Megaways pokies: how the ways are counted, with examples

Key facts

Megaways is a mechanic from Big Time Gaming (BTG), a Sydney studio founded in 2011. BTG says it gives up to 117,649 ways to win and has been licensed to numerous developers.
The number of ways is the number of symbols on each reel multiplied together: 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 = 117,649.
A win counts once for every combination of matching symbols across adjacent reels, so 1, 2 and 3 matching symbols on the first three reels make 6 winning ways.
BTG lists RTPs of 96.00% for Bonanza, 96.15% to 96.41% for Extra Chilli and 96.39% to 96.45% for Extra Chilli More Chilli.
More ways do not mean a better game. The RTP sets the average cost; the ways only change how wins are spread.

Megaways: an Australian invention

Megaways is a pokie mechanic from Big Time Gaming, a studio whose office is in Surry Hills, Sydney. BTG says it was founded in 2011 by Nik Robinson, that its "revolutionary 'Megaways' mechanic" offers players 117,649 ways to win, and that the mechanic has been "licensed to numerous developers". Its 2016 release Bonanza made the format famous, and Evolution acquired BTG in 2021.

On BTG's own games list, 47 of its 91 games carry the Megaways tag. Licensing explains why you also see Megaways games from other makers, such as Pragmatic Play's Great Rhino Megaways.

How the ways are counted

On a classic pokie every reel shows the same number of symbols. On a Megaways pokie the height of each reel changes every spin, so the number of ways to win changes too. The count is simple: multiply the number of symbols showing on each reel.

Symbols showing on reels 1 to 6	Ways this spin
7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7	117,649 (the maximum in BTG's six-reel games)
3, 5, 7, 4, 6, 2	3 x 5 x 7 x 4 x 6 x 2 = 5,040
2, 3, 2, 4, 3, 2	288

The same rule explains BTG's other big numbers. White Rabbit lists 16,807 ways in the base game, which is 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 across five reels. In its free spins, cake symbols extend the reels, and BTG lists up to 248,832 ways: 12 symbols on each of five reels. Pragmatic Play describes Great Rhino Megaways as having "over 200,000 ways to win".

For how fixed lines and standard ways compare, see how do pokies lines work.

How a Megaways win is paid

A win needs the same symbol on adjacent reels starting from the left. Each combination of matching positions counts as a separate way, and each way pays the paytable amount.

Worked example. A symbol pays 0.5x the bet for three of a kind. This spin it lands:

once on reel 1
twice on reel 2
three times on reel 3
not at all on reel 4

That is 1 x 2 x 3 = 6 winning ways of three of a kind, so the win is 6 x 0.5 = 3x the bet. If it had also landed twice on reel 4, it would be 1 x 2 x 3 x 2 = 12 ways of four of a kind instead.

This is why Megaways paytables look tiny. With thousands of ways in play, each individual way has to pay very little, or the game could not hold its RTP.

The features that came with Megaways

BTG's Megaways games tend to stack extra mechanics on top of the changing reels, beyond the wilds and scatters covered in our pokies bonus features guide:

Cascades. Bonanza's page describes "Cascading Symbols with MEGAWAYS" and its DUELREACTION system, where winning symbols are removed and new ones fall in.
Growing multipliers. In Extra Chilli More Chilli's free spins, BTG says "an unlimited win multiplier grows with every reaction".
Feature Drop. In White Rabbit you can buy the feature at any time, and BTG says the price falls every time you land a BTG coin. Extra Chilli has Feature Drop too.
Free spins gamble. Extra Chilli lets you gamble for more free spins, up to 24.

That gamble is a good place for some maths. BTG says the first gamble is "a straight 50/50 and every gamble thereafter is tilted 60/40 in the players favour". So the chance of winning two gambles in a row is 0.5 x 0.6 = 30%, and three in a row is 0.5 x 0.6 x 0.6 = 18%. A 60/40 coin is better than a fair one, but you only see it after surviving the first 50/50.

Megaways RTPs from the maker

These are the RTPs the makers publish. Where BTG gives a range, the casino chooses the version.

Game	Maker	RTP on maker's site	Ways
Great Rhino Megaways	Pragmatic Play	96.50%	Over 200,000
Extra Chilli More Chilli	Big Time Gaming	96.39% to 96.45%	117,649
White Rabbit	Big Time Gaming	96.42%	16,807 base, 248,832 feature
Extra Chilli	Big Time Gaming	96.15% to 96.41%	117,649
White Rabbit 2	Big Time Gaming	96.36% to 96.37%	16,807 base, 248,832 feature
Bonanza	Big Time Gaming	96.00%	117,649

For games from other mechanics with higher published RTPs, see our list of highest RTP pokies.

Megaways and volatility

More ways can mean more small wins, but it does not change what the game returns over time. Much of the excitement in these games sits in cascades and growing multipliers, which put value into rare long chains. The more of a game's return sits in those chains, the streakier it feels: long quiet runs and occasional big features. The trade-off between frequent small wins and rare big ones is explained in our pokies volatility guide.

Some Megaways games also sell ways to play faster or bigger. Extra Chilli More Chilli's Power Play costs 5 times the stake to make its bonus respins more frequent, and its bonus buy goes straight to 10 free spins for 100 times the stake. Our bonus buy pokies guide runs the numbers on paying for features.

Pundit tip: on any Megaways game, check the total bet per spin after you change any setting. Power Play and similar options multiply what each spin costs.

Megaways demo and where to play

BTG's game pages offer a play for fun option alongside the play for real money button, and other makers run demos on their own sites. A demo is the safe way to see how the reels and cascades behave; our free pokies guide explains what a demo can and cannot tell you.

Real money Megaways is a different matter in Australia. Online pokies cannot legally be offered to people here under the Interactive Gambling Act, so the sites that offer Megaways for money operate offshore, without Australian testing or protections.

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Frequently asked questions

What are Megaways pokies?

Megaways pokies use Big Time Gaming's mechanic where the number of symbols on each reel changes every spin, so the number of ways to win changes too, up to 117,649 in BTG's six-reel games. BTG has licensed it to other studios, so you will see Megaways games from several makers.

Who invented Megaways?

Big Time Gaming, a studio based in Surry Hills, Sydney. BTG says it was founded in 2011 by Nik Robinson, launched Bonanza in 2016, and was acquired by Evolution in 2021.

How are Megaways wins calculated?

Count how many times the winning symbol appears on each adjacent reel from the left and multiply those counts together. If a symbol appears once on reel 1, twice on reel 2 and three times on reel 3, that is 1 x 2 x 3 = 6 ways, each paid at the three-of-a-kind value.

Do Megaways pokies pay better?

No. The ways change how often and how wins land, not the long-run return. BTG's own Megaways games list RTPs between 96.00% and 96.45%, similar to most modern online pokies.

Where can I play a Megaways demo?

Big Time Gaming's game pages have a play for fun option, and many makers offer demos on their own sites. A demo shows how the ways and features work. It cannot tell you which RTP version a casino runs.