Book of Ra Free Spins and Bonus Features
Book of Ra has one bonus: three or more books start ten free games. One regular symbol is drawn at random and expands over whole reels to pay on every line. Free games can retrigger. Around it sit two extras — the card gamble after wins and, since 2026, an optional Buy Bonus.
Triggering the free games
Three, four or five books anywhere on the screen start ten free games. The books also pay a scatter prize first: 2×, 20× or 200× the total bet. Free games are played at the bet and number of lines of the spin that triggered them.
The trigger is the same in every main edition — Classic, deluxe, deluxe 6 and Magic — although deluxe 6 has a sixth reel when its Extra Bet is active, which gives books one more place to land. Nothing in the base game affects the trigger: there is no meter, no “due” feature and no warm-up period.
The special expanding symbol
When free games start, the book opens and one regular symbol is selected at random. In each free game, after normal wins are paid, that symbol expands to fill its reels — if enough of it is on screen to form a win — and pays on every played line, even when the reels are not adjacent.

| Special symbol | Needed on screen | Pay per line for 3 / 4 / 5 reels | On all 10 lines, 5 reels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explorer | 2+ | 10× / 100× / 500× | 5,000× |
| Pharaoh mask | 2+ | 4× / 40× / 200× | 2,000× |
| Statue or scarab | 2+ | 3× / 10× / 75× | 750× |
| A or K | 3+ | 0.5× / 4× / 15× | 150× |
| Q, J or 10 | 3+ | 0.5× / 2.5× / 10× | 100× |
This table explains why two free-games rounds can differ by a factor of a hundred. With a card symbol, even a strong round tends to stay small. With the explorer, a single game where it lands on four reels pays 100× on each of ten lines — 1,000× the bet.
Retriggers
Three or more books during free games award another ten games with the same expanding symbol. The rules do not set a limit on retriggers. The books also pay their scatter prize again when they retrigger.
Retriggers are where long, valuable rounds come from: twenty or thirty games with the explorer chosen give many chances for it to land on several reels. They are also rare, which is why most free-games rounds end after the first ten games.
Magic and deluxe 6: how the feature changes
Book of Ra Magic keeps ten free games but can select several special expanding symbols — up to nine, according to Novomatic. Deluxe 6 keeps one symbol but adds a sixth reel when you pay the Extra Bet, and that reel stays active in free games.
More expanding symbols in Magic mean more frequent feature wins; a sixth reel in deluxe 6 means more positions for both books and the expanding symbol. Both cost something in return — Magic has a different paytable, deluxe 6 a higher stake per spin with the Extra Bet. Details are on the Magic and deluxe 6 pages.
The gamble feature
After a win you can stake it on a card: guess red or black correctly and it doubles; guess wrong and it is lost. You can repeat up to a limit set by your stake, or collect at any point. The feature is switched off during autoplay.
The gamble is a fair coin flip, so it does not change the long-run return — it only increases variance. It is the most common source of regret in player complaints: a 200× win lost on one card. If you use it, decide beforehand that you will gamble only small wins, once.
Buy Bonus (2026)
Since 24 February 2026, Greentube offers Book of Ra deluxe with a Buy Bonus: 100× the total bet buys the ten free games directly. It is an operator option, not available in all countries, and banned in some — including Germany.
Buying a feature does not improve it. You get the same random expanding symbol and the same chance of a small or big result. At 100× the bet, many bought rounds return less than their price, and a few return much more. If your budget is €50 and your bet €0.50, one purchase is your whole budget. Our strategy page covers when buying makes no sense at all.
Session budget calculator
Problems and what to do
Feature disputes are among the most common support questions. Most are explained by the rules on this page.
Check that they were three books, not two books and a similar-looking symbol. If you are sure, take a screenshot with the time and ask the casino for the round history.
Card symbols need three on screen; two are not enough to form a win, so they do not expand.
Your casino runs the classic version or your country does not allow feature buys.
That is common, especially with card symbols. It is part of the game’s volatility.
Questions
How do I trigger free spins in Book of Ra?
Land three or more books anywhere on the reels. They pay as scatters (2×, 20× or 200× the bet) and start ten free games.
Which expanding symbol is best?
The explorer pays most, followed by the pharaoh mask. They can expand from just two symbols on screen, while card symbols need three.
Can I choose the expanding symbol?
No. The game chooses it randomly at the start of free games. Sites that claim a trick to pick it are wrong.
How often do free spins trigger?
The provider does not publish an official trigger frequency for Book of Ra deluxe. Because the game is highly volatile, long gaps between features are normal.
Is the Buy Bonus available everywhere?
No. It is an operator option from February 2026 and is not allowed in some countries, including Germany. Many casinos show the classic version without it.
Read next
Sources and changes
- Greentube — official demo, Feature and Rules screens (checked 23 Oct 2026)
- iGaming Business — Book of Ra deluxe Buy Bonus, go-live 24 Feb 2026, 100× total bet
- NOVOMATIC — Book of Ra™ Magic: up to 9 special expanding symbols
- NOVOMATIC — Book of Ra™ deluxe 6: sixth reel stays active in free games
Change log: 23 October 2026 — page published