Book Of Ra
What is Book of Ra?
Book of Ra is an Egyptian-themed slot developed by Novomatic and distributed online by Greentube. It's the original "Book of" game — a format that's since spawned hundreds of spin-offs across the online casino industry.
| Book of Ra – Key Facts | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Novomatic / Greentube |
| Theme | Ancient Egypt |
| Grid | 5 reels, 3 rows |
| Paylines | 9 (classic version) |
| Volatility | High |
| Main Feature | 10 free spins with a special expanding symbol |
| Official Website | https://booksof-ra.de/ |
The game follows a fedora-wearing explorer searching for ancient texts inside a pharaoh's tomb. Visually, it's classic Egyptology: sarcophagi, golden statues, scarab beetles, and hieroglyphics against a dark, underground backdrop.
Before it went online, Book of Ra was already a staple in German Spielotheken and casino floors. The physical cabinets built a loyal player base that carried over when Greentube digitised the game. The online version keeps the same look and feel as the arcade original, including the distinctive reel-stop sounds and retro graphics.
How to play Book of Ra
Book of Ra uses a standard 5×3 reel grid where matching symbols pay from left to right. The Classic version has up to nine paylines; the Deluxe edition has ten.
Set your stake using the controls at the bottom of the screen. Choose your active paylines and bet per line, then press spin.
Symbols fall into three tiers:
- Top tier: The Explorer (pays up to 5,000× your line bet)
- Mid tier: Pharaoh, Scarab, and Golden Statue
- Low tier: Playing cards (10 through Ace)
The Book symbol does double duty — it's both a wild that substitutes for any regular symbol and the scatter that triggers the bonus round.
Free spins and expanding symbols
Landing three or more Book scatter symbols anywhere on the reels triggers 10 free spins. Their position doesn't matter — they just need to appear in the same spin.
The expanding symbol mechanic
Before the free spins start, the Book opens and randomly selects one symbol. This becomes your special expanding symbol for the entire bonus round.
When the chosen symbol appears during a free spin, it expands to fill all three positions on its reel — but only if enough of that symbol is on the grid to form a win.
Expanded symbols don't need to be on adjacent reels. If your special symbol lands on reels one, three, and five, the game still counts it as a winning combination. And because the symbols fill their entire reels, winning payouts apply across all active paylines at once.
The gamble feature
Book of Ra includes a gamble feature that lets you risk a base-game win on a 50/50 card draw. After a winning spin, you pick red or black. Guess right and your win doubles. You can keep going or collect. Guess wrong and you lose the entire win from that spin.
In practice, this feature is almost always disabled in Germany. GGL-licensed casinos are required to restrict double-up mechanics under current player protection rules, so the gamble button simply won't appear. All wins credit straight to your balance instead.
RTP and volatility
Book of Ra is a high-volatility slot. Wins land less often, but tend to be larger when they do. Expect long stretches without payouts during the base game — that's how the math model works.
The RTP isn't fixed. Novomatic offers different RTP settings, and each casino operator chooses which one to use. The same game can return slightly more or less depending on where you play it.
Before you start, check the paytable or settings menu inside the game to see the exact RTP active at your chosen casino.
German betting limits and rules
Germany's State Treaty on Gambling sets strict rules for how Book of Ra works at licensed sites:
- €1 maximum per spin — you can't wager more than one euro per round.
- 5-second minimum between spins — you can't slam-stop reels or skip animations to speed things up.
- No autoplay — you have to click to start every single spin manually.
Playing the free demo vs. real money
The demo version lets you experience Book of Ra's high-variance payout pattern without spending anything. Since wins can be infrequent, free play gives you a realistic feel for how the game flows before you commit real money.
Under German regulations, you'll need to register and verify your account before accessing the demo. Once that's done, the free version plays identically to the real-money game.
Book of Ra Deluxe and other versions
Book of Ra Deluxe is the most widely played version. It replaced the original's nine paylines with ten, updated the graphics, and sharpened the audio — but kept the same core mechanics. Most online casinos now offer the Deluxe edition rather than the original.
Novomatic has also released several spin-offs that keep the Egyptian theme but change the features or math model:
- Book of Ra Magic: Multiple expanding symbols can activate during the bonus round.
- Book of Ra Temple of Gold: Shifts to an El Dorado setting with a female explorer.
- Book of Ra Bingo: Combines the slot's expanding symbol feature with bingo mechanics.
Playing Book of Ra on mobile
Book of Ra runs in any modern mobile browser using HTML5 — no app download required. The interface adjusts to your screen automatically. Landscape gives you a wider view similar to desktop, while portrait stacks the reels above the controls for easier one-handed play.
Touch controls replace mouse clicks. The spin button sits front and centre, with bet sizing and the paytable tucked into a collapsible menu to keep the screen uncluttered.
Casino licensing and fair play
Book of Ra should only be played at online casinos holding a valid licence from the Joint Gaming Authority of the States (GGL). This is the regulatory body responsible for ensuring operators meet security and player protection standards in Germany.
If you're looking to play Book of Ra for real money, these GGL-licensed German casinos currently offer the game:
| Casino | Welcome Bonus |
|---|---|
| JackpotPiraten | 100% up to €100 + 50 Free Spins on Book of Ra Deluxe |
| StarGames | 100% up to €100 + 100 Free Spins |
| BingBong | 100% up to €100 + 50 Free Spins |
The authentic Novomatic and Greentube software is tested by independent auditors to confirm that every spin result is genuinely random. Playing at unlicensed sites risks exposing you to pirated versions where payouts may be manipulated.
Book of Ra FAQs
What is the maximum payout?
The top win in the classic version is 5,000× your line bet, achieved by filling the screen with Explorer symbols.
Can you play offline?
No. Both real-money and demo modes require an internet connection, as every spin is generated on the casino's servers.
How is the expanding symbol chosen?
One standard symbol is randomly selected before your bonus spins begin. The choice is made by the random number generator and can't be influenced.
Do bet sizes affect your chances of winning?
No. The odds of landing wins or triggering the bonus are the same regardless of your stake.