Book of Ra Deluxe slot review

Book of Ra Deluxe slot: the essentials

This 2008 release is the updated version of one of Novomatic’s best-known games. It keeps the original’s simple format: five reels, three rows, ten lines and a single bonus round built around a book symbol.

Its appeal is the free spins feature, where one symbol can expand to fill whole reels and pay across all lines. Its drawback is that, by modern standards, the RTP is on the low side and the game is very volatile.

How the features work in Book of Ra Deluxe

The book: wild and scatter in one

The book symbol does two jobs. As a wild it substitutes for other symbols to complete paylines. As a scatter it pays wherever it lands and, with three or more on screen, starts the bonus.

Free spins and the expanding symbol

Three or more books award 10 free spins. Before the first of them, the game picks one regular symbol at random to be the expanding symbol for the whole round.

During the free spins, whenever enough of that symbol lands to form a win, each one expands to cover its entire reel. The expanded symbols then pay on all ten lines, and they don’t need to sit on reels next to each other. That last point is what makes the round valuable: a symbol on reels one, three and five can still pay.

Retriggers

Landing three or more books during free spins adds another 10 spins to the round.

We don’t publish trigger frequencies for the bonus. Numbers on third-party sites aren’t verified by Novomatic, and each spin is independent of the last.

An expanding symbol example in pounds

Here’s how the expanding symbol works in a simple case. The pay values are invented for illustration, so always check the real paytable in the game.

1. You trigger free spins at a £1 stake and the game picks one symbol, call it symbol A, as the expanding symbol. Assume three of symbol A is enough for a win.
2. On one free spin, symbol A lands once on reel one, once on reel three and once on reel four.
3. That’s enough for a win, so all three expand to fill reels one, three and four.
4. Each of the ten lines now crosses three copies of symbol A, so the win is paid on every line.
5. If the paytable gave, say, £2 for three of symbol A on one line, ten lines would pay £20 for that spin.

The same symbol landing in the base game would only pay on the lines it actually sits on, which is why the bonus carries most of the game’s value and why the base game can feel quiet.

Book of Ra Deluxe RTP: 95.1% vs 94.26%

There are two versions of the game in circulation. The casino chooses which one to run; your device doesn’t affect it. The difference looks small, but it adds up.

For context, £500 staked is 1,000 spins at 50p or 500 spins at £1. If you play the game often, finding an app that runs the higher version saves money over time. Our guide to finding a game’s RTP in an app shows where the number is displayed, and is RTP lower on casino apps explains why the app and website usually match.

Both versions carry a higher house edge than the 96%-plus games you’ll find on our high RTP slot apps page.

Very high volatility on a £20 budget

Very high volatility means a large share of the game’s return sits in the bonus, and particularly in rare free spins rounds where a high-paying symbol expands. Many sessions will end without reaching the feature at all.

• 10p a spin: 200 spins from £20 if nothing comes back. This gives the best chance of seeing the bonus at least once, though it’s not assured.
• 50p a spin: 40 spins. Quite possibly over before a book trigger arrives.
• £1 a spin: 20 spins. Very likely a short session unless the bonus lands early.

Expected loss is the same per pound staked at any stake, so the real choice is how long you want the money to last. Set a limit first, and if you lose it, stop rather than topping up.

Book of Ra Deluxe max win at UK stakes

The maximum win is listed at 5,000× stake, but sources disagree, so treat it as a guide and check the game’s rules. The arithmetic at UK stakes:

A maximum win is a theoretical ceiling and extremely rare. It shouldn’t be a reason to raise your stake.

Playing Book of Ra Deluxe on iPhone and Android

The game opens inside your casino app on iPhone or Android, with no separate download. A 5 × 3 grid with ten lines is about as phone-friendly as slots get. How it fits in portrait or landscape depends on the version your casino loads.

1. Log in to your app; UK rules require age and identity checks before any play, including demos.
2. Search for “Book of Ra Deluxe”. Novomatic has several Book of Ra titles, so check the full name.
3. Open the paytable or help screen and note the RTP, so you know which version this app runs.
4. Set your stake within your UK limit and tap to spin; autoplay isn’t available.
5. Use the net spend and session time display to keep track, and stop at your planned limit.

Slots like this use far less data than live games. Our guide to casino app data usage gives the bigger picture.

UK rules for Book of Ra Deluxe in casino apps

• Stake caps: £5 a spin at 25 and over and £2 at 18–24, set out in the Commission’s online slots stake limit guidance (opens in a new tab).
• Design rules: at least 2.5 seconds per spin, no autoplay, no turbo or slam-stop and no celebration of returns at or below your stake, under the Commission’s product design standard (opens in a new tab).
• Feature buys: since a Gambling Commission warning in January 2020, feature buy-ins are not offered to British players, so the free spins come only from landing books.
• Spend tracking: net spend and time played are shown in real time while you play.

Our game design rules page covers the background to each of these.

Novomatic and Greentube: who makes Book of Ra Deluxe

Novomatic (opens in a new tab) was founded in 1980 by Johann Graf and is based in Gumpoldskirchen, Austria. Its online games are produced through Greentube, a Vienna-based studio that joined the Novomatic Group in 2010, has a UK office in Nottingham and holds a Gambling Commission licence for remote gambling software.

It sits alongside other Novomatic classics such as Lucky Lady’s Charm Deluxe and Dolphin’s Pearl Deluxe.

Book of Ra Deluxe review verdict

It suits players who enjoy the classic book format and accept that sessions are often short. If you want a book game with different numbers, compare the options below.

Book of Ra Deluxe alternatives

More reviews are on our slots hub.

Where to play Book of Ra Deluxe with a welcome offer

Partner apps don’t publish complete game lists, so check the lobby for Book of Ra Deluxe before you register. Welcome spins only work on the slots each casino selects. 18+ and terms apply.

• PlayOJO: new UK customers (Northern Ireland excluded) who make a first deposit of at least £10 get 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p each. There’s no wagering, so any winnings are cash, and the offer can’t be combined with others.
• Coral: new players who deposit and stake £10 or more on slots receive 100 free spins on selected games at 10p each, to accept within 48 hours and use within 7 days. No wagering on winnings. PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, Neteller, prepaid and certain debit cards don’t qualify.
• Ladbrokes: new customers who deposit and play £10 or more on slots get 50 free spins a day for 10 days, up to 500 in total, at 10p each on selected games. Claim before 23:59 each day and use within 7 days. No wagering.

Coral and Ladbrokes share an operator, LC International Limited, so you may not be able to hold new accounts at both. See the comparison on our best slot apps page.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.