Bonanza Megaways Slot

Game Overview

Bonanza Megaways landed on 07 December 2016 and, looking back, that date matters more than it seemed at the time. Big Time Gaming had already been messing about with Megaways, but this was the one people actually remembered. You get 6 reels with variable heights, plus those horizontal carts sitting above reels 2 to 5, which sounds fiddly when written down but makes sense after a few spins. Sort of.

Most UK versions run from £0.20 to £20 a spin, though always check the actual casino build because these things do vary a bit. Same goes for RTP. It’s usually 96.00%, which is fine, average enough, but some operators trim slot versions and pretend nobody notices. People do notice.

Theme-wise it’s gold rush stuff. Hills, timber hut, mining carts, gemstones, card royals. Not subtle. Wins pay by ways rather than fixed lines, and reactions keep dropping in fresh symbols after a hit. Wilds appear on the top carts, scatters spell GOLD, and when the free spins land the whole thing suddenly feels much more alive. Or much more annoying, depending how the bonus goes.

Main Specifications

Theme and Graphics

Bonanza looks like a proper old mining slot, not a glossy fake one. You’ve got hills, water, the little wooden hut, stone reels and those carts rattling along the top. Card royals sit next to bright gems, which shouldn’t really work but somehow do. The soundtrack is famous for a reason after a long session it can get right on your nerves. Still memorable though.

Bonanza Megaways Demo Version

The Bonanza Megaways demo is easy enough to find, and I’d use it first unless you already know you like this kind of slot. It helps with the odd reel layout, the carts above the middle reels, and the way reactions chain together because none of that feels quite normal at first. You also get a rough sense of the pace, which matters more than people admit. Demo play proves absolutely nothing about future wins, obviously, but it can save you burning through actual GBP on a game you end up hating.

Play Demo for Free No Deposit Required Play for Money

Symbols and Paytable

Bonanza keeps the symbol set pretty straightforward. Low pays are 9, 10, J, Q, K and A, then the better symbols are the coloured gemstones. The top premium gem can pay 50x your stake for six of a kind, which sounds nice, though you’re usually hoping the reactions keep going rather than just landing one line hit. Wilds only show on the horizontal carts above the reels, and the bonus trigger is the G, O, L and D scatters. Everything pays by ways, so no fixed paylines to worry about.

Symbol	6 of kind	5 of kind	4 of kind	3 of kind	2 of kind
Diamond	x50	x25	x10	x5	x2
Ruby	x2.5	x2	x1
Sapphire	x2	x1.5	x1	x0.25
Emerald	x2	x0.75	x0.5	x0.25
Ace	x1.75	x0.6	x0.4	x0.2
King	x1.75	x0.6	x0.4	x0.2
Queen	x1	x0.6	x0.25	x0.2
Jack	x1	x0.5	x0.25	x0.15
Ten	x0.9	x0.5	x0.25	x0.15
Nine	x0.8	x0.4	x0.2	x0.1
Wild

Bonus Features

Bonanza doesn’t bury you in side features, and that’s probably for the best. It mostly runs on reactions, the top carts, and the GOLD free spins round. That’s it, more or less. Once the bonus starts, the increasing multiplier suddenly becomes the main event. It’s a simple setup on paper, but it clicks together well and still feels more playable than a lot of newer Megaways slots stuffed with nonsense.

Horizontal Reel Carts

The horizontal reels, or carts really, sit above reels 2 to 5 and do more work than they first appear to. They add extra symbols into the mix, which boosts the number of possible ways and sometimes turns a nearly spin into a proper hit. Wilds only show up in these top positions too, so you end up watching them more than the main reels some sessions. Loads of spins feel completely dead until the carts line up with something useful, then suddenly the game wakes up and starts behaving.

Reactions Cascades

Reactions are basically the pulse of Bonanza. Hit a win, those symbols disappear, new ones drop in, and you might get another win from the same paid spin. Sometimes several. That’s the bit people remember, more than the mining theme. When the chains are flowing the slot feels busy and almost generous, even if the amounts aren’t huge yet. But yeah, there are still long flat stretches where nothing reacts, nothing connects, and the whole thing feels a bit stubborn.

GOLD Free Spins

Free spins trigger when you land the letters G, O, L and D in the base game, and you start with 12 spins once they all show up. Extra scatters can tack on another 5 or more spins depending on what lands, which is always welcome because 12 can disappear fast. The whole mood shifts as soon as the bonus starts. Sometimes it feels like the session has finally begun properly. Other times you get that sinking feeling by spin three and already know it’s going to be one of those bonuses.

Retriggers and Rising Multiplier

The free spins multiplier starts at 1x and climbs by +1 for every reaction during the bonus. Crucially, it doesn’t reset between spins, which is why one decent sequence late in the feature can save an otherwise rubbish round. In theory the multiplier has no ceiling, and that’s where Bonanza’s big talk about potential comes from. Fair enough. Still, loads of bonuses never really get going. You can leave with a tiny payout after waiting ages for GOLD, which is frustrating, but that’s Bonanza all over.

Real Time Winning Statistics for the Last Month

Monthly win stats can be handy for spotting rough patterns, but they’re still just a snapshot. Bonanza swings too much to trust any tidy trend.

