Megaways slots: how the ways are counted and what they cost

Megaways is a slot mechanic from the developer Big Time Gaming: on every spin each reel shows 2 to 7 symbols, and the number of ways to win is those numbers multiplied together. On six reels it can reach 117,649. The number of ways changes on every spin, but the game's RTP and the stake stay the same. So a Megaways slot is no better value than an ordinary slot: it simply spreads the same return differently. We cover slot types on our slots page, and what RTP is in our article on RTP and volatility.

How Megaways works

The number of ways is the number of symbols on each reel multiplied together, and it is different on every spin.

Big Time Gaming is an Australian studio founded in 2011 by Nik Robinson and owned by Evolution since 2021 (Big Time Gaming). On its game pages it calls Megaways a patented system. In games with this mechanic each reel shows 2 to 7 symbols on each spin (Big Time Gaming):

• if all six reels show 7 symbols, there are 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7, or 117,649 ways;
• if the reels show 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2 symbols, there are 5,040 ways;
• if every reel shows 2 symbols, there are 64 ways.

Usually a win comes from matching symbols on adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost reel, in any position on each reel. Many Megaways games have an extra horizontal reel above the middle reels that adds a symbol to each reel below it. Winning symbols disappear and new ones fall in from above. Big Time Gaming calls these cascades reactions.

The figure 117,649 is not fixed. White Rabbit has 16,807 ways in the base game, Fishin' Frenzy Megaways up to 15,625 and Rasputin Megaways up to 1,000,000 (Big Time Gaming).

Where Megaways comes from

The first Megaways game was Dragon Born in early 2016, but it was Bonanza, at the end of that year, that made the mechanic famous.

Big Time Gaming describes Dragon Born as the first game with the system (Big Time Gaming) and calls the launch of Bonanza in 2016 a pivotal moment (Big Time Gaming). Bonanza added cascades, and after it Megaways became one of the most popular slot mechanics.

Other studios now make Megaways games under licence from Big Time Gaming, among them Pragmatic Play, Blueprint Gaming, Red Tiger, iSoftBet and Microgaming. Blueprint Gaming says so directly on its game page: "Under license from Big Time Gaming" (Blueprint Gaming). The name "Megaways" is a trademark registered in the US to Big Time Gaming.

More ways does not mean a higher return

Each version of a game has one RTP, and it covers every possible reel layout, with 64 ways and with 117,649.

The stake per spin does not change with the number of ways, and a single way usually pays only part of the stake. Lots of ways on screen means lots of small chances, not a bigger overall return. The RTP stated by the makers of the best-known Megaways slots:

• Bonanza (Big Time Gaming) - 96.00% (Big Time Gaming).
• Extra Chilli (Big Time Gaming) - 96.15% to 96.41%.
• White Rabbit (Big Time Gaming) - 96.42%.
• Gonzo's Quest Megaways (Red Tiger) - 95.77% (Red Tiger).
• The Dog House Megaways (Pragmatic Play) - 96.55% (Pragmatic Play).
• Big Bass Bonanza Megaways (Pragmatic Play) - 96.70%.
• Fishin' Frenzy Megaways (Blueprint Gaming) - 92%, 95.02% or 96.10% depending on the version.

That is the same range as ordinary video slots. In money, by our calculation, RTP looks like this:

• RTP 96.5%: an average loss of 3.50 euros per 100 euros staked;
• RTP 96%: 4.00 euros;
• RTP 95%: 5.00 euros;
• RTP 92%: 8.00 euros;
• RTP 80%, the Latvian legal minimum for gaming machines: 20.00 euros.

The same game can exist in several versions with different RTPs, so check the figure at a given casino in the game's information screen. The Fishin' Frenzy Megaways example shows the difference can be more than 4 euros per 100 euros.

The best-known Big Time Gaming Megaways slots are high volatility: Evolution labels Bonanza and Extra Chilli as "High", for example. That means longer runs without a win and rarer big wins, not a different cost.

Bonus buys: what one click costs

A bonus buy costs 35 to 300 stakes at once, and its cost per euro is the same as in normal play.

In many Megaways slots you can buy the free spins instead of waiting for them to land. Big Time Gaming lists prices from 35 to 300 stakes on its game pages, most often 90 to 100. Max Megaways 3, for example, offers "10 Free Spins for 100 times stake" (Big Time Gaming).

What that means in money:

• At a 1-euro stake, a buy for 100 stakes is 100 euros in one click.
• In the highest version of Fishin' Frenzy Megaways the buy has its own RTP, 96.60%, so the average loss is 3.40 euros per buy.
• Ten buys are 1,000 euros staked and an average loss of about 34 euros. In normal play at 1 euro a spin, that amount would take 1,000 spins.

Published buy RTPs differ from the game's base RTP by no more than half a percentage point. A buy is therefore not cheaper: it just concentrates the money into fewer, bigger decisions. Waiting for a buy price to drop, as some Big Time Gaming games allow, does not change the long-run cost either, because that is also part of the game's RTP. Evolution notes on its game pages that bonus buys are not available in all jurisdictions, so whether the buy is switched on can only be seen in the game itself.

What Latvian law says

In Latvia gaming machines must pay back at least 80% of stakes, and every spin must be independent of the last.

Article 41(1), point 7 of the Gambling and Lotteries Law bans organising gambling where a gaming machine's winnings are less than 80% of total stakes. Cabinet Regulation No. 188 requires the results of interactive games to come from a random number generator, with every number statistically independent and unpredictable (point 3.2.4). So a long run without a win does not mean a win is due. We found no provision in the law or in these regulations on bonus buys, spin speed or autoplay.

Where to play Megaways slots in Latvia

Five of the six Latvian-licensed casinos on our list that we checked offer Megaways slots.

Optibet, Laimz, Klondaika and Betsafe have a separate Megaways section, and LVBET has a Megaways collection. For example, the Megaways section at Laimz has more than 200 games, including Bonanza, Extra Chilli and White Rabbit, while Betsafe's has about 90, including Bonanza and Gonzo's Quest Megaways. The newest Big Time Gaming game, Extra Chilli More Chilli, is not yet in the catalogues of the Latvian casinos we checked. We list all casinos licensed in Latvia under all casinos.

Play within your means

Megaways slots are fast, and with high volatility losing runs can be long. At 1 euro a spin and an RTP of 96%, 500 spins mean 500 euros staked and an average loss of 20 euros. Set a budget before you start and stop when it is spent. Our responsible gambling page and our article on responsible gambling tools gather the tools that help, including the State Revenue Service's self-exclusion register. The addiction support line of the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 67037333, is anonymous (in Latvian). Gambling is for people aged 18 and over only.