Slots Explained: What Are Slot Multipliers?
Multipliers are a key mechanism in online slots that can multiply bets and winnings during a spin. They often come in fixed values such as 2x, 10x, or even 1000x, adding an extra layer of excitement to the game. We explain the different types of multipliers and highlight the best slots featuring this mechanic.
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- Multipliers are special features in slots that increase winnings or bets.
- Wild multipliers, increasing multiplier meters, and free spin multipliers are some of the most common types.
- Choosing multipliers can significantly impact the volatility of a game.
- Higher winning potential and strategic depth can lead to a more exciting gaming experience.
- Play responsibly. Gambling can be addictive.
How Do Multipliers Work in Online Slots?
Multipliers increase winnings or bets in slot machines and appear in various contexts. Here are the common ways they are used and how they function.
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Activation
Multipliers are activated through special symbols (e.g., Wilds), specific game events (such as free spin rounds), or random game mechanics. Their activation is often tied to a specific condition, such as appearing on the reels or triggering a bonus round.
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Application
Once activated, the multiplier is applied to the winnings of a round. For example, if a player lands a winning combination worth 100 coins and a 3x multiplier is active, the winnings increase to 300 coins.
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Different Scenarios
They can be applied to individual paylines or the total round winnings. In free spins, the multiplier often automatically adds to each win.
How Multipliers Can Change Your Bets
The following table shows different scenarios of how multipliers in slots can affect final winnings by combining different bet amounts and multiplier values.
| Scenario | Bet | Base Win | Multiplier | Final Win |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doubling the Win | $1 | $5 | 2x | $10 |
| Triple Reward | $2 | $8 | 3x | $24 |
| High Bet, High Win | $5 | $15 | 5x | $75 |
| Maximum Payout | $10 | $20 | 10x | $200 |
| No Multiplier | $1 | $4 | 1x | $4 |
| Good Balance | $3 | $7 | 4x | $28 |
| Above-Average Win | $4 | $10 | 6x | $60 |
| Large Multiplier | $6 | $12 | 8x | $96 |
| Loss Despite Bet | $2 | $6 | 0x (no win) | $0 |
| Solid Result | $5 | $25 | 2x | $50 |
Pros and Cons of Slot Multipliers
- Increased Winnings: Multipliers can significantly boost winnings by applying a multiplier factor to a won amount.
- Strategic Flexibility: Players can adjust their strategy by selecting multiplier settings, indirectly managing risk and reward levels.
- Enhanced Excitement: The potential for big win jumps due to multipliers adds an extra layer of excitement and makes each spin more thrilling.
- Relatively Rare: High multipliers are not always easy to activate and may only appear occasionally in some games, requiring patience and possibly higher bets.
- Increased Risk: While they promise big wins, multipliers can also come with higher risks, especially in high-volatility slots where losses may occur more frequently.
- Limited Availability: Multipliers are often only available in specific parts of the game, such as free spin or bonus rounds, and may not always be present in regular gameplay.
Strategic Considerations When Using Multipliers
Players can influence the volatility of their game through different multipliers. Higher multipliers with fewer free spins offer potentially bigger wins at higher risk. This allows players to adjust strategies and actively shape their chances of winning to some extent.
Different Types of Multipliers
The multiplier slot feature can appear in different variants and change the gaming experience accordingly. Here are the most popular variants explained:
Wild Multipliers
Wild Multipliers are a combined feature that combines two of the most popular slots mechanics: Wild symbols and multipliers. Wild symbols originally served to substitute for other symbols to complete winning lines, similar to a joker in card games.
When a wild symbol also appears as a multiplier, it multiplies the winnings of the combination it is part of. For example, a 3x wild multiplier could increase the winnings achieved three times.
In slots like Immortal Romance, this feature greatly increases the winning opportunities and allows both the completion of lines and the multiplication of winnings.
| Best casino to play: | CoinKings |
|---|---|
| Theme: | Love, Vampires |
| Software provider: | Microgaming |
| RTP: | 96,86 % |
| Min bet | 0,30 |
| Max bet | 30 |
| Max win | x12.000 |
Multiplier meter
Multiplier meters are often present in slot games that use cascading reels or tumble features. Every time a player hits a winning combination, the winning symbols explode, and new symbols move in, increasing the chance of consecutive wins.
A multiplier meter grows with each consecutive winning cascade, causing the multiplier to steadily increase. The more consecutive wins are achieved in slots like Gonzo's Quest, the higher the multiplier increases.
| Best casino to play: | CoinKings |
|---|---|
| Theme: | Adventure, Gold, Treasure hunt |
| Software provider: | NetEnt |
| RTP: | 95.97 % |
| Min bet | $0.20 |
| Max bet | $50 |
| Max win | 2,500x |
Free Spins Multipliers
Free spins multipliers appear during a slot's free spins round and multiply any wins achieved during the free spins round. These multipliers can be fixed or dynamic. For example, a fixed free spins multiplier could multiply all wins during the free spins by a fixed factor, such as 3x, while a dynamic multiplier grows through special conditions within the free spins.
Free spin multipliers offer players, for example, in Starburst, the opportunity to achieve higher winnings without additional bets.