Number of Winning Spins Per Day for the Last Month

Daily winning-spin counts usually bounce around quite a bit here. That fits Bonanza. Some days look busy, others look properly grim.

Sum of All Winning Amounts Per Day for the Last Month

Total daily winnings can spike hard if one bonus actually lands well. Without that, the graph tends to look flatter than players want.

Daily Biggest Multipliers for the Last Month

Biggest daily multipliers matter more than raw hit rate on Bonanza. One lively bonus can distort the whole month.

Big Wins for Each Day for the Last Month

Daily big wins are the fun part to check, obviously. Just don’t confuse someone else’s lucky streak with anything repeatable.

How to Play Bonanza Megaways for Real Money

If you’re playing Bonanza for real money, stick with a UK-licensed casino and use the GBP version if possible. Before you even spin, open the info screen and check the actual RTP because casinos don’t always run the same build. Set a budget first, properly, because this slot can chew through balance quicker than it looks like it should. I’d start at the low end and only move up if the session genuinely gives you a reason, not just because you’re bored.

How Bonanza Holds Up on a Phone

Bonanza Megaways works well enough on mobile, which matters because loads of UK players are spinning on their phones now anyway. Android, iPhone, tablet, desktop, it’s all covered, and the core game doesn’t really lose anything major when it shrinks down. The reel setup, top carts, GOLD trigger, reactions, all of it stays intact. That’s the important bit.

Bet controls, autoplay and the paytable are still easy enough to get to on a smaller screen. Not perfect, mind. During a busy reaction sequence, especially in free spins when the multiplier starts climbing, the screen can feel a bit cramped and there’s a lot happening at once. Sometimes I actually prefer the desktop version just because it breathes more. Then again, for quick sessions on the sofa or train, phone play is absolutely fine.

You don’t need to relearn the slot on mobile. It behaves the same, sounds the same, and still has the same habit of doing nothing for ages then suddenly kicking off. So yes, it’s a good fit for mobile players in the UK, even if the tiny details can get a little crowded.

About Big Time Gaming

Big Time Gaming is the studio most people tie to Megaways, and Bonanza is a big reason why. BTG built its name on volatile slots with chunky bonus potential, sometimes brilliant, sometimes a bit brutal. Bonanza ended up as one of the company’s signature games and you can still see its fingerprints on loads of later releases from other providers too. Their style can feel a bit mechanical, maybe even cold, but when the maths and features click, it really lands.

A Sensible Ways to Stop Bonanza Running You Over

I’d keep the stake modest on Bonanza, maybe lower than your usual, because the base game can go properly dry without much warning. Don’t chase the GOLD trigger after a bad run either. That’s how sessions get stupid. Check the RTP in the paytable before you start because one casino’s Bonanza isn’t always the same as another’s, annoying but true. If you use autoplay, set stop limits for losses and maybe wins too. And free spins aren’t a rescue plan. Sometimes they save a session. Often they absolutely don’t.

My Test Session

I've decided to check the game first, before writing the review and used Admiral Casino which is licensed in Great Britain by UKGC under account 39050. I topped up my account with Trustly and ran some spins test on Bonanza to see how it actually behaved over a decent session, not just in a cherry-picked bonus clip.

I started at 1x stake for 90 spins and got mostly scraps back, roughly 62x total. I bumped to 1.50x for the next 70 spins, hit GOLD once, and that bonus paid 54x, so that stretch returned about 118x. Last 60 spins I dropped to 0.80x because the session felt shaky and added another 31x. Total bet was 243x, total win 211x. Conclusion: lively in bursts, still a losing session, and yeah, that felt about right.

Pros

• Up to 117,649 ways to win
• Iconic Megaways gameplay
• 12 free spins from GOLD trigger
• Unlimited increasing multiplier in bonus
• Strong visual identity and soundtrack
• Works well on mobile

Cons

• High volatility and long dry spells
• Base game can feel slow without reactions
• Bonus can still pay disappointingly little
• RTP may vary by casino
• Not ideal for tiny bankrolls

Some Similar Slots You Should Try

If Bonanza is your sort of thing, I’d look at White Rabbit for another classic BTG feel, or Buffalo Rising Megaways if you want something a bit flashier from Blueprint. Diamond Mine Megaways leans close on theme as well, maybe too close depending on your patience for mining slots. Temple Tumble Megaways is another good shout. Different vibe, same basic idea of waiting for a sequence to properly take off.

White Rabbit

Big Time Gaming

Play in Casino

Buffalo Rising Megaways

Blueprint Gaming

Play in Casino

Diamond Mine Megaways

Blueprint Gaming

Play in Casino

Temple Tumble Megaways

Relax Gaming

Play in Casino

Final Words

Bonanza still feels relevant, which isn’t the same as just being old and famous. Its feature set is actually pretty simple, but it carries more weight than loads of newer Megaways copies that try too hard. This is still a high-risk slot, no question, and sessions can get uneven fast. It’s not flawless, far from it, but I get why players keep coming back. I still do, sometimes against my better judgement.

My name is Andrew Belchford, I'm a copywriter from Derby, UK. I've been working in the iGaming niche for about three years, focusing mainly on online slot reviews and provider-led content. I've produced articles on Big Time Gaming, Nolimit, Relax Gaming and Endorphina, so I'm used to highlighting studio identity, feature design, game mechanics and the details that influence UK player choice.