On this page
- The slot that set the scatter pays template
- Reading one spin from drop to payout
- Paytable for every count band
- How Zeus's orbs combine
- Free spins and the running total
- Ante Bet and the feature buy, priced in CAD
- RTP builds, volatility and the 5,000x cap
- Original versus the newer editions
- Playing it in Canada
- A demo routine before you spend real dollars
- Gates of Olympus demo for free
- Questions from Canadian players
The slot that set the scatter pays template
Pragmatic Play launched Gates of Olympus in February 2021, and within months it had become the model for a whole generation of grid slots. Zeus hovers to the right of six reels and five rows, and the screen has almost nothing else on it. No paylines to draw, no wild to wait for, no side meters. The game counts symbols, clears winners, refills the grid and lets Zeus throw multiplier orbs. That is all, and it is enough.
Canadian players meet it constantly in casino lobbies, often next to its newer editions. Learning the original first pays off, because the 1000, Super Scatter and 2500 versions all keep its core and change the numbers around it. All examples on this page use Canadian dollars, mainly a CA$2 stake.
Reading one spin from drop to payout
- Thirty positions fill. Six columns of five symbols drop onto the grid.
- Symbols are tallied. Wins follow scatter pays rules: any eight or more of one symbol pay in any spot on the grid. Touching is not required, and no line is involved.
- Winners disappear. The paid symbols are removed, everything above slides down and fresh symbols fill the gaps. This tumble repeats every time a new win forms.
- Orbs wait. Any multiplier orb that lands during the chain stays put until the tumbling ends.
- Settlement. Once nothing else connects, the game totals the chain. If orbs are on the grid, their values are summed and that sum multiplies the chain's win.
Burn one rule into memory: orbs only work on a chain that actually won something. A x500 orb on a spin with no win is pure decoration.
Paytable for every count band
Nine paying symbols share the grid. Four treasures from Olympus (crown, hourglass, ring and chalice) form the premium group, and five coloured gems fill the low end. Values are multiples of your total bet, listed here from the biggest count band down:
| Symbol | 12 or more | 10 or 11 | 8 or 9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zeus's crown | 50x | 25x | 10x |
| Sand hourglass | 25x | 10x | 2.5x |
| Gold ring | 15x | 5x | 2x |
| Chalice cup | 12x | 2x | 1.5x |
| Red stone | 10x | 1.5x | 1x |
| Purple stone | 8x | 1.2x | 0.8x |
| Yellow stone | 5x | 1x | 0.5x |
| Green stone | 4x | 0.9x | 0.4x |
| Blue stone | 2x | 0.75x | 0.25x |
At CA$2 a spin, eight crowns return CA$20 before any orb, while eight blue gems return just CA$0.50, a quarter of the stake. The most interesting column is the leap into the 12+ band: red gems go from CA$3 for ten or eleven to CA$20 for twelve. Tumbles are what carry a count over that threshold, because new symbols falling into a chain can add to a group that has already paid.
How Zeus's orbs combine
Orbs show values between x2 and x500 and can appear on any spin, base game or bonus. Their values are summed, never multiplied by each other. The multipliers guide compares additive and multiplicative systems; here is how it plays out in CAD.
On a CA$2 spin, a chain hits ten green gems for CA$1.80 and then eight yellow gems for CA$1, so the chain is worth CA$2.80. Orbs of x3 and x8 sit on the grid. They combine into x11, and the chain pays CA$2.80 x 11 = CA$30.80. Had those orbs multiplied each other you would have seen x24, so summing works against you with two mid-sized orbs and in your favour in predictability: you always know what a pair of orbs will do.
The most common letdown is the huge orb on a tiny chain. A x100 orb next to eight blue gems at CA$2 pays CA$0.50 x 100 = CA$50. Decent, yet nowhere near what that three-digit orb suggests.
Free spins and the running total
Bring four or more scatters onto the grid in any positions and the free spins begin, with the trigger paying by scatter count: four return 3x, five return 5x, six return 100x. At CA$2 that is CA$6, CA$10 or CA$200 up front. You get 15 spins, and three or more scatters inside the round add 5 more.
The round's defining rule is the running total. Every orb that lands on a winning chain is added to it, and it never resets until the bonus ends. However, the total only multiplies a chain if that winning chain brings a new orb of its own. A win with no new orb pays its plain value.
A CA$2 bonus, spin by spin
- Spin 1: ten purple gems (CA$2.40) and eight rings (CA$4) make a CA$6.40 chain. Orbs of x4 and x6 land, the total opens at x10 and the chain pays CA$64.
- Spin 4: eight purple gems win CA$1.60, but no orb appears. The total sits at x10 untouched, and the chain pays only CA$1.60.
- Spin 6: eight hourglasses win CA$5 and a x25 orb drops. The total jumps to x35, so the chain pays CA$175.
- Spin 11: eight blue gems win just CA$0.50, yet a x2 orb comes with them. The total climbs to x37, and the chain pays CA$18.50.
