Play n Go pokies: Book of Dead maker, licences and RTP checks

Key facts

Play'n GO calls Sweden its founding country, names Johan Tornqvist as CEO and co-founder, and says it has more than 400 titles delivered to regulated operators in more than 35 jurisdictions.
Its licences page lists 26 licences, from Malta (MGA/B2B/225/2012) and Great Britain (account 55949) to Ontario and Pennsylvania. None is Australian.
The Play'n GO game pages we read for Book of Dead, Reactoonz and Rise of Olympus 100 show no RTP, no maximum win and no volatility rating.
Its signature mechanics are the expanding symbol in free spins (Book of Dead, 2016) and the 7x7 cluster grid with a charge meter (Reactoonz, 2017).

Who makes Play'n GO pokies

Play'n GO pokies come from a Swedish-founded studio that now supplies more than 400 titles to regulated online operators. Its own pages name Johan Tornqvist as "CEO and Co-Founder", call Sweden the company's "founding country" and talk of "over two decades of innovation". The licensed entities sit in Malta and Gibraltar.

What Play'n GO publishes	Detail
Portfolio	"more than 400 premium titles" (about page); the home page says over 350
Reach	Regulated operators in "more than 35 jurisdictions worldwide"
Malta	Malta Gaming Authority licence MGA/B2B/225/2012, issued 1 August 2018
Great Britain	Gambling Commission account number 55949
Gibraltar	RGL No. 131, issued 22 March 2022
Sweden	Game software licence from Spelinspektionen, valid from 1 July 2023
Testing	Certified by "GLI, BMM and Quinel"

The licences page lists 26 entries in all, covering places such as Ontario, Quebec and Alberta in Canada, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, West Virginia and Florida in the United States, plus Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Romania, Spain, Peru, Buenos Aires City, Botswana, the Western Cape and the United Arab Emirates. Australia is not on it, because there is no Australian licence for online pokies to hold.

The games that made the name

Play'n GO's catalogue is known for a few long-running titles and recurring characters.

Game	Released (Play'n GO)	What the game page describes
Book of Dead	14 Jan 2016	Three scatters give ten free spins; one symbol becomes a special expanding symbol that can cover all three positions on its reel; three more scatters add ten spins
Reactoonz	23 Oct 2017	A 7x7 grid; clusters of five or more matching aliens win; winning symbols are replaced from above; each win charges the Gargantoon
Rise of Olympus 100	10 Nov 2022	A grid slot with a charge meter that unlocks the Hand of God feature; up to 100 free spins; a multiplier cap of 100

Play'n GO calls Book of Dead "one of the most played slots in the history of iGaming". Its full title on the page is Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead, after the explorer character the game stars.

What Play'n GO games are known for mechanically

The expanding symbol. Book of Dead's free spins pick one ordinary symbol at random. Whenever it lands, it can grow to fill its whole reel, which turns a scattered symbol into a column of three. That is the whole trick, and it is why a quiet free spins round can turn in one spin: a high-paying symbol filling three or more reels pays far more than the same symbol in a normal position.

Cluster grids with a charge meter. Reactoonz drops symbols onto a 7x7 grid, 49 positions in all, and pays for groups of five or more that touch. Each winning group feeds energy to a meter; when it fills, the Gargantoon leaps onto the middle of the grid and can set off a chain of up to five features. Our cluster pays pokies guide works through how many ways a five-symbol group can sit on a grid that size.

Meters that carry over. Rise of Olympus 100 uses the same idea in a different shape: winning fills a charge meter, and a full meter lets you pick one of three gods, each changing symbols on the grid in a different way. Features that build up across spins are part of why sessions feel like progress. They are not: each spin is still a fresh random result, as how do pokies work explains.

Why you will not find the RTP on Play'n GO's site

Play'n GO's public game pages are product showcases. On the three we read, the RTP, maximum win and volatility were simply absent. That leaves one place to find the figure: the rules screen inside the game, at the site where you open it.

Open the game and go to the menu, then the game rules or help pages.
Find the line that gives the theoretical return to player, usually written as a percentage.
Note whether the rules give one figure or several. If they show different figures for different bet or feature options, read what each one covers.
If the rules give no figure at all, treat the game as an unknown cost. Our highest rtp pokies australia list only includes games whose RTP a maker publishes, and it explains why sites run different versions.

What the figure is worth in dollars is simple arithmetic. In our calculation, 400 spins at $0.50 is $200 of turnover; at 96% you lose $8 on average, at 94% you lose $12 and at 91% you lose $18. The same 400 spins, the same graphics, and a cost that more than doubles. The pokies calculator does the sum for your own stake.

Pundit tip: screenshot the RTP line from the rules screen the first time you open a game. If the number is lower next time, the site has changed versions without telling you.

Free play on Play'n GO's own site

Play'n GO's game pages offer free play, and the site footer says no purchase is required and that it is "for entertainment only, with no real money". That makes it the cleanest way to see how a feature like the expanding symbol behaves. It cannot tell you anything about payouts at a real money site, and success in free play does not carry over. See free pokies for what demo play can and cannot show.

Play'n GO pokies in Australia

Under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, online pokies cannot legally be offered to people in Australia, so no site can lawfully offer Play'n GO titles for real money here. Playing is not an offence, but ACMA blocks illegal gambling sites and no Australian regulator can help if an offshore operator does not pay. Offshore operators also restrict the games themselves: the terms of one casino we desk-reviewed list Australia among Play'n GO's "generally prohibited jurisdictions".

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Play'n GO from?

Play'n GO describes Sweden as its founding country and says it has served Swedish players for nearly 20 years. Its websites give registered addresses in Valletta, Malta, and in Gibraltar for its licensed entities.

What is the RTP of Play'n GO pokies?

Play'n GO's own game pages do not publish one. We checked Book of Dead, Reactoonz and Rise of Olympus 100 and none showed an RTP. The only reliable figure is the one in the rules screen of the copy you open, so read it there before you spin.

Is Book of Dead a Play'n GO game?

Yes. Play'n GO lists Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead as its game, released on 14 January 2016, and calls it one of the most played slots in the history of iGaming. Three scatters give ten free spins with a special expanding symbol.

Are Play'n GO slots available in Australia?

Not legally for real money. Online pokies cannot be offered to people in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act, Play'n GO lists no Australian licence, and one offshore casino's terms we read list Australia among Play'n GO's generally prohibited jurisdictions.

Can I play Play'n GO games for free?

Play'n GO's own game pages have a free play option, and the site says it is for entertainment only with no real money. Free play cannot show you the RTP version a real money site runs.