A 5-reel, 10-payline Egyptian expedition by Novomatic. High volatility, expanding symbols, and a gamble feature that can multiply any win by 32×.
Book of Ra Deluxe runs on a 5×3 grid with 10 adjustable paylines and an RTP of 95.10%. The Book symbol functions as both wild and scatter, triggering 10 free spins when three or more land anywhere on the reels. Before the bonus round starts, one symbol is randomly selected to expand across entire reels. The gamble feature allows doubling any base game win up to five consecutive times. Released in 2008, this Novomatic title remains one of the most played Egyptian-themed slots across European markets.
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Play at Partner Casino ↗The Book of Ra symbol substitutes for all other symbols and pays up to 200× the line bet. Three or more trigger the free spins round regardless of payline position.
One randomly chosen symbol expands to cover all three reel positions during the 10 free spins. It pays on any position across active reels — adjacent placement is not required.
After any base game win, the red/black card gamble doubles the payout. Five correct guesses multiply the original win by 32×. An incorrect guess forfeits the entire amount.
The default RTP of Book of Ra Deluxe is 95.10%, though Novomatic offers operators three lower configurations: 94.26%, 92.13%, and 90.05%. The version running at any given casino directly affects long-term cost per spin.
At the 95.10% setting, the slot returns $95.10 for every $100 wagered over millions of spins. The theoretical house edge is 4.90%. For a player staking $1 per spin over 500 rounds, the expected loss is $24.50. This sits below the modern industry average of roughly 96%, but within the typical range for Novomatic titles designed originally for land-based cabinets.
The difference between the highest and lowest RTP versions is 5.05 percentage points. At $1 stakes over 500 spins, a player on the 95.10% version loses roughly $24.50 in expected value. On the 90.05% version, that figure rises to $49.75 — more than double. Before playing for real money, open the slot's info or help panel and check the listed RTP. Some jurisdictions require casinos to display this figure; others do not.
High volatility means the 95.10% return is not distributed evenly. Most of the RTP comes from infrequent large payouts — primarily the free spins round with a high-value expanding symbol. Base game wins occur on about 30% of spins but are typically small relative to the stake. A player can easily lose 200+ spins worth of bets before a single bonus round recovers a portion. The RTP only converges toward 95.10% over thousands of spins.
In the game interface, tap the menu or info icon. The paytable section usually lists the active RTP. If the number shows 94.26% or lower, that casino is running a reduced-return version. Players in regulated European markets (Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary) can typically find the 95.10% setting. Always verify before committing real funds.
Select 1 to 10 active paylines and choose the bet per line. The total stake equals the line bet multiplied by the number of active lines. Range: $0.10 to $50.00 per spin.
Press Start or enable Autoplay. Winning combinations form left to right across active paylines. The Book of Ra substitutes for all symbols and pays as a scatter from any position.
Land three or more Book symbols anywhere on the grid. The slot awards 10 free spins and randomly selects one symbol to become the expanding scatter for the entire round.
During free spins, the chosen symbol covers all three positions on its reel when it can form a win. It pays on any reel — no adjacent requirement. Three or more Books retrigger another 10 spins.
After any base game win, choose Gamble to guess the next card color (red or black). A correct pick doubles the win. Five consecutive correct guesses produce a 32× multiplier. A wrong guess loses everything.
▸ Book of Ra Deluxe was released on April 11, 2008, making it over 17 years old. It remains one of the most played slots in European land-based and online casinos.
▸ The original Book of Ra (2005) had only 9 paylines and an RTP of 92.13%. The Deluxe version added one payline and raised RTP to 95.10% — a 2.97 percentage point improvement.
▸ Book of Ra Deluxe effectively created the 'Book of' genre. Dozens of providers have since released similar mechanics — Play'n GO's Book of Dead (2016) being the most well-known successor.
▸ With the Explorer as expanding symbol on all 5 reels during free spins, every reel displays three Explorers. All 10 paylines hit the 500× per-line payout simultaneously — producing the 5,000× maximum win.
1. Always activate all 10 paylines. Playing fewer lines reduces the chance of triggering free spins (Book scatters must land on active lines for scatter pays, and fewer lines means lower total bet which reduces the value of wins proportionally). The max win of 5,000× is calculated on the total bet with all lines active.
2. Check the RTP version before depositing. The difference between 95.10% and 92.13% costs $14.85 per 500 spins at $1 stake. Over a longer session of 2,000 spins, that gap becomes $59.40 in extra house edge.
3. Set a session bankroll of at least 200× your per-spin bet. With bonus rounds averaging one trigger per 100-120 spins, a $1 player needs at least $200 to have a reasonable chance of reaching one free spins round without busting.
4. Use the gamble feature conservatively. Each gamble is a 50/50 coin flip. Doubling a $20 win once gives $40 at 50% probability. Attempting five consecutive doubles (for 32× multiplier) succeeds only 3.1% of the time. Most experienced players limit gambles to one or two attempts.
5. Track expanding symbol results. When the Explorer is chosen as the expanding symbol, the maximum win of 5,000× becomes possible. Low-card expanding symbols (10, J, Q) trigger more frequently but cap at lower payouts. Neither outcome is controllable, but tracking helps set realistic expectations for each bonus round.
The free spins round triggers approximately once every 100 to 120 base game spins. At a $1 total bet, that translates to roughly $100–$120 in wagers between bonus activations on average.
The Explorer (adventurer) is the highest-paying expanding symbol at 500× per line for five of a kind. If it lands on all five reels, all 10 paylines pay simultaneously for the 5,000× maximum win. Low-card symbols expand more frequently but pay significantly less.
Yes. Novomatic offers four RTP settings: 95.10%, 94.26%, 92.13%, and 90.05%. The casino operator selects which version to run. The active RTP is usually visible in the game's info panel or paytable.
Yes. Landing three or more Book symbols during the free spins round awards an additional 10 spins with the same expanding symbol. There is no documented cap on retriggers.
The gamble is a 50/50 bet with zero expected value advantage. It neither improves nor worsens the overall RTP. The decision depends on risk tolerance. Most players limit gambles to small base game wins rather than risking large bonus payouts.
Book of Ra 6 Deluxe adds an optional sixth reel via the Extra Bet feature. This doubles the stake but triples the maximum win from 5,000× to 15,000×. The base RTP with Extra Bet rises to 96.06%.
Book of Dead by Play'n GO uses nearly identical mechanics: 5 reels, 10 paylines, expanding symbol in free spins. The key differences are a higher default RTP (96.21% vs 95.10%) and a 5,000× max win on both. Book of Dead is generally available at more online casinos.