Landing three or more Book scatters anywhere on the reels awards 10 free games, and the whole feature turns on one thing: at the start of those spins the game randomly picks a single regular symbol to become the special expanding symbol. If you are searching for "book of ra free spins" hoping to unlock the bonus round, that scatter trigger is the answer - the free games are baked into the slot, not something a casino hands out.
There is a second thing people mean by "free spins," though, and the two get tangled constantly. One is this in-game feature. The other is a casino promotion - no-deposit free spins, welcome free spins, that sort of thing. They are not the same, and I keep them apart below because conflating them leads to disappointment.
How the free games trigger
The Book of Ra symbol does double duty: it is both the wild and the scatter. As a scatter it pays from anywhere on the screen, and this is what matters here - you do not need it on a payline. Get 3, 4, or 5 Books anywhere across the five reels and the feature fires:
- 3+ Books - 10 free games begin.
- 5 Books also pay a flat 200x the stake as a scatter win, on top of triggering the feature. That is the single biggest base-game hit you can land before the free games even start.
Because the Book pays anywhere, the trigger is a scatter mechanic - reels align by luck, not by lining up on a specific row. In the Deluxe demo I ran, three Books scattered across reels two, three and five was enough. Nothing in your control brings it faster; more on that under the tricks myths.
The special expanding symbol, in detail
This is the part that makes Book of Ra what it is, and it is worth reading slowly because it decides whether your 10 spins are magic or a dud.
Straight from the in-game Rules screen: one special expanding symbol is randomly selected at the start of the Free Games. The game chooses one regular symbol - it could be the Explorer, could be a royal like the 10 or J - and for the entire feature that symbol behaves differently from every spin.
Here is what "expands" means. During the free games, after the regular symbol payouts are settled, the chosen symbol can grow to cover its whole reel - all three positions top to bottom. Once expanded it pays like the regular symbol would, except it counts on any position and on all lines played, not just where symbols sit adjacent left-to-right. The expansion only kicks in when there are enough of that symbol on screen for a win in the first place; it will not expand into nothing.
Two extra rules from the same screen worth knowing:
- The special expanding symbol cannot be substituted by a Book scatter during the free games. The wild steps aside for the star of the round.
- Because it pays across all played lines when it fills a reel, a single well-placed expansion can pay many lines at once - the mechanism behind Book of Ra's biggest free-spin hauls.
Why the Explorer is the dream draw
The symbol the game selects is pure chance, but not all symbols are equal. If the Explorer (the highest-paying icon, worth 5,000x the line bet for five) gets chosen and then hits big during a spin, that is the outcome clip-hunters chase. A full-reel Explorer paying across lines is where the slot's ceiling actually comes from - the headline "5,000x" lives in this feature, not in a single base-game spin. See the full symbol payouts for how the tiers stack up.
The flip side: the game might pick a 10, J, or Q. A low royal expanding across a reel pays a fraction of what the Explorer would, and if it barely lands you can finish 10 free games with almost nothing. That is the honest reality of a high-variance slot - the same feature that prints a huge win can also fizzle. I have had Deluxe sessions where the Explorer got selected and never showed up in numbers, and the round paid back less than the trigger.
Retriggers
The feature can extend itself. If 3 or more Books land again during the free games, you get +10 more free spins, and the same special expanding symbol carries over into the extension. Retriggers stack - there is no widely published hard cap - so in a hot run the round keeps refreshing with the same symbol working for you.
Retriggers are also where the big totals come from. Ten spins with a strong expanding symbol is decent; three or four retriggers with the Explorer selected is the kind of run that ends up on highlight reels. They are rare, which is the point of a high-volatility game.
In-game feature vs casino "free spins" offers
This is the distinction that trips people up, so I will be blunt about it.
| The free-spins FEATURE | Casino free-spins OFFERS | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Part of the slot's maths - the 10 free games above | A casino promotion (no-deposit spins, welcome spins) |
| How you get it | Land 3+ Book scatters, any bet, any session | Sign-up or promo terms at a specific operator |
| Availability | Every spin of every genuine Book of Ra, everywhere | Rare, geo-restricted, wagering and cap conditions attached |
| Applies to demo? | Yes - identical in the free demo | No - offers are real-money only |
The feature is the slot itself; nobody can grant or withhold it. Casino "no-deposit free spins on Book of Ra" are a separate thing - a marketing offer, uncommon for this specific title, usually tied to one licensed operator and a set of terms. If it is offers you are after rather than the mechanic, that belongs on the where-to-play page, which covers which regulated casinos carry the genuine Greentube game. And to see the in-game feature yourself without spending anything, the free demo triggers it exactly the same way the real-money build does.
Buy-bonus editions
Greentube has released editions that let you pay directly into the feature instead of waiting for scatters - the Buy Bonus line built on Deluxe, which went live in early 2026. You spend a set multiple of your stake to launch the 10 free games immediately, with the same random expanding symbol at its heart. It is a convenience, not an edge: the maths still favour the house, and buying in costs more per feature than you would spend triggering it naturally over time. The Deluxe version breakdown notes where buy-bonus builds fit; treat them as a different product from the classic scatter-trigger game.
Is the free-spins feature worth chasing?
Is it the reason to play Book of Ra? Yes - honestly, it is the whole game. The non-feature spins run quiet, and almost all the value sits in those 10 free spins with a randomly selected expanding symbol. When the Explorer gets picked and lands, it is genuinely thrilling and pays like little else in the classic-slot world. That earns the feature a solid mark from me, around 7.7.
But temper the expectation: it is one feature carrying an entire high-variance slot, the symbol selection is out of your hands, and plenty of triggers pay back less than they cost to reach. Play the demo first, understand that the RTP is a long-run figure and often operator-configurable, and read the complete verdict before you decide it is for you. The feature is great. It is not generous.
FAQ
How many free spins does Book of Ra award?
Three or more Book scatters trigger 10 free games. Landing 3+ Books again during the round retriggers it for another 10, and retriggers can stack with no widely published cap - so the total can climb well past 10 in a hot run.
Can I pick which symbol expands in the free spins?
No. The special expanding symbol is chosen at random by the game at the start of the free games, and you have no influence over it. Drawing the high-value Explorer is the ideal outcome; drawing a low royal is the dud outcome. The randomness is exactly why the feature is high-variance.
Are the free games in the demo the same as real money?
Yes - the trigger, the random expanding symbol and the retrigger all behave identically in the free demo. The only thing that can differ is the RTP an operator configures on the paid build; the feature mechanic itself is the same.
Are no-deposit free spins the same as the slot's bonus round?
No. The slot's bonus round is the 10 free games you win by landing scatters - part of the game everywhere. "No-deposit free spins" is a casino promotion: rare for this title, geo-restricted, and tied to wagering and cap terms. One is a mechanic, the other is a marketing offer.