Megaways Slot
Paytable (3+ reels in a row)
6 reels · variable rows · up to 117,649 ways
History
The Megaways mechanic was developed by Australia’s Big Time Gaming and introduced in 2015 in the game Dragon Born. The idea was revolutionary: the number of rows on the reels varies every spin, so the number of ways to win changes constantly. The mechanic was licensed to dozens of other developers and became its own slot genre.
Big Time Gaming’s Megaways mechanic was so successful that the company licensed it to dozens of other developers — it became an entire sub-genre. The mechanic was often combined with other features such as "cascading reels", where winning symbols disappear and new ones drop in. Each extra feature adds more visual excitement, but does not change the underlying mathematics.
Where it is played today
Megaways games are extremely popular at online casinos worldwide, especially in Britain and the Nordic countries. They are marketed with a high maximum win and the promise of "hundreds of thousands of ways" — which makes them a good example of the gap between game marketing and the actual mathematics.
Rules
Six reels, each showing 2–7 symbols at random every spin. A win happens when the same symbol lands on consecutive reels starting from the left — its position on the reel does not matter. The total number of ways to win is the product of the reel heights.
Odds & the maths
If all six reels have 7 rows, there are 7⁶ = 117,649 ways. But this figure is misleading: most "ways" are worthless because they do not form a win. The real RTP of Megaways games is typically 94–96%, the same range as ordinary video slots. The big ways number is marketing — the maths is the same house edge as always.
117,649 ways is mathematically true but misleading. A "way" only means a possible route of symbol combinations — the vast majority of them produce no win. Compare: a single-payline slot has one "way", but its win probability can be just as good or better. The size of the number tells you nothing about the game’s favourability — only about its marketing.
| Number of ways | Occurrence | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 64 (all reels 2 rows) | rarest | fewest ways |
| ~15,000 (average) | typical spin | — |
| 117,649 (all reels 7 rows) | rarest | most ways |
| Game RTP | — | typically 94–96% |
The big ways number is marketing. Most "ways" do not form a win — the real house edge is the same 4–6% as in ordinary video slots.
Beginner’s guide
Adjust the bet with the +/− buttons, press Spin. Notice how the reel heights and the "Ways" number change every spin. The key lesson: do not let the big number fool you. 117,649 ways sounds enormous, but the probability of a win is designed the same way as in any slot.