Free Spins Explained
Free spins are a bonus round, usually triggered by landing enough scatter symbols, in which the game plays a set number of spins at your triggering stake without charging for them. Inside the round the rules change: multipliers persist, wilds stick or special symbols expand.
PaylinePilot editorial team · Updated September 2026
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What free spins are
In the context of a slot game, free spins are a feature, not a promotion. You trigger them during normal play, the game switches to a separate mode, and a fixed number of spins runs at the same stake you had when the feature started. You pay nothing for those spins, but they are not a gift either: their value is already priced into the game's RTP. On high volatility games, a large share of the total return is delivered through this one round.
What makes each game distinct is what changes inside the round. Almost every slot on this hub uses free spins as the place where its main mechanic comes alive.
How free spins are triggered
The usual trigger is a count of scatter symbols anywhere on the grid. The count and the number of spins vary:
| Slot | Trigger | Spins awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Gates of Olympus | 4, 5 or 6 scatters (pay 3x, 5x, 100x) | 15, +5 for 3 scatters in the round |
| Sweet Bonanza | 4, 5 or 6 lollipops (pay 3x, 5x, 100x) | 10, +5 for 3 scatters in the round |
| Sugar Rush | 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 scatters | 10, 12, 15, 20 or 30 |
| The Dog House | 3 paw scatters on reels 1, 3 and 5 | 9 to 27, drawn on a wooden machine |
| Big Bass Bonanza | 3, 4 or 5 tackle boxes | 10, 15 or 20 |
| Big Bass Bonanza Megaways | 3, 4, 5 or 6 scatters | 10, 15, 20 or 25 |
| Book of Ra | 3 or more books anywhere | 10 |
Some games add a second route in. On Big Bass Bonanza 1000, when two scatters land a third can be reeled in at random to start the feature anyway. On most Pragmatic titles you can also skip the trigger with a bonus buy, or raise the trigger chance with an ante bet.
What changes inside the round
Persistent multipliers
Gates of Olympus collects its orbs into a total multiplier that grows through the round. Sugar Rush keeps its marked spots and their multipliers, from x2 up to x128, for the whole round instead of wiping them after each spin. Sweet Bonanza only allows its 2x to 100x bombs inside free spins at all.
Sticky and extra wilds
In The Dog House, premium symbols appear stacked and every wild that lands becomes sticky with its 2x or 3x multiplier until the end. The Dog House Megaways lets you choose between Sticky Wilds (7, 12, 15 or 20 spins for 3 to 6 scatters) and Raining Wilds (15, 18, 25 or 30 spins with up to six non-sticky wilds dropped each spin). Neither mode retriggers.
Collection
Big Bass games only show money fish during free spins. Every fisherman wild collects the values on screen, and every fourth wild retriggers 10 spins with a 2x, 3x and then 10x collection multiplier.
Expanding symbols
Book of Ra draws one special symbol before the round. When it lands on at least three reels it expands to fill each reel and pays in any position. On Book of Ra Magic every retrigger reveals one more special symbol, up to nine in a single cycle.
Worked examples
Royal Hunt spin count. Before the round in The Dog House Royal Hunt, a 3×3 grid reveals 1, 2 or 3 spins in each cell and the sum is your total. A grid reading 2, 1, 3, 1, 2, 2, 1, 3, 1 gives 16 spins. The range runs from 9 to 27.
Book of Ra expansion. Say the special symbol is the pharaoh, which pays 40x the line bet for three. At a 0.10 line bet with 10 lines active, three pharaohs on three reels expand and cover every line, so each of the 10 lines pays 4.00, a total of 40.00 from one spin.
Sugar Rush persistence. On free spin 2 a cluster lands on a spot already marked, creating x2. On spin 5 another win on the same spot doubles it to x4. A cluster of eight hearts, worth 1.50 at a 1.00 stake, covering that x4 spot and a x2 spot elsewhere pays 1.50 × 6 = 9.00.
Common misconceptions
- "Free spins are free money." The round's value is part of the RTP you pay for on every base spin.
- "More spins mean a better round." Raining Wilds gives more spins than Sticky Wilds on The Dog House Megaways, but the wilds do not stay. The trade-off is built into the maths.
- "The bonus is overdue." Trigger chances are the same on every spin; a long wait does not shorten the next one.
- "Retriggers work everywhere." The Dog House Megaways and Royal Hunt do not retrigger at all.
Modes you can choose
Some newer editions let the game or the player pick the flavor of the round. Gates of Olympus 2500 spins a wheel after the trigger that selects Free Spins 1, Super Free Spins 1, Free Spins 2 or Super Free Spins 2; in the Free Spins 2 modes every orb joins the total multiplier even on a spin without a win. The Dog House Megaways 1000 offers Sticky Wilds on the middle four reels or Random Wilds, and a super scatter among the trigger upgrades either to a Super Bonus. Knowing which mode you got explains why two rounds of the same game can look so different.
How to prepare for the round
Because free spins run at the stake that triggered them, your stake choice in the base game decides the size of the bonus. Changing stake mid-session to chase the feature does not change its odds, only its cost and payout scale. In a free demo, play until you trigger the round at least a few times and note how it pays on average compared with your spending between triggers.
Practical takeaways
- Read the trigger table and spin counts in the rules before playing.
- Learn what persists in the round: multipliers, wilds or marks.
- Pick a stake you can hold for the long wait a high volatility trigger may need.
Frequently asked questions
How do you trigger free spins?
Usually by landing enough scatters. Gates of Olympus and Sweet Bonanza need four or more, Sugar Rush three or more, The Dog House three paw scatters on reels 1, 3 and 5, and Book of Ra three or more books anywhere.
Do free spins cost anything?
Not directly. They play at the stake that triggered them without new charges. Their value, however, is built into the game's RTP, so you pay for them indirectly through base-game spins.
Can free spins be retriggered?
In many games, yes. Gates of Olympus and Sweet Bonanza add 5 spins for three scatters in the round, and Big Bass adds 10 on every fourth wild. The Dog House Megaways and Royal Hunt do not retrigger.
How many free spins does The Dog House give?
The original awards 9 to 27 free spins, drawn on a wooden machine. Royal Hunt sums a 3×3 grid of 1 to 3 spins per cell. The Megaways edition gives 7 to 20 or 15 to 30 depending on the mode.
What is special about Book of Ra free spins?
Ten free spins with one randomly chosen special symbol that expands over whole reels and pays in any position when it lands on at least three reels. Book of Ra Magic adds one extra special symbol per retrigger, up to nine.
Why do multipliers matter more in free spins?
Many games keep multipliers for the whole round instead of resetting them. Gates of Olympus builds a total multiplier and Sugar Rush keeps spot multipliers, so wins late in the round can grow much larger.