Comparison to Other Slot Features
Compared to other slot features like Wild and Scatter symbols, multipliers stand out due to their direct impact on winnings. While Wilds primarily complete winning combinations and Scatters often trigger bonus rounds or free spins, multipliers directly increase the payout, leading to higher winnings instantly.
Scatter symbols work independently of paylines, offering flexibility, whereas multipliers are strategically used to maximize returns from specific winning situations. This makes multipliers an exciting and rewarding feature that many players find appealing.
Popular Slots with Multipliers
| Slots | Reactoonz | Dead or Alive 2 | Jammin' Jars | Great Rhino Megaways | Book of Dead | Age of the Gods |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Play’n Go | NetEnt | Push Gaming | Pragmatic Play | Play’n Go | Playtech |
| RTP | 96.51 | 96.82 | 95,25 %-96,83 | 96.58 | 96,21 | 95,02 |
| Theme | Space | Wild West | Fruits | Africa, Animals, Wilderness | Egypt | Gods |
| Paylines | Cluster | 9 | – | 200,704 | 10 | 20 |
| Min bet | $0.20 | $0.09 | 0,20 | 0.20 | 0,01 | 0,20 |
| Max bet | $200 | $18 | 100 | 100 | 50 | 40 |
| Max win | 4,570x | x111,111 | x19.998,5 | x20,000 | 5.000 x | x10.000 |
Game Developers That Frequently Use Multipliers
Some software providers have made a name for themselves by driving innovation and significantly shaping online slots. Here are some of the most popular developers that frequently use multipliers:
Play’n GO
Play’n GO often integrates free spins with enhanced multipliers in its slots, which can lead to significant winnings. Book of Dead is a prime example, featuring special bonus rounds with multipliers. Additionally, their cluster slots include Quantum Meters and other features that increase multipliers during gameplay.
| Company name | Play’n Go |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Växjö/Sweden, Storgatan 82 A |
| Year of foundation | 1997 |
| Founder | Johan Törnqvist |
| CEO | Johan Törnqvist |
| Customer service | [email protected], +46(0)470 78 88 51 |
| Employees | 600+ |
| Turnover | 63.1 million US dollars |
| Website | https://www.playngo.com/ |
NetEnt
NetEnt is known for its high-quality slots that often include innovative features. Games like Gonzo's Quest use cascading wins with a multiplier meter that increases with consecutive wins, enhancing both excitement and payout potential.
| Company name | NetEnt AB |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Vasagatan 16, SE-111 Stockholm/Sweden |
| Year of foundation | 1996 |
| Founder | Pontus Lindwall |
| CEO | Therese Hillman |
| Customer service | [email protected] |
| Employees | 1,000+ |
| Turnover | 190+ Million Euro |
| Website | https://www.netent.com/ |
Big Time Gaming (BTG)
Big Time Gaming is famous for its Megaways technology, which is featured in slots like Great Rhino Megaways. These games also use high multipliers in free spin rounds, creating numerous winning combinations and making gameplay more dynamic.
| Company name | Big Time Gaming Pty Ltd. |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Vasagatan 11, Plan 8, Suite 203 / 50 Holt St, Surry Hills Nsw |
| Year of foundation | 2011 |
| Founder | Nik Robinson, Huw McIntosh |
| CEO | Nik Robinson |
| Customer service | [email protected] |
| Website | https://www.bigtimegaming.com/ |
Microgaming
Microgaming incorporates advanced bonus rounds with multipliers in many of its well-known games. Immortal Romance, for example, features Wild multipliers that significantly boost winnings in combinations.
| Company name | Apricot Investments Limited |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 62 Circular Road, Douglas, Isle of Man |
| Year of foundation | 1994 |
| CEO | John Coleman |
| Customer service | [email protected] |
| Employees | 200+ |
| Website | https://www.apricot.co.im/ |
Conclusion: Strategic Use of Multipliers for Maximum Wins
Multipliers are more than just a gambling feature—they can be used strategically to maximize winnings through careful planning and a deep understanding of game mechanics. Experienced players know that the full potential of multipliers is unlocked by understanding how they function and how frequently they appear.
In slots with cascading reels or re-spins, multipliers can increase significantly, especially at casinos with best payouts. This technique requires both strategy and knowledge before players can truly maximize their returns. However, at the end of the day, slots are based on chance and cannot be influenced by players.
As always, play responsibly. Gambling can be addictive.
FAQs About Multipliers in Online Slots
Multipliers are special features in slots that increase winnings by a predetermined factor. They can be applied to individual paylines or the total round win. This allows players to achieve significantly higher payouts than what would be possible in the base game without multipliers.
Multipliers can appear in various parts of a slot game. They are commonly found in free spin rounds, where they are automatically applied to all wins during these special rounds. However, they can also appear in the base game, for example, as wild multipliers or in bonus rounds.
There are several common types of multipliers:
- Wild multipliers, which not only substitute for other symbols but also multiply the winnings.
- Multiplier meters are found in games with cascading reels, where consecutive wins increase the multiplier.
- Free spin multipliers multiply all winnings achieved during bonus rounds by a specific factor.
Yes, multipliers can significantly impact a game's volatility. High multipliers, especially those triggered by rare events, can make the game more volatile. This means that wins occur less frequently but can be much higher. Players can adjust their risk level by selecting free spin options with higher or lower multipliers.
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