What Are Megaways Slots?
The online casino world is well known for the incredible innovation that leads to some brilliant ideas being put into production. Gaming developers are always looking for new ways to improve and evolve their online slots catalogues in order to stand out from the crowd in an extremely competitive market. Slots have been around for so many years now, beginning with the fruit machines in land-based casinos. With the invention of the internet of course, online slots were born and a whole new realm of potential was opened up.
Suddenly, players were able to play their favourite slot games without having to even venture out of the comfort of their own home. Obviously, this changed the casino landscape completely, and we have seen plenty of brilliant new ideas introduced into online slots ever since including the likes of unique bonus rounds, cascading reels, win both ways and special promotions that players can benefit from.
One such innovation that we are going to focus on today is Megaways. This is an invention first created by the gaming provider Big Time Gaming, who have their roots in Australia. The main point to note is that Megaways is a random reel modifier.
Megaways Explained
Essentially, the way that Megaways works can be explained in the following format:
The number of ways to win will vary on every spin of the reels, rather than just sticking to a certain fixed number of paylines.
This means that, as a player, you will never know how many ways to win you will have on the very next spin, which helps keep things very interesting and adds to the suspense when playing online slots. While many slot games offer fixed paylines of between 3 and 20, Megaways takes this to an unprecedented level, with games often offering up to an immense 117,649 ways to win on any spin. Add this to the fact that win multipliers are often part of these games and it is clear to see why they are so popular.
You never know just how many ways to win you will be granted on the next spin, and a single reel in a Megaways game can hold between two and eight symbols on each spin. If you are a seasoned slots player, you will likely be used to seeing a symmetrical set of reels with the same number of symbols on each. However, the Megaways feature has blown this wide open and pretty much changed the landscape of online slots entirely, as the height of each symbol can vary with every spin. It has led to many other providers looking to take inspiration from what Big Time Gaming introduced.
How Do You Win On Megaways Slots?
With a Megaways slot, winning combinations come from matching adjacent symbols starting from left to right, regardless of their size. What is different from some traditional slots is that matching symbols do not need to be linked or next to each other to create a win, as long as they appear somewhere on the next reel along. In certain games, each winning symbol in the combination acts as part of a reaction, leading to these symbols being removed from the reels and replaced with cascading symbols falling from above. All payouts during Megaways games will be multiplied by the stake amount.
As if the unique nature of the ever-changing reels wasn’t enough, Megaways games can also feature added bonus rounds such as Free Spins where you can potentially enhance your wins.
In terms of the maths behind Megaways, it can be seen as difficult to work out particularly with the maximum of 117,649 ways to win. Of course, the slot game itself will work out any winnings you may receive, but it is still nice to know how these games work. The calculations behind Megaways are as follows:
The number of symbols on each reel x each other.
So, if you had a game with a maximum of seven symbols per row on a six reel platform then the maths behind the game will look like this:
7x7x7x7x7x7 = 117,649, which will then be the maximum number of ways to win.
Play Megaways Slots Here At LeoVegas
At LeoVegas we have a great collection of Megaways slots for our players to take a look at. In order to see our entire list including Genie Jackpots Megaways and Fishin’ Frenzy Megaways, you would need to sign up for a new account or log in as an existing user.
That being said, here are some of our top Megaways slots for you to enjoy.
LeoVegas Megaways
As we call ourselves King of Casino, we feel the need to back up that statement. One great way to do this is through innovation, hence why the LeoVegas Megaways slot was born. Created by the brains at LeoVegas and Blueprint Gaming, this slot was granted the opportunity to use the Megaways feature under license from Big Time Gaming.
There are a stunning 117,649 potential ways to win on any spin in this online slot, which is played on a 6 reel platform. The look and feel of the game will make LeoVegas players feel right at home, as the lion logo plays a prominent part as the spin button, as well as Las Vegas style imagery in the background. Add to that the orange and white colour scheme and the LeoVegas paw prints are all over this game.
In terms of the in-game features, cascading reels mean that you could claim multiple winning combinations on a single spin as any winning symbols are removed and replaced by those falling from above. Plus, look out for the Mystery Symbol that can transform into anything other than the Bonus Scatter. Speaking of the Bonus, land 4 or more Scatters and the Free Spins Wheel with an unlimited multiplier will be activated!
Buffalo Rising Megaways
Players that enjoy an animal or safari theme, this could well be the game for you. The reels of the Buffalo Rising Megaways slot are placed in front of the barren land, with the remaining blades of grass flowing back and forth in the wind. Clouds breeze by in the sky and the jagged mountains provide a fantastic visual backdrop. Once again there are 6 reels and up to 117,649 ways to win on any spin.
On the reels themselves, the buffalo is by far the highest paying symbol in the game, followed by other wild animals such as a grizzly bear, wolf and moose. Cascading reels are again a feature here, with the sunset themed Mystery Symbol having the ability to transform into any symbol other than the Bonus Scatter. Land 4 Scatters again here and Free Spins can be yours. The great thing about the Free Spins round is also that the win multiplier will increase after every reaction!
Bonanza
Bonanza was actually one of the first online slots to introduce the Megaways feature, back in 2016. One of Big Time Gaming’s finest ever creations, the Bonanza slot brings together the Megaways platform with Reactive Reels, which mean that any win can trigger a reaction and lead to further wins. Once again this is a 6 reel slot with a gargantuan 117,649 ways to win.
Visually, Bonanza is a beautiful slot game, with the reels chiselled into a picturesque mountainside. With a mining theme, the top row has four mining carts and the higher paying symbols are in the form of bright and colourful gems. In order to trigger the great 12 Free Spins bonus, look to land four Scatters across the middle that spell out GOLD. Plus, for each extra Scatter that is found, another five Free Spins will be added. You’ll be delighted to hear that the unlimited multiplier returns for this game too, increasing by 1x on each winning reaction. Overall, Bonanza was one of the slot games that really changed the landscape and made Megaways as popular as it is today, which is why it remains one of the Most Played Slots.
Online Slots, Live Casino and Betting at LeoVegas
We hope that this article has explained a lot more about what Megaways slots actually are and what value they bring to our LeoVegas players. Remember that you can log in as a current player or sign up for an account in order to view our full range of Megaways games. That is far from all though, as LeoVegas also offer some other fantastic online slots including the stratospheric Starburst, where the Starburst Wilds can substitute for all symbols and create some magnificent wins.
Don’t forget that as well as our immense online slots collection, we also list plenty of Live Casino games including the massively popular Game Shows like Monopoly Live and Deal or No Deal Live.
For something a little bit different, we also list a large selection of online betting odds, with betting available on popular sports such as Football, Horse Racing and Tennis.
