If you’ve ever visited an online casino, you’ll know that there are literally thousands of slots games out there.
Although most slots games work on the same principles, the variations, themes and mechanics are myriad, and it’s no surprise that a lot of people get confused
In this article, we’ll tackle the subject of megaways slots. We’ll talk you through what makes them different from other types of slots game, how to play megaways slots, and how you can turn them to your advantage.
If you’ve ever hesitated to try out a megaways slots game because you didn’t understand it, you’re in the right place!
How Do Slots Games Work?
Slots games almost all work on the basis of several reels, generally three or five. When you click to play the game, each of those reels spins before landing on symbols from a predetermined range.
If you match a certain number of symbols (usually at least three), either in a row or along specified paylines, you win.
Each symbol is assigned a different value, meaning that the amount you win will vary depending on which symbols you’ve matched. The higher value symbols appear less frequently, meaning that a small win is more likely than a large one.
Most modern slots games also offer bonus features, which typically give you free spins or begin a mini game if you land at least three bonus symbols in a spin – though there are other less common varieties of bonus features too.
There are nigh infinite variations on the traditional slots format – megaways being one of the most popular – but the vast majority of slots games work roughly along these lines.
The outcome of the spin itself is determined by a Random Number Generator, or RNG, which is built into the game software. Each possible outcome is assigned a number, and weighted according to how frequently it should occur.
The software also ensures that a certain percentage of money staked is paid out in winnings – this percentage is known as the ‘return to player’, or RTP.
For example, for a game with an RTP of 96%, £96 will be paid in winnings for every £100 staked, the remaining £4 being the casino’s profit.
You should be aware, though, that the RTP is reached as an average over millions of spins, meaning that the actual results you see when playing the game won’t necessarily be anywhere near the advertised RTP.
What’s Different About Megaways Slots?
The key difference in megaways slots is the potential number of paylines. In a classic slots game, the number of symbols per reel is fixed – but in megaways slots, this can change with each spin.
Because of this, the number of paylines can also change with every spin, depending on the number of symbols you see.
This can bring the possible number of paylines into the tens or hundreds of thousands, depending on the number of symbols thrown up by the algorithm.
A dynamic mechanism like this adds an additional level of uncertainty to each spin – which means an additional level of excitement for many players. It’s no wonder that megaways games have become so popular!
As for how to play megaways slots – it’s usually no different to any other slots game. All you have to do is click to spin, and keep your fingers crossed for a win.
Variations On Megaways Slots
Beyond the standard dynamic mechanism of megaways, slots developers have come up with even more ways to add to the excitement of a game. These features won’t necessarily mean you have a better chance of winning, but lots of players find the added excitement to mean they have far more fun while they play.
Cascade features
A cascade feature adds even more excitement to megaways games! Here, when you match symbols along a payline, they’re taken off the board, allowing more to fall into their place.
This can result in a series of wins in a row, sometimes with the value of those wins increasing the more you link together.
Extra rows
Many megaways games will have one or more extra row at the top or bottom of the game, often with a reduced number of reels.
This may function differently to the other reels (for example, spinning horizontally rather than vertically, or using a different range of symbols), but it may also simply offer another opportunity to hit a winning payline.
Bonuses
[image of megaways game such as Big Banker Megaways, with letters spelling out BANK]
All sorts of bonuses are featured in megaways games, just as in regular slots games.
As well as free spins, you may get the opportunity to play a mini game by matching three bonus symbols, or sometimes if you spell out a word (e.g. ‘LUCKY’) with letters in a single spin.
Popular Examples Of Megaways Slots
There are hundreds of megaways slots games out there, many of them variations on existing slots series. Often, megaways games have particularly high volatility – but this isn’t universal, as we’ll see below.
| Game | RTP | Volatility | Potential paylines |
| Fishin’ Frenzy Megaways | 96.1% | Medium-high | Up to 15,625 |
| Blood Suckers Megaways | 97.66% | High | Up to 117,649 |
| Buffalo King Megaways | 97.01% | High | Up to 117,649 |
| The Dog House Megaways | 96.55% | High | Up to 117,649 |
| Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Megaways | 96.26% | Medium-high | Up to 117,649 |
Strategies To Profit From Megaways Slots
When it comes to how to profit from megaways slots, your strategy shouldn’t be any different from any other slots game.
As the RTP will never be over 100%, the player will always be at a disadvantage – unless they’ve got something more on their side.
This something more comes in the form of freebies offered by casinos and bookies, aimed at enticing their customers into the world of slots.
These can be used to shift the odds in your favour, putting you in a position where you are statistically likely to come out in profit overall.
For example, let’s consider a typical sign up offer to receive 100 free spins if you wager £10 of your own money.
If the game in question has an RTP of 95%, you’d expect to win £9.50 on average from your £10 wagering, making a 50p loss.
Taking a typical value of 10p per free spin, you can calculate that your free spins are also worth £10 – and if you play them on a slots game with a 95% RTP, you can expect to make another £9.50 in winnings on average.
As a result, you would end up with an average of £9 in profit from the offer – and those £9s start adding up quickly when you repeat the process with other bookies!
This works regardless of whether you’re playing a classic slots game or megaways – though it’s worth noting that megaways games are often high volatility, which can give you greater variance in your results.
If playing through either your wagering requirement or free spins on a megaways game, we’d recommend choosing one with volatility on the lower end, if possible.
It’s important to be aware that there is risk in completing casino offers. You won’t get results that precisely match the advertised RTP of a game over the course of just a couple of hundred spins – and in theory you could lose your £10 and win nothing from your free spins.
However, the likelihood is that you will end up in profit overall, and this is ever more likely as you complete more offers, reducing the variance in your results.
Other Ways To Make Money From Online Betting Sites
Using megaways slots in conjunction with casino offers to make money from the comfort of your own home can be very profitable, but it does involve an element of risk.
If you’re not comfortable with the risk to your bankroll, a much safer alternative is Matched Betting on sports.
Matched Betting is a strategy that involves betting both for and against the same outcome, and using freebies from bookies to come out in profit.
Oddsmonkey members have access to our helpful tools and guides, making this a really simple process, even if you don’t have any experience of sports betting at all.
To find out more, take a look at our beginner’s guide to Matched Betting – or if you prefer to learn on the go, take out our free trial and earn your first £29 in Matched Betting profits.
