, and Big Time Gaming soon began licensing its trademarked Megaways system to other providers, including Blueprint and Red Tiger Gaming.

Big Time Gaming, the Mastermind Behind the Megaways Format

1First Megaways Slot

The Megaways pay structure was pioneered by the Australian software studio Big Time Gaming, which currently offers about a dozen slots of this type. Released in 2015, Dragon Born was the first game to use the Megaways format.

It was soon followed by other notable Megaways releases, including White Rabbit, Extra Chilli, Queen of Riches, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Bonanza, the studio’s 2016 release, remains its biggest success to date, having been voted Game of the Year by Casinomeister in 2017.

2About Big Time Gaming

Big Time Gaming is a relatively young company. It was founded in 2011 by a small group of Australian gaming experts whose goal was to take online gambling to a new level. The company is headquartered in Sydney, where all Megaways slots are developed.

Big Time Gaming is led by people with extensive experience in the gambling industry. Nik Robinson, the company’s main founder and Chief Executive, has worked in the field since 1996, when he established New Tech Media, which later merged with Orbis to become OpenBet.

The company’s Chief Technology Officer, Huw McIntosh, also has extensive experience. He spent more than ten years working at OpenBet and New Tech Media. The brand’s Creative Director, Ian Schmidt, worked for Rockstar Games, the studio behind popular video games such as Grand Theft Auto, before joining Big Time Gaming.

3Big Time Gaming's Partners

With such an impressive lineup, it is no surprise that Big Time Gaming carved out a niche for itself in just a few years. This was achieved through collaboration with some of the largest operators in the online gambling industry.

A partnership with Core Gaming allowed the Australian game maker to adapt its innovative slots for mobile play. Another deal with Microgaming’s Quickfire platform helped Big Time Gaming reach a wider audience.

Today, Big Time Gaming works with some of the biggest gambling brands in the world, including LeoVegas, Betfair, Unibet, Paddy Power, Mr Green, Stan James, and William Hill. Some operators, such as Ladbrokes, have even added dedicated tabs exclusively for Megaways slots, demonstrating the popularity of the format.

4Big Time Gaming's Licenses

Big Time Gaming holds licenses from major regulatory bodies, including the Malta Gaming Authority, the Gambling Commissions of Gibraltar and the UK, and the Alderney Gambling Control Commission. Its Megaways slots have reached players in New Jersey through a partnership with Scientific Games and Golden Nugget Casino.

The Pay Mechanics in the Megaways Format

Reels and Symbols in Megaways Slots

Winning Conditions in Megaways Slots

Slots that use the Megaways format are unique because they feature reels that display a different number of symbols on each spin, usually up to seven or eight. Some games, such as White Rabbit, have extended reels that can display up to twelve symbols per reel in a single round.

This setup significantly increases the number of winning ways, which changes with each press of the spin button. In White Rabbit, for example, players can have up to 248,832 ways to win.

Megaways slots typically use six reels, but the number of symbols on each reel is randomly determined by the game’s software. The number of ways to win also varies, depending on how many symbols land on the reels at any given time. The reels can display different numbers of symbols, so a spin may produce 2 symbols on reel 1, 4 symbols on reel 2, 6 symbols on reel 3, and so on.

For example, if each of the six reels displays seven symbols, the number of winning ways can be calculated by raising seven to the sixth power: 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 = 117,649. Different Megaways games offer different numbers of winning ways. Holy Diver, for instance, offers up to 586,971 ways to win when the bonus game is triggered.

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The Horizontal Reel and Other Cool Features in Megaways Slots

Some games from the Megaways series, such as Extra Chilli and Bonanza, use an additional reel positioned either above or below the main grid. Unlike the rest of the reels, this one does not spin vertically.

Instead, the symbols move horizontally across it. This special reel adds more symbols to the game, further increasing its winning potential. It is shorter, however, because it covers only reels 2 through 5. Below are several other noteworthy features you will find in games that use the Megaways format.

Extending Reels
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Extending Reels

Extending Reels allow additional symbols to be added during special features, further increasing the number of ways to win.

Win Reactions

Win Reactions work similarly to cascading reels in some NetEnt slots. All symbols that form part of a winning combination explode, making room for new symbols that fall onto the reels from above.

Unlimited Win Multipliers

Unlimited Win Multipliers usually occur during free-spin rounds in some Megaways slots. The multiplier starts at 1x and increases by one unit after every winning spin. It resets whenever a losing spin breaks the chain of reactions, the term used for consecutive wins in these slots.

Full Reel Wilds

Full Reel Wilds can be very lucrative because they may occupy up to seven reel positions and substitute for every symbol except the scatter. In essence, they are similar to stacked wilds. In Megaways slots, some full reel wilds also multiply the wins they help create by up to 7x.

Free Spins Gamble

Free Spins Gamble is activated after players trigger the free spins feature in slots like Extra Chilli. A Gamble Wheel appears on the screen, giving players a chance to earn additional free spins.

Players can either collect the free spins initially awarded or spin the wheel. A successful gamble spin awards four additional free rounds. If the wheel lands on zero free spins, the feature ends.

Feature Drop

Feature Drop allows players to buy direct access to the bonus features in certain Megaways slots. The price is proportional to the stake per spin and is displayed above the Feature Drop button. There are two ways to activate it.

The first is the standard method, in which players purchase free spins at a cost of 100x the base stake. If the stake is $2 per spin, the Feature Drop will cost $200. The software deducts this amount from the player’s balance, respins the reels, and lands the scatters required to activate the free spins.

