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Megaways Slot Machines – What Makes Them So Popular?

Up until the last 20 years, most slot machines were simply a more advanced iteration of the classic fruit machine of one hundred years ago. But in 2017, the game's producer Big Time Gaming turned the whole iGaming industry on its head with the introduction of Megaways mechanics for slot machines. Suddenly the number of ways a player could win jumped up into the hundreds of thousands. Unsurprisingly, these slots became an instant hit with both players and the casinos that stocked them.

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Megaways Slot Machines: What is it and How Does it Work?

Over the last few years you’ve probably noticed, especially if you’re a jackpot slots lover, there has been a huge influx of slot games that utilised Megaways mechanics. This popular gaming engine was developed by Big Time Gaming in 2017. The idea was to give players many more ways to win. Essentially, Megaways slot machines translate into a massive increase in the available winning combinations that can be played on a slot.

Of course, when we talk about offering players many more ways to win, the bottom line is that the casino will also win from this new technology. As such, its primary development was to keep players interested in playing. Since Big Time Gaming launched its Megaways platform they have licenced it to doubt to other producers such as Pragmatic Play, Red Tiger Gaming and many others.

How Megaways Slot Machines Work

By making use of a random reel modifier, Megaways changes the way slot reels behave. During any spin, a modifier will determine how many symbols show on the reels. As a result, it’s able to find many more ways to win. On the whole, most regular slot games will show a fixed number of symbols on a single reel. This is usually just 3. But by utilising Megaways mechanics, reels were able to add many extra symbols. Technically this will boost and increase your jackpot winning chances.

As you’re well aware as a slot two-player, all normal slot games will count with a fixed number of pay lines. But with a Megaways slot, the pay lines can go anything up to 248,832 ways to win. And that’s on a single spin! Keep in mind though, that in order to make maximum wins, you will have to bet the maximum amounts on each pay line in play. Nevertheless, you’re still able to significantly better your chances of winning a prize.

The Maths Behind Megaways Slots

If you look closely at the standard setup for a Megaways slot you’ll notice there are 6 reels with up to 7 symbols on each one. If you head over to the pay table of the slot, you’ll see the number of ways to win displayed. But even without looking at this, you can calculate the ways to win very simply. All you have to do is multiply the number of symbols on each reel by each other. For example, if you have a slot with 7 symbols on each reel, and the machine has six reels, then the calculation would look as follows: 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 = 117,649 ways to win.

Ways To Win On Megaways Slot Machines

In exactly the same manner as he would win a regular slot, playing the Megaways slot machines is all about creating combinations with matching symbols. Having said that, you’ll find that with the majority of Megaways there’s no need to land lots of symbols, as just a few corresponding ones are enough to win a prize. Also take note that, contra to a regular slot, you’re not limited to just horizontal, vertical or diagonal lines. If you look at the machine’s pay table you’ll see that there are pay lines that go in every possible direction. Furthermore many Megaways slots have a huge number of special bonus features. Below we’ve listed the most common ones you’ll come across.

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Cascading Reels

The vast majority of slots with Megaways mechanics will offer a cascading reels bonus feature. Once you land a winning combination, the winning symbols literally blast off the reels, only to be replaced with new symbols. This gives you the chance to hit a huge number of consecutive wins on the same spin. You can find this on Twin Spin Megaways and of course the infamous Gonzo’s Quest Megaways. This latter game is available at the excellent 22Bet Casino.

Mystery Symbols

Sometimes symbols will be randomly activated during the base game and you’ll see up to 15 mystery symbols land onto the reels. They can either fill an entire reel or they can appear stacked. Either way, they pave the way for greater wins. You can find these on slots like Beetlejuice Megaways slot machines by Blueprint Gaming or the Dragons Luck Megaways by the same game’s producer.

Bonus Buys

If you’ve played lots of slots, then you’ll be aware of the famous bonus buys feature. This allows you to jump straight into the bonus round by paying an extra fee. Normally this is between 50x to 150x the stake amount. Take note that if you’re a UK player, then you’ll be unable to find this feature on any UK-licenced online casino.

Free Spins With Unlimited Multipliers

Without a doubt, one of the keys to big wins is the free spins and multipliers. In fact, there’s a huge potential for landing enormous prizes utilising unlimited multipliers. On the whole, it works that once you’ve triggered the free spins bonus then you’ll begin with an x1 multiplier. Each consecutive win will cause the multiply to increase by a factor of 1. This truly is an exciting bonus feature and you find it on such jackpot games as Pirates Kingdom Megaways.

The Rise Of Megaways Slot Machines

Since the launch of the first Megaways slot machines, many top online game producers and developers have been licensing this technology. They are continuously building their own catalogue of slots with various Megaways options. Presently there are more than 100 Megaways slots to choose from. With many more appearing each month. Head over to 22Bet Casino and check out their catalogue of Megaways slots.

Megaways Slot Machines: In Summary

When Megaways first came onto the slots scene, it breathed a breath of fresh air into existing games. Its success was instant and a dream for its creators. Megaways mechanics have been used to update and revamp existing games. It’s also helped introduce a whole catalogue of entirely new games to online casino players. It’s true that the Megaways technology has given all casino players a bigger chance to win the jackpot online. As such, it was always going to be huge with gamblers around the world. Just consider there can be as many as 248,322 ways to win on a single spin. So it’s no surprise that gamblers have become enamoured with these Megaways slot machines.