The megaways slot mechanic is one of the best innovations in slot gaming. For players of megaways slots, the unique set up and features add another level of excitement to the online casino experience. We delve into the world of megaways slot gaming, explore what these games are, how they came about and some best practice tips for playing them.
What are megaways slots and how do they work?
Megaways slots share many similarities with typical online slot games, with reels, paylines and exciting bonus features. However, megaways are special because they feature a dynamic and highly variable reel structure, and therefore offer significantly more ways to win a cash payout when compared to traditional slots.
A traditional online slot game has a fixed number of symbols on each reel, however megaways slots have a variable reel configuration and numbers of symbols can change with every spin. Usually, each reel will display somewhere between two and seven symbols.
There is also a cascading reels feature, also known as an avalanche. When the player secures a winning combination of symbols, these symbols will then disappear and new ones will fall in their place. This creates additional chances to win within that one single spin. The cascade continues until no more winning combinations are formed.
One thing that megaways are well known for is their massive win potential. For instance, for a 6 reel slot operating with the megaways mechanic, if there are up to seven slots on each reel then there are potentially 117,649 ways to win!
Megaways are high volatility slots
You will notice that all megaways slot games are high volatility. This means that wins are less frequent in comparison to low volatility games, however the payouts are generally much higher. You will also notice that megaways often have a great Return to Player percentage, up to 97.39 percent.
Return to Player percentage indicates the average amount of money that you can expect to win back from a slot machine over a significant number of spins. For example, if you bet £100 and the slot has an RTP of 96 percent, you can expect to get back £96 and for the casino to take the other £4.
However, if using the RTP to help you select which megaways game to play, remember that RTP is not an indicator of what will happen in a single SLOT session but rather an average return over the long run.
What are the origins of megaways slots?
The mechanic behind the megaways slot was developed by a casino game development company known as Big Time Gaming (BTG). the Australian enterprise is known for its high quality casino games.
Bonanza was the first successful megaways slot that they developed and was released in December 2016. The game quickly gained attention for slots fans and was well liked due to the variable reel feature and potential for big cash payouts. A year prior to Bonanza’s release there was in fact another megaways game, Dragon Born, however this failed to take off.
BTG then went on to licence the mechanic so that other developers could release megaways style games and developers such as Microgaming, Pragmatic Play and Blueprint have all brought their own version of megaways to the market.
Tips for playing megaways slots
Understand how they work
You might already be experienced at playing typical online slot games, or you could be a complete newbie to the world of online casino gaming. Whatever the case may be, megaways are different to any game you have played before so taking some time to understand how the mechanic works and what the games special features are is important.
Have patience
As higher volatility games, you may find that you win less frequently than you did playing other slot games. Here it is important to have some patience and remember that payouts in the game may be larger than the low volatility slots you have enjoyed previously.
However, it is important that you keep a budget in mind and ensure that you do not pass the strict limits that you have decided on beforehand.
Use welcome bonuses
Many online casinos offer incentives such as deposit bonuses or free spins on certain games when you sign up for an account. So don’t forget to take advantage of these great deals.
Megaways slot games to try
If you like the TV show of the same name, Who Wants to be a Millionaire is worth playing. This exciting megaways game allows players to enter into a gamble for the chance to win extra free spins.
As one of the OG games, Bonanza megaways remains a wonderful casino classic game to try. Players enjoy this game for its free spin bonus and 96 percent RTP value.
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