On this page
- What changed versus Book of Ra
- How a spin works, step by step
- Paytable
- Free spins and the growing set of expanding symbols
- RTP around 92% and how to weigh it
- Testing Magic in the free demo
- Stake sizing for a bonus-driven slot
- Book of Ra Magic free demo
- Book of Ra: all editions compared
- Frequently asked questions
What changed versus Book of Ra
Book of Ra Magic was released on 8 May 2018. Compared with the original Book of Ra, it adds a tenth payline and the modern look of Book of Ra Deluxe. Compared with Deluxe itself, the game changes one thing only: during free spins, each retrigger reveals one more special expanding symbol, and a single cycle can hold up to nine of them.
The rest is the series formula. The book is wild and scatter at once, three books award ten free spins, and one randomly drawn symbol expands over full reels during the round. The RTP is around 92%, noticeably below the 95.1% of Deluxe.
How a spin works, step by step
- Set the line bet. On ten lines, the total stake is ten times the line bet: 0.10 per line means 1.00 per spin.
- Spin the five reels. The grid shows five columns of three symbols.
- Each line is checked left to right from reel 1 for matching symbols.
- Books on a line act as wilds for any symbol.
- Three or more books anywhere trigger ten free spins.
- After a win, collect it or gamble it on a card colour guess, where a right answer doubles the win and a wrong one loses it.
Paytable
Because the retrigger rule is the only real difference from Deluxe, the symbol ladder is the Deluxe one. Values are multiples of the line bet.
| Symbol | 3 of a kind | 4 of a kind | 5 of a kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explorer | 100x | 1,000x | 5,000x |
| Pharaoh | 40x | 400x | 2,000x |
| Scarab | 30x | 100x | 750x |
| Bird statue | 30x | 100x | 750x |
| A, K | 5x | 40x | 150x |
| Q, J, 10 | 5x | 25x | 100x |
The explorer carries the top of the table: five on a line pay 5,000 times the line bet. The scarab and the bird pay identically, and the card ranks split into two groups, with A and K slightly ahead on four and five of a kind. That spread matters in Magic, because the more special symbols you collect, the more likely one of them is a low card rank rather than a premium. Confirm the exact values in the in-game paytable of the build you open.
Free spins and the growing set of expanding symbols
The round opens like every Book of Ra bonus. Three books award ten free spins, and one symbol is drawn to become the special expanding symbol. When it lands on at least three reels, it fills those reels and pays in any position on all ten lines, even across reels that are not adjacent.
The Magic rule starts when books appear again during the round. Each retrigger extends the round and reveals one more special symbol. From that point on, both symbols expand. A second retrigger adds a third, and so on, up to nine special symbols in one free spins cycle. The earlier symbols stay active; the new one is added to the set.
Worked example
You play 0.10 per line, 1.00 per spin. The first draw gives you the pharaoh. Three spins in, a retrigger adds the scarab, and a later one adds the A. You now have three special symbols.
On the next spin, scarabs land on reels 1, 2 and 4. They expand, and all ten lines cross three scarabs. That pays 30 x 0.10 = 3.00 per line, or 30.00 for the spin. In plain Deluxe, with only the pharaoh as the special symbol, those three scarabs on non-adjacent reels would have paid nothing from expansion. On a later spin the pharaoh reaches four reels: 400 x 0.10 = 4.00 per line, so 40.00 for the spin.
One detail worth understanding: on a five-reel grid, two different special symbols cannot both cover three reels on the same spin, because that would need six reels. The benefit of the extra symbols is therefore not bigger single spins but more spins that pay. With three or four special symbols in play, the chance that at least one of them reaches three reels on any spin is clearly higher than with one.
RTP around 92% and how to weigh it
At an RTP of around 92%, the expected cost over 1,000 spins at 1.00 is roughly 80.00, compared with about 49.00 for Deluxe at 95.1%. That gap is the price of the richer bonus round. Since the return leans heavily on the free spins, the base game can feel thin for long stretches. If the long-run return matters most to you, Deluxe is the better pick; if you want the most eventful bonus in the family, Magic is the one. The exact RTP of the installed build is listed in the game rules.
Testing Magic in the free demo
Novomatic runs no public free demo, and most sites show a message that the game is not available in your country. The demo here is the real game loaded through our own page, starting you with 20,000 virtual credits; the first load can take up to a minute. Two things are worth tracking: how many retriggers your rounds produce, and how many special symbols you usually end with. Those two numbers tell you more about this edition than any single big spin. Our demo slots guide covers how to log a test session.
Stake sizing for a bonus-driven slot
Because most of the action waits inside the free spins, pick a stake that lets you reach them several times per session. With a 100.00 budget, a 0.20 spin gives you 500 spins, while a 1.00 spin gives you only 100. There is no bonus buy, so the only route into the round is landing three books. Before real play, check the minimum and maximum bets and the RTP build in the rules screen.
Book of Ra: all editions compared
| Edition | Release | Max win | RTP | Pays | Bonus buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book of Ra | 2005 | 5,000x line bet | 92.13% | 9 paylines | — |
| Book of Ra Deluxe | 2008 | 5,000x line bet | 95.1% | 10 paylines | — |
| Book of Ra 6 | — | 5,000x line bet | 95.03% | 10 paylines | — |
| Book of Ra Magic (you are here) | 2018 | 5,000x line bet | about 92% | 10 paylines | — |
Where to play Book of Ra Magic for real money
Frequently asked questions
What is special about Book of Ra Magic?
During free spins, each retrigger reveals one more special expanding symbol, up to nine in a single cycle. That is its only real difference from Book of Ra Deluxe; the layout, lines and book rules stay the same.
When was Book of Ra Magic released?
Novomatic released Book of Ra Magic on 8 May 2018. It uses five reels, three rows and ten paylines, like Book of Ra Deluxe.
What is the RTP of Book of Ra Magic?
The RTP is around 92%, lower than the 95.1% of Deluxe. The exact figure for the build you open is shown in the game rules, since the operator decides which build is installed.
How many expanding symbols can you get in Book of Ra Magic?
You start with one special symbol drawn before free spins. Each retrigger adds one more, up to nine special expanding symbols in one free spins cycle. Earlier symbols stay active.
How do you trigger free spins in Book of Ra Magic?
Land three or more books anywhere on the reels. The book is both wild and scatter, so it does not need to be on a payline to count toward the ten free spins.
Can I play Book of Ra Magic for free?
Yes. The demo on this page is the real game loaded through our own page, with 20,000 virtual credits and no registration. The first load can take up to a minute.
