The last few years have seen a surge in popularity of online slot games, largely due to online casinos becoming more sophisticated, being properly optimised for mobile devices, and a leap forward in terms of new innovative and exciting games. 

Nowadays, there are literally thousands of slot titles, each with incredible graphics, dynamic gameplay and, of course, chances to win huge cash prizes. 

How do online slot games work?

Game rules will vary depending on the slots game you choose but, generally speaking, your aim is to match symbols in adjacent reels, going from left to right, to create a ‘payline’. These paylines are what give you cash prizes, but exactly how much you win depends on many factors, including how much you bet per spin.

The majority of slots now also come with individual bonus games and many other special features, such as wilds, multipliers and free spins, that make these games even more exciting to play. Not only that, but these additions can add to the probability that you will win a decent cash prize.

However, no online slot is more appealing than the world-famous Mega Moolah...

What makes Mega Moolah so special? 

Slots fans will already know the name Mega Moolah. First launched in 2006, this title from Microgaming has become world famous thanks to its millionaire-making abilities. 

The reason that Mega Moolah is special is that it is a progressive jackpot game. This means that, unlike the fruit machine down at your local pub, the jackpot isn’t limited to how much money is sitting in a physical machine. In fact, with the emergence of online gambling, casinos and the software developers were freed of the restrictions of physical mechanics, and now games can be ‘linked’ across thousands, if not millions, of computers. Therefore, the potential jackpot created by thousands of people all playing the same game is almost infinite. 

How does Mega Moolah’s jackpot get so big?

Whenever you play a progressive jackpot game, a small percentage of your stake is put into one giant prize pool. And that goes for every other player who is playing the game as well. This means that the top cash prize on a progressive jackpot game continues to rise, until one lucky player scoops the entire jackpot. And in the case of Mega Moolah, this jackpot has been known to reach millions of pounds on a regular basis. 

Mega Moolah even made it to the Guinness Book of World Records when Jon Heywood, a British soldier, won over ￡13 million from a 25p spin. 

Everything you need to know about Mega Moolah 

So now that you've got a good idea about why Mega Moolah is so popular, it's time to break down the game itself. 

We're going to tell you what the game is like to play, and what you can expect from various features of this slot.

Mega Moolah gameplay 

The Mega Moolah game has 5 reels and 3 rows, meaning that there are 15 symbols in play at any given time. There's also the possibility to make 25 paylines by matching symbols left to right across the reels. So far, nothing out of the ordinary for a standard slot game. 

It may come as a surprise, but the Mega Moolah game itself is not the most sophisticated slot game on the market. It has a fun safari theme, but the graphics could use updating and the animations are cute but by no means the most cutting-edge we’ve ever seen. 

However, even though there are far more modern slots on the market these days, Mega Moolah still offers an exciting and dynamic experience with the addition of special features, such as wild symbols, multipliers, a bonus game and free spins round. 

Mega Moolah RTP and volatility 

You might not have heard of either RTP or volatility in slots gaming, but both of these elements are important to understand when it comes to calculating how likely a game is to pay out. So, let’s take a look at these two things in a little more detail. 

Return to Player (RTP)

RTP stands for ‘return to player’ and this is the percentage of your original stake that the software developer predicts you will get back if you play a game for a long enough period of time. 

As an example, if a game has a 90% RTP and you deposit ￡100 at the beginning of play, then you should see back around ￡90 of that ￡100 by the end of play. 

Unfortunately, nobody knows the exact amount of time deemed ‘long enough’ to play for the correct RTP percentage to apply. But as a general rule of thumb, the longer you play for in a single session, the better. 

All casino games come with their own RTP, and the good news for slots fans is that slot games generally offer an RTP of around 96%. So with an RTP of 88.12%, Mega Moolah delivers a slightly below average percentage for a slots title. However, RTP really isn’t the be-all to end-all when it comes to winning, and there are plenty of low RTP games that pay out frequently.  

Volatility 

Most slots can be categorised into low, medium or high volatility. If a game has low volatility, it means that it pays out frequently but in small amounts. 

By contrast, a high volatility game doesn't pay out regularly, but when it does, the prizes are extremely generous. And, as you can probably guess, medium volatility slots lie somewhere in the middle of low and high. 

Mega Moolah is a highly volatile slot game. Therefore, you will not receive small, frequent payouts with this game. But as you now know, this game is famous for its huge jackpot prizes. So, if you can become one of the lucky few to land the Mega Moolah top prize, it will most certainly change your life.

Final thoughts on Mega Moolah 

There's no doubt that Mega Moolah is, and will continue to be, one of the most popular progressive jackpot slots on the market. 

The company that makes Mega Moolah is called Microgaming, and they are no strangers to smash hit slot titles. 

Other fantastic games by Microgaming include the wildly successful Immortal Romance series, as well as fan-favourites, Thunderstruck, Avalon and Game of Thrones. And recently, in a genius move by the clever bods at Microgaming, a wide variety of Mega Moolah slots are being released, including re-releases of popular classics, giving way to impressive hits like Immortal Romance Mega Moolah and Mega Moolah Goddess. 

In summary, it seems that Mega Moolah is here to stay. And it's really not hard to see why this game remains beloved by so many fans. 

Will someone come along to take Mega Moolah’s crown in the future? We’re not sure, but it will be incredibly exciting to find out!