With the CA$6 trigger payment, those four spins alone return CA$265.10. Spin 11 shows the snowball: a 25-cent-per-dollar win turned into more than nine times the stake because the total had been built earlier. Spin 4 shows the flip side. A bonus where the early orbs miss winning chains keeps the total small, and fifteen spins can end with very little. That spread is what high volatility looks like.
Ante Bet and the feature buy, priced in CAD
Switching on the Ante Bet makes each spin 25% dearer and in exchange doubles the chance of triggering free spins. A CA$2 spin becomes CA$2.50. The bonus buy skips the wait for a flat 100x, so CA$200 at a CA$2 stake.
| Mode | Price at a CA$2 stake | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Normal spin | CA$2.00 | Base trigger rate |
| Ante Bet | CA$2.50 | Free spins chance doubled |
| Bonus buy | CA$200.00 | Straight into 15 free spins |
Before you press the buy, ask how many normal spins CA$200 would cover and whether you would rather have one guaranteed bonus or a long session with the chance of a natural trigger. Some casinos and jurisdictions hide one or both options.
RTP builds, volatility and the 5,000x cap
Pragmatic Play ships the game at 96.50% by default and also offers 95.51% and 94.51% versions. The RTP figure is printed in the rules screen and nowhere else, since the reels look the same in every build. Over the long run, the default setting keeps about CA$3.50 of every CA$100 wagered, the middle one about CA$4.49 and the lowest about CA$5.49. Over a single evening that gap disappears into the noise, but across months of play it adds up.
Volatility is high: many chains of small gem wins, orbs that land on dead spins, and every so often a premium chain that meets a stack of orbs. No combination can pay more than 5,000 times the stake, so CA$10,000 is the ceiling at CA$2.
Original versus the newer editions
Every follow-up reuses the grid, the scatter pays rule and the tumbles, and then pushes the ceiling higher. Gates of Olympus 1000 lifts the orb ceiling to x1000 with a 15,000x maximum win. Super Scatter adds special scatters that award instant prizes as high as 50,000x. The most recent release, Gates of Olympus 2500, runs orbs as large as x2500 with a 25,000x cap and four free spins modes chosen by a wheel. The original remains the steadiest of the four in ceiling terms and the fastest to learn.
Playing it in Canada
Each province sets its own gambling rules. Ontario and Alberta operate their own regulated online markets, and this Canadian edition is not written for players there. The minimum age is 19 in most provinces and 18 in Alberta, Quebec and Manitoba. Stay within your provincial rules and never route around a block with a VPN or similar tool.
For CAD accounts, compare options on our page of online casinos for Canadians, or read the 1WIN review if you want one operator covered in depth. Whichever lobby you open, confirm Gates of Olympus is listed and read its RTP line before the first deposit.
A demo routine before you spend real dollars
- Rules screen first. Write down the RTP build and stake limits, and see if your casino offers Ante Bet or the buy.
- Track orb timing. Over a couple of hundred spins, count how many orbs land on winning chains versus dead ones.
- Count to the trigger. Record how many spins each natural free spins round takes, then set that spend against the 100x price.
- Fit the stake to the budget. Choose a bet your budget can sustain for several hundred spins; with CA$100, that points to roughly 20 to 40 cents a spin.
- Fix a stop point. Decide in advance when the session ends, up or down.
Where to play Gates of Olympus in Canadian dollars
Questions from Canadian players
What RTP should I look for in Gates of Olympus?
Look for 96.50%, the default build. Some casinos run 95.51% or 94.51% instead, and the game looks exactly the same either way. The only reliable check is the RTP line in the game's rules screen.
How are the orb multipliers calculated?
Orbs worth x2 to x500 land during a tumble chain and stay until it ends. Their values are summed and applied to the chain's total win. A chain without a win leaves the orbs worthless.
How many free spins does Gates of Olympus give?
Four or more scatters award 15 free spins and the trigger itself pays 3x (four scatters), 5x (five) or 100x (six). Three or more scatters during the round add 5 extra spins.
Does the multiplier keep growing in the bonus?
Yes. Orbs landing on winning chains in free spins add to a total that lasts for the whole round. That total multiplies a later win only when that winning chain also includes a fresh orb.
What does the Gates of Olympus buy cost at CA$2?
The buy costs 100 times the stake, so CA$200 at CA$2. The Ante Bet is the cheaper alternative: it raises a CA$2 spin to CA$2.50 and doubles the chance of a natural trigger. Availability depends on the casino.
What is the maximum win in Gates of Olympus?
The cap is 5,000 times the stake, or CA$10,000 at CA$2. The newer editions go further: 15,000x in Gates of Olympus 1000, 25,000x in the 2500 version and 50,000x in Super Scatter.
Can I play Gates of Olympus anywhere in Canada?
Rules differ by province. Ontario and Alberta have their own regulated markets and are not covered by this edition. Players must be 19, or 18 in Alberta, Quebec and Manitoba. Follow local rules and never bypass blocks.
