Released on 25 February 2021, this took the six-by-five frame Pragmatic Play had already proven and swapped the multiplier logic underneath it. Orbs worth 2× to 500× fall in base play and free spins — but inside the feature they bank into a running total instead of resetting. That one rule explains the game's reputation, and why the spins between features feel so thin.
The specification, on one screen.
- StudioPragmatic Play
- Released25 February 2021
- Layout6 reels × 5 rows, pay anywhere (8–30 matching symbols)
- RTP96.50% default; 95.51% and 94.50% variants confirmed
- VolatilityVery high — 28.82% hit frequency
- Max win5,000× stake
- Stake range0.20–100 per spin; up to 125 with the Ante Bet
- Bonus buyYes — 100× the current bet
The feature made this game, not the base
Base play is ordinary. Because orb values add into a running total across a round, one long tumble can finish on a multiplier far bigger than any single orb inside it. That's the whole engine.
Count the symbols, ignore the positions.
Thirty positions fill with gems, rings, crowns and hourglasses. Eight or more of one kind anywhere on the grid pays, and the count runs up to thirty. Lines don't exist and adjacency is irrelevant.
Winners vanish, everything above drops, fresh symbols fall in, and the sequence resolves until nothing new pays. Every tumble belongs to the single stake you placed.
96.50% at the top, with two certified steps down.
The default configuration is 96.50%, a shade above the mainstream benchmark. Two reduced builds are confirmed: 95.51% and 94.50%. On C$1,000 of turnover the bottom one costs about C$20 more than the top, with nothing on screen to mark the difference.
That's a narrower ladder than Book of Dead, which drops to 84.18%, but the habit is identical. Open the info panel behind the menu icon, read the return it states, and you know which build you're on. Our slots hub covers the configuration system in more depth.
A 28.82% hit rate means most spins pay nothing.
Pragmatic Play publishes this as very high volatility, and the hit frequency puts a number on it: roughly seven spins in ten return zero. Compare that with Sweet Bonanza, which pays on about half.
So the base game is quiet, and it stays quiet for longer than most players expect. Long dry runs aren't a malfunction or bad luck — they're the design. Size the stake for a few hundred spins with no feature at all, because that's a routine session here.
Fifteen spins, and the multiplier never resets.
Four or more scatters pay 3×, 5× or 100× the stake and open 15 free spins. Three or more scatters inside the round add five more, with no stated cap.
Orbs land in ordinary play too, carrying 2× up to 500×, and there they apply to that sequence alone. Inside free spins the rule changes: every orb value accumulates into a running total that is applied at the end of each tumble sequence and then carries forward. Twenty spins of small orbs can leave a huge figure sitting over a late win.
| Point of difference | Gates of Olympus | Sweet Bonanza |
|---|---|---|
| Multiplier symbol | Orbs, 2×–500× | Bombs, 2×–100× |
| How values combine | Accumulate into a running total | Added within one sequence |
| Free spins awarded | 15 | 10 |
| Hit frequency | 28.82% | Around 50% |
| Volatility | Very high | High |
| Max win | 5,000× | 21,175× |
The trade is obvious. The running total is the more powerful mechanic, yet the ceiling is far lower — 5,000× against 21,175× — and you wait much longer between anything happening.
The ante is a choice. The buy button is not, while wagering runs.
Ante betting adds 25% to your stake and doubles the trigger chance, taking the ceiling to 125 per spin. A fair swap on its own terms, but it shortens the session your balance funds by a fifth. The info panel lists a return for each mode.
C$20 minimum, against a C$5 ceiling
Buying straight into the feature costs 100× the current bet and settles as one wager. At the 0.20 minimum that's C$20 — four times the C$5 cap we apply while welcome-bonus wagering is outstanding. One tap forfeits the remaining bonus, silently. Our welcome bonus terms spell the rule out.
Very high volatility is a poor fit for bonus turnover.
Slots count in full toward wagering, so this one qualifies on paper. In practice it's the hardest of our five headline titles to clear a bonus on, because nearly all the return hides in a feature that shows up rarely, and an empty bonus balance pays nothing whatever its RTP. Twenty days is not long at a stake small enough to survive the gaps.
Keep it for cash play once the cap lifts, and use demo mode to watch the running total build. Our mobile guide covers the grid on a phone, and loyalty points accrue at one per C$1 staked either way.
Gates of Olympus 1000 is a separate game
The follow-up carries its own model, multiplier range and ceiling. Every figure here belongs to the 2021 original — check the exact title in the game window before mapping any of it across.
A game that pays on fewer than three spins in ten is built to keep you waiting, and waiting is expensive. Decide what the session may cost before you open it, and set a deposit cap and session reminder in your account rather than trusting a decision made mid-round. Our responsible gambling page explains every control and lists free, confidential helplines province by province. In a crisis, ring or text 9-8-8.
Gates of Olympus, answered.
What return does Gates of Olympus run at?
The default configuration is 96.50%, and two reduced builds are certified at 95.51% and 94.50%. Studios ship several settings and each casino loads one, so a percentage published anywhere else need not match yours. The game's own information panel states the build running in your session, and that is the binding number.
How much can it pay at most?
5,000 times your stake, which is the capped ceiling rather than an open-ended figure. Reaching anywhere near it needs a long free-spins round where orb values have accumulated into a large running total before a substantial tumble sequence lands. Treat it as a boundary in the maths, not an outcome to chase.
How do the multiplier orbs work?
Orbs carry values from 2× up to 500× and land in both base play and free spins. In the base game an orb applies to that sequence only. Inside free spins the values accumulate into a running total, applied at the end of each tumble sequence and carried forward through the round.
How do I trigger the free spins?
Land four or more scatters anywhere on the grid. They pay 3×, 5× or 100× your stake depending on the count, and award 15 free spins. Landing three or more scatters during the round retriggers it for five further spins, and no cap on retriggers is stated in the paytable.
Is it more volatile than Sweet Bonanza?
Yes, clearly. This is published as very high volatility with a 28.82% hit frequency, while Sweet Bonanza is high volatility paying on roughly half of spins. Expect far longer stretches of nothing here. In exchange the accumulating multiplier can produce much larger single rounds relative to the stake.
Should I turn the ante bet on?
Only if you want feature-focused sessions and have sized the stake down to match. It adds 25% per spin and doubles the chance of triggering, but it also cuts the spins your balance funds by a fifth and does nothing for the round once it begins. Check the panel for each mode's return.
Can I buy the bonus while a welcome bonus is active?
No. The buy costs 100 times your current bet and settles as a single wager, so even the minimum stake produces a C$20 bet against our C$5 maximum while wagering is outstanding. Pressing it forfeits whatever bonus remains, immediately and without a warning dialogue. Wait until the funds are cash.
Is it a sensible game for clearing wagering?
Not really. Very high volatility puts almost all of the return inside a feature you may never see before the balance empties or the 20-day expiry lands, and a bonus at zero returns nothing. Medium-volatility titles clear turnover far more reliably. Save this one for cash play once the cap lifts.
Watch the total build in demo
Gates of Olympus runs free without an account, and its live RTP configuration is printed in the paytable before you stake anything.
Open Gates of Olympus18+ / 19+ by province. Not available in Ontario. Bonus buys and ante bets breach the C$5 maximum bet while welcome-bonus wagering is outstanding. Full terms apply.