Full title Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead, released by Play'n GO on 14 January 2016. Five reels, three rows, ten paylines and a single feature — the round that turned a modest Egyptian slot into the template half the industry copied. It's also the clearest case we have for opening a game's info panel before you stake anything.
The specification, on one screen.
- StudioPlay'n GO
- Released14 January 2016
- Layout5 reels × 3 rows, 10 paylines
- RTP96.21% default; 94.25%, 91.25%, 87.25% and 84.18% confirmed
- VolatilityHigh
- Max win5,000× stake
- Stake rangeFrom 0.10; the ceiling is set by operator and currency
- Bonus buyNo — and no ante bet either
The Book does two jobs at once
It substitutes for every symbol in base play and it triggers the feature. That double duty is why ten paylines feel tighter than the number suggests — one symbol carries the whole design.
Twelve points separate the top build from the bottom.
The default is 96.21%, which is ordinary enough. What isn't ordinary is the ladder beneath it. Play'n GO certifies this game at 94.25%, 91.25%, 87.25% and 84.18%, and the 84.18% version genuinely circulates in the market.
| Configuration | House edge | Cost per C$1,000 staked |
|---|---|---|
| 96.21% (default) | 3.79% | C$37.90 |
| 94.25% | 5.75% | C$57.50 |
| 91.25% | 8.75% | C$87.50 |
| 87.25% | 12.75% | C$127.50 |
| 84.18% | 15.82% | C$158.20 |
Four times the edge, on a game with identical artwork, identical symbols and an identical maximum win. Nothing on the reels tells the builds apart. The paytable screen does, in about ten seconds — and it's the only place that does. Our slots hub explains why the industry works this way.
Ten lines, left to right, no cascades.
Symbols pay from the leftmost reel rightwards along fixed lines, and nothing tumbles or respins. The Book substitutes for every other symbol to complete a line, which is the only help the base game gives you.
Volatility is published as high, and it plays that way: base returns are thin and the money sits in the feature. Minimum stake is 0.10, while the top of the range depends on the operator and the currency you're in — we won't quote a firm ceiling, because sources disagree and it isn't fixed.
One symbol is picked before the round begins.
Three or more Books anywhere on the reels open 10 free spins. Before the first one runs, the game selects one random Expanding Symbol and shows it to you.
From then on, whenever that symbol lands it stretches across its entire reel and pays even without adjacency — an ordinary payline rule suspended for one round. Draw a high-value symbol and two or three reels of it can pay several hundred times the stake. Draw a low card symbol and the round largely fizzles. Three or more Books during the feature retrigger it, with no cap stated.
That lottery is the whole character of the game. The round you get is decided before you play it, which is why two identical triggers can end thousands of times apart.
The gamble ladder is optional, and we'd skip it.
Every win can be pushed into a card gamble: guess the colour to double, guess the suit to quadruple, up to five picks in a row, with the whole thing capped at 500× your bet.
It adds nothing to your expected return and multiplies the swing enormously. Five correct colour calls turn a win into 32 times itself; one wrong call takes all of it. If you use it, decide the number of steps before you start, not after a correct guess.
No ante, no buy — which helps with our bonus.
There's no ante bet and no bonus-buy button here. That absence is genuinely useful while welcome-bonus wagering is running, because the fastest way to forfeit a bonus is a feature purchase priced far above our C$5 per-spin cap. This game simply doesn't offer you the rope.
Slots count in full toward wagering, so it qualifies. High volatility still makes it demanding across a 20-day clock — a medium-volatility title recycles more small wins back into the counter. Our welcome bonus page has the turnover arithmetic, and reload offers carry the same cap.
Every lobby has a book slot because of this one.
Play'n GO didn't invent the expanding-symbol round, but this is the release that made it standard. A decade on, dozens of tomb-themed clones run the same 5×3 frame and the same pre-selected symbol, which is why the mechanic feels familiar before you've played it.
Demo play needs no account, and it's the sensible way to see how a bad symbol draw feels before money's involved. Our mobile guide covers how the classic five-reel layout reads on a small screen — it's far easier than the six-by-five grids.
A feature that arrives rarely and pays unevenly is easy to chase, especially with a gamble ladder sitting beside it. Set your deposit and loss caps in account settings before you open the game, and treat the 5,000× ceiling as arithmetic rather than a plan. Our responsible gambling page walks through every control and lists free, confidential helplines for each province and territory. In a crisis, ring or text 9-8-8.
Book of Dead, answered.
What return does Book of Dead run at?
The default build is 96.21%, but four reduced configurations are certified: 94.25%, 91.25%, 87.25% and 84.18%. That bottom version circulates in the market and carries an edge close to 16%. The game's own information panel states which build your session is on, and that figure is the one that binds.
Why does this game have so many RTP versions?
Because Play'n GO certifies it at several return settings and each casino selects one. Artwork, symbols, feature and maximum win stay identical across all five, so nothing visible distinguishes them. It gives this title the widest spread of any slot we review, which is exactly why the panel check matters here.
How does the free-spins round work?
Three or more Books anywhere on the reels award 10 free spins. Before the round starts, one symbol is chosen at random as the Expanding Symbol. Whenever it lands during the round it expands across its whole reel and pays without needing to be adjacent. Three or more Books retrigger the round.
Is the Book a wild or a scatter?
Both, which is unusual and central to the design. In base play it substitutes for every other symbol to complete a payline. It also acts as the scatter, so three or more anywhere on the reels trigger free spins regardless of position. One symbol carries the entire feature set.
What is the maximum win?
5,000 times your stake. Getting near it needs a high-value Expanding Symbol drawn before the free-spins round, then several reels of it landing across the ten spins. The gamble feature is capped separately at 500× your bet, so it cannot be used to push a win toward the game ceiling.
Should I use the gamble feature?
It's entirely optional and we'd generally leave it alone. Guessing card colour doubles a win, guessing the suit quadruples it, up to five picks in a row and capped at 500× your bet. It doesn't improve your expected return, it just widens the swings. One wrong call takes everything.
Can I buy the bonus round?
No. Book of Dead has neither a bonus-buy button nor an ante bet, so the only route into free spins is landing three or more Books. That's genuinely helpful while welcome-bonus wagering is outstanding, since a feature purchase would sit far above our C$5 per-spin cap and forfeit the bonus.
What can I stake per spin?
From 0.10 at the bottom. We won't publish a firm ceiling, because the maximum depends on the operator and the currency you're playing in, and reputable sources disagree about it. The staking panel in the game window shows the range actually available to your account, so check there.
Check the build before the first spin
Book of Dead runs in demo without an account, and its live RTP configuration sits in the paytable — the difference between 96.21% and 84.18%.
Open Book of Dead18+ / 19+ by province. Not available in Ontario. Slots count 100% toward welcome-bonus wagering; C$5 max bet and a 20-day expiry apply for as long as wagering runs. Full terms apply.