The second method is to collect special coins that land randomly on the reels during the base game. These coins have different values and deduct corresponding amounts from the Feature Drop price.

The free spins begin automatically once players collect enough special coins to reduce the price to zero. Players can also purchase the bonus after collecting enough coins to reduce the price to an amount they are comfortable with.

Megaways Slots Evolved from the All Ways Pay Structure

1All Ways Slots

Although highly innovative due to their unconventional features and gameplay, Megaways games are not the only slots to use this pay structure. All Ways slots, which emerged roughly a decade ago, were the prototype for the format.

Before their arrival, most reel-based games did not deviate significantly from the conventional payline structure. Video slots differed primarily in the number of paylines. Some had 25, others had 40, and so on. Most awarded payouts when matching symbols landed from left to right on the reels. Both Ways Pay slots then appeared, awarding payouts for matches formed in either direction, from left to right or right to left.

2243 Ways to Win Slots

The next logical step for software developers was to eliminate paylines altogether. This is how 243 Ways to Win slots were created. They use a standard grid with five reels and three symbols per reel.

This 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 structure allows for 243 possible winning combinations on each spin. Players no longer need to line up symbols in fixed patterns. Instead, the games pay when matching symbols land on adjacent reels from left to right.

3720+ Ways to Win Slots

All symbols act as scatters, allowing for up to 720 ways to win. The combinations pay in both directions, from left to right and from right to left. Software developers continued experimenting with the games’ pay structures, adding more reels and rows to increase the number of possible winning ways per spin.

To calculate the number of winning ways per round, simply multiply the number of visible symbols on each reel. In slots such as IGT’s Crown of Egypt, each of the five reels displays four symbols, so the number of winning ways is 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4, or 1,024. Red Tiger Gaming’s 2019 release Ninja Ways increases the number of winning ways to 4,096 with six reels that each display four symbols.

Other Software Suppliers to Use the Megaways Format

Big Time Gaming pioneered this format, so it’s no surprise that it offers one of the largest selections of Megaways titles by far. However, the new pay structure was such a huge success among reel-spinning enthusiasts that several other leading software suppliers also started developing Megaways slots.

To do so, they must first acquire a license from Big Time Gaming to use the trademarked structure. Blueprint Gaming was among the first studios to obtain a license in April 2018, followed by the likes of NextGen, Red Tiger, and Relax Gaming.

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Relax Gaming

Relax Gaming has released only a handful of Megaways slots, but each is worth a spin. The company began operating in 2010 in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, but experienced a slow rise to prominence.

Relax Gaming holds licenses from Alderney, the UK, and Malta. It released its first Megaways slot in April 2019. Notable examples include Temple Tumble, Hypernova, and Machina, all of which use the innovative format.

NextGen

NextGen is one of the oldest slot suppliers, with a history dating back to 1999, when players were beginning to embrace online gambling. Until 2014, most slots released by NextGen were similar in terms of style and features, typically using five reels and 25 paylines.

However, the emergence of new software studios prompted NextGen to adopt a more creative approach to game design. The year 2019 was a turning point, as the company licensed the Megaways structure from Big Time Gaming. NextGen’s Medusa slot offers an RTP of 97.63% and 117,649 ways to win.

Red Tiger Gaming

Red Tiger Gaming is one of the newer software studios, having entered the online gambling scene in 2014. The company specializes exclusively in slot development and works with gaming operators across the Asian and European markets under licenses from Malta and the UK.

Red Tiger joined the growing family of Big Time Gaming licensees in 2018. The company’s first slot to use the Megaways format was Mystery Reels. It offers a range of features, including 117,649 ways to win, a fixed jackpot of 10,000x the bet, mystery symbols, and eight free spins with the option to gamble for more.

Blueprint Gaming

Blueprint Gaming started in Georgia, USA, in 2001, when it manufactured video slot machines for pubs and land-based casinos. As gaming technology evolved, Blueprint shifted its focus to the online gambling market, producing slots with a distinctive look and features.

In 2008, German giant the Gauselmann Group purchased a 50% stake in the company, helping Blueprint Gaming expand internationally. Blueprint was the first software company to license the Megaways structure from Big Time Gaming.

As a result, it offers one of the industry’s largest selections of Megaways slots, including Diamond Mine, Valetta, Tiki Treasures, Wolf Legend, and Legacy of Ra.

Are Megaways Slots a Good Bet?

1High volatility

Megaways slots have considerable winning potential, but players should approach them with caution, especially when playing with a limited budget. Games with this structure tend to have high volatility.

2Long Losing Streaks

Megaways slots can award large wins, especially titles such as Bonanza that use cascading symbols and multipliers. However, winning combinations do not occur very frequently. Players may experience long dry spells before landing a spin that produces a large cash prize.

3Try Them in Demo Mode

Because many different games use this structure, it is difficult to generalize about volatility. The best approach is to try the Megaways slots that interest you in demo mode to see how they play and gauge their volatility.

4Megaways Slots With Medium Level of Volatility

Below are three Megaways games that offer a medium level of volatility.

Game Title RTP Ways to Win Jackpot Features
Valetta (Blueprint Gaming) 96.45% 15,625 ways 250,000 coins Feature Buy, up to 20 Free Spins, Spinning Streaks
Return of Kong (Blueprint Gaming) 96.03% 117,649 ways 250,000 coins Bonus Bet Buy, 12 Free Spins, Cascading Reels
Flower Fortune (Fantasma Games) 96.00% 531,411 ways 250,000 coins Avalanche, Expanding Wilds, Pick Me Bonus
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