Mega Moolah slot's Wild and Scatter bonus features explained

Welcome to this latest article in a series all about the original Mega Moolah slot, the online slot game that has produced more million-plus winners of its top progressive jackpot prize than any other and part of the Microgaming Progressive Jackpot Network, which has paid a total of over €1.1 billion to lucky players over the years.

In this article, we are going to take a look at the main bonus features of the Mega Moolah slot, however we are not going to focus on the most sought-after bonus, the Jackpot Bonus Wheel, because we are going to look at that in a lot more depth in a standalone article. So for the purposes of this article, we will be looking at the importance of both the Lion Wild symbol, the Witch Doctor Scatter symbol and the attributed Free Spins bonus that links in with those Scatter symbols.

It seems strange to consider that there once was a time when slot games didn't have such bonus features included on them. I can remember playing old-style penny one-armed bandits that were entirely mechanical and then when the microchip started to take off, slot games started to become more computerised and features like Hold and Nudge became all the rage.

Soon after that, slots began to come out that had their own built-in sub games to play and the idea of a feature you could trigger while playing soon began to take hold. When the Internet exploded and the first online casinos appeared, slots were a key part of that and this new outlet allowed game designers to get even more creative with their bonuses.

Mega Moolah wasn't the first slot to offer a Wild symbol, or Free Spins for that matter, but it was one of the first progressive jackpot games, and certainly one of the first Microgaming created progressive jackpot slots to offer Free Spins. In truth, both the Free Spins bonus and the Wild are an integral part of the Mega Moolah slot gaming experience, perhaps even more so than the elusive Jackpot Bonus Game.

So in this article, we are going to take a closer look at both and remember, there is a video we have taken which shows a Free Spins round in action, plus another play-through video where you can see the effect of the Lion Wild in action and it is this most common of the bonus features on Mega Moolah where we will begin.

The Lion Wild - It's importance in the Mega Moolah slot

While many people may play the Mega Moolah slot for the progressive jackpot prize on offer, ask them to name a memorable symbol or aspect of the game and the Lion Wild symbol will likely be one of the most commonly named ones. There is a good reason for this as not only is it a Wild symbol, which can be used as a substitute for all other standard symbols in the game, but it also has a 2x multiplier attached to any win it is a part of in the base game.

Then you can add to that the fact that it is also by far the most potentially lucrative of all the symbols in the game when landed across a pay line. Pays start at a relatively modest 0.6x your bet for two Lion Wilds on a pay line, but that increases markedly from there on, increasing to 5x your bet for three Lion Wilds, 60x your bet for four and the largest prize in the base game is the 600x your bet for all five Lion Wilds on a pay line.

Play that for a minimum bet amount of 0.25 per spin and that is a cash prize of 150.00. For the maximum bet amount of 6.25, it amounts to a massive 3,750.00 for a single pay line win, and there is the potential to win across 25 of those lines on the Mega Moolah slot.

However, as lucrative as the Lion Wild could potentially be, it is much more often used as a Wild symbol in conjunction with other symbols on the reels and it is then that the value of its 2x multiplier really does become apparent.

By doubling the value of each win, Lion Wilds make a huge difference to your potential returns. For example, if you have landed three Giraffe symbols on the first three reels on a pay line and then a Wild lands on the fourth, then your win has increased (assuming a minimum bet amount of 0.25) from 0.30 for that spin, up to 1.25, but then the 2x multiplier kicks in and that amount is doubled to 2.50.

The number of times that the Wild triggers in the base game is also part of its appeal. In our play-through video, the Wild doesn't trigger as often as I have experienced in other sessions, but you can still see it plays a key role in the bigger value wins landed in these small sessions. It is these repeated 2x multiplier wins from using the Wild which is what makes the base game more benign for players and certainly makes playing less volatile.

In truth, if you land a decent win on Mega Moolah, either in the base game or Free Spins, then it is a strong probability that the Lion Wild will be involved in that somewhere along the line. Which brings us nicely onto the next big bonus feature of the slot, the Free Spins bonus round and the Scatter symbol that triggers it.

The Witch Doctor Scatter symbol and Free Spins

Scatter symbols are very player friendly. They may not land as often as other symbols due to their relative scarcity on the reels, but you don't need to land them on a pay line (usually) in order to land a win. That is the case on the Mega Moolah slot where just two of the Witch Doctor Scatter symbols will land a 2x your bet win.

However, the rewards improve as you increase the number of Scatters landed. Three Scatters will see you win 3x your bet, while four sees a big step up to 20x your bet and if you can then land all five Scatters on the reels on a single spin, then you will win 100x your bet.

Those cash returns are a nice start to your Free Spins round as if you land three or more Scatters, you receive 15 Free Spins (with each spin being at the same bet size as the triggering spin) and on each spin, you have a 3x multiplier in play, trebling the value of your win.

During Free Spins, the backdrop to the reels will change colour and the Mega Moolah music will play as the reels spin. Once you start the reels in motion, the Free Spins will then cycle through with the wins being added on to your balance as you play and the total amount you have won displayed at the foot of the reels.

The amount you can win during Free Spins varies. I have had one memorable session where I played through the entire 15 Free Spins and barely won a few pence more than what I had triggered the round with thanks to the Scatter win. However, I have also had sessions where I have won upwards of 50x my total bet where that 3x multiplier has been an absolutely vital factor in pumping up the total value of the win.

I have also had the good fortune to re-trigger the Free Spins bonus round by landing three or more Scatters on the reels as the bonus plays. This does not trigger every time, but I have to be honest and say that the Mega Moolah slot is the game where I have had Free Spin re-triggers most often, even compared to non-progressive slots.

If you are fortunate enough to land one or even a couple of re-triggers of the Free Spins bonus round, then you can play through 30 or 45 spins and the chances you have of landing a much more sizeable amount increase markedly. Of course, too, the more Free Spins you can stack up also gives you more chances to re-trigger more Free Spins too.

If you check through our video channel on Youtube you can see a video where I trigger the Free Spins bonus round twice and also see some decent value wins, in comparison to the smaller win landed in the video especially for this article, which is below.

In truth, while the Jackpot Bonus Game is the bonus feature everyone wants to trigger and of course, the Mega jackpot is the one every player wants to win, you are far more likely to find that you can land a profit on the game and maintain a bankroll through utilising the Lion Wild and Free Spins bonuses as they are much easier to trigger and are far more likely to offer you the chance of a profit.

And while they are perhaps not shouted about as much as the progressive jackpot element of the slot, it is these bonuses which makes Mega Moolah so enjoyable to play.