One of the great aspects of playing slots online through BetMGM Casino is there’s more diversity. When casinos add slots to their casino floor, they often pick games that do well, but that means most casinos have a lot of the same slots, and the same types of slots.
Players also often seek out familiarity, so it creates a loop where you don’t see new and unusual formats on the casino floor. It doesn’t help that casinos have a limited amount of space to put them, so sometimes it just comes down to what there’s room to include.
Megaways Slots Are Found Online
There are no limitations like that in online slots, and a number of innovative formats have come out of the online world. One of those is Megaways slots, which combine a few features to create something fun and different. And the popularity of the format means a lot of different options in the world of Megaways nowadays.
For one, there are Megaways versions of some of your favorite slot themes that you can’t find in physical casinos, such as 88 Fortunes Megaways, which I play on BetMGM Casino in the video above. There are also unique online themes for Megaways slots, and Megaways versions of popular online slots, so there’s quite a variety.
There are a few key features that are frequently found on Megaways slots.
A Sixth Reel
Megaways slots are usually six reels in size, unlike most traditional video slots, which are five reels. The sixth reel allows for additional opportunities for big wins if you get symbols all the way across. I often say that when a sixth reel is added, the slot volatility increases.
All Ways Pays
There are no pay lines on Megaways slots, instead featuring an all ways pays format. As long as you get a matching symbol on successive reels starting from the left, you will achieve a win. And since symbols can appear multiple times on a reel, that can mean multiple ways won and a bigger payout when you get a lot of the same symbol.
Cascading Reels
Many Megaways games feature the cascading reel format, which means when you win, the winning symbols disappear and new symbols drop in, leading to the potential for another win, or that missing bonus symbol you desire, which then causes another cascade, etc.
Extra Reel Spaces on the Middle Reels
Many Megaways slots feature an extra space above or below each of the middle four reels, offering additional symbols to match up and create winning combinations.
Variable Reel Heights
Another trademark element of the Megaways format is the variable reel height. In most cases, a reel can have 2-7 symbols per reel, meaning all six reels having seven symbols will yield 117,649 ways to win. On occasion, Megaways games can go even further, with more symbols than 7, increasing the potential even more!
A quick way to find out how many ways you can win is to multiply the number of symbols on each reel by each other. For example, 4x5x5x5x5x4 gives you 10,000 ways to win! However, to make it easier, these games will do the math for you on screen.
Increasing Multiplier in the Bonus
A common bonus format on Megaways games is the increasing win multiplier in the bonus. Generally, you start with a 1x multiplier, and every time you land a winning combination, the multiplier increases. Combined with the cascading reels, if you get on a roll and see many cascades, quickly building the multiplier, the bonus can be quite lucrative.
Megaways is a Volatile Slot Series, But Worth It
There’s a lot of potential in Megaways, but that also means it’s volatile. Big wins (boosted by that sixth reel I mentioned earlier) are offset by streaks of losses at times, so like any slot you should play only with your entertainment budget and set limits.
Fortunately, most Megaways games have bets that are quite accessible, usually as low as 20 cents a spin, so you can take your time with them as well!
BetMGM Casino Has a Lot of Megaways Slots to Try
If you want to try out some Megaways slots, BetMGM Casino is a great place to play in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. A few examples among the dozens of Megaways slot games at BetMGM include:
- The Godfather Megaways
- Breaking Bad Megaways
- The Goonies Megaways
- Rick and Morty Megaways
- Hypernova Megaways
- Bonanza Megaways
- Deal or No Deal Golden Case Megaways
If you haven’t played on BetMGM Casino before, you can check out their Casino Welcome Offer for new players. And if you have played BetMGM Casino before, remember as you play you can earn BetMGM Rewards Points, good for online bonuses, redemption opportunities at MGM Resorts destinations throughout the United States, or even cool merch!
