Book of Ra is a five-reel Egyptian slot from Greentube, the Novomatic Interactive studio in Vienna, and it earns a 7.6 out of 10 from me: a genuine landmark game with a tense free-spins feature, held back by a bare base game and punishing volatility. The Classic arrived in 2005 and the sharper Deluxe followed in April 2008. If you want the short version, it is the original "Book of" slot, it is not rigged, and the number that matters most before you spin is the RTP your operator has actually loaded.
I have spent a lot of hours with the Deluxe demo for this write-up, so the verdict below is a played opinion rather than a spec sheet reworded. Let me walk through what it is, how it plays, and whether it is worth your time.
What Book of Ra is, and who makes it
Book of Ra is published online by Greentube, the interactive arm of NOVOMATIC, headquartered in Vienna. The land-based original is credited to Novomatic/Novoline, and the game has an outsized place in slot history: released in 2005, it is the template that every later "Book of" slot copied, including Play'n GO's Book of Dead. The provider page still lists it, and the line is very much alive - Greentube shipped a Deluxe Buy Bonus edition as recently as 2026.
The theme is tomb-raiding: an explorer, a golden book, a pharaoh, a scarab, a statue, and the usual playing-card royals. It looks its age in the Classic, and the Deluxe is the "long-needed upgrade" casino.guru describes - same maths skeleton, crisper presentation.
How it plays
The layout is a 5x3 grid. The Classic runs 9 paylines; the Deluxe runs 10. Wins pay left to right on the played lines, and only the best win per line counts.
One symbol does all the heavy lifting: the Book. It is a wild and a scatter at the same time, so it substitutes for every other symbol on a line, and it also pays from anywhere on the reels regardless of position. Land three or more Books anywhere and you trigger the feature. That single dual-purpose symbol is the whole engine of the game, which you can dig into further on the symbol and paytable breakdown.
The feature is 10 free games. Before they start, the machine randomly picks one regular symbol as a "special expanding symbol." When it lands during the free spins and there are enough of it for a win, it stretches to fill its entire reel and pays across all played lines, even on non-adjacent positions. Draw the explorer and a good run can be enormous; draw a low card and the ten spins can fizzle. Three more Books during the feature retrigger another ten. The full mechanic, and how the expanding symbol actually pays, is covered on the free spins page.
After most wins you can take the gamble: guess a card colour to double, or the suit to quadruple, climbing a ladder until you cash out or bust. It is a straight coin-flip dressed up, and it is switched off entirely in some regulated markets - Germany, for one.
RTP, volatility and max win - the honest verdict
Here is where you need to pay attention, because the headline numbers hide the truth. The Deluxe default RTP is 95.10% and the Classic sits near 92.13%, per casino.guru and SlotCatalog. But RTP on Book of Ra is operator-configurable: the same title ships in tiers, and a casino can run a build well below the default. The only figure you can trust is the one on the game's own info screen at the casino you are playing. I dig into the full band, and why the demo RTP can differ from the cash game, on the RTP page.
Volatility is high. That is not a marketing adjective here - it is the felt experience. In my session the base game went cold for long stretches, feeding on small A/K/Q/J line hits while the balance drained, and the swings only arrived through the free games. That is the deal you sign up for: a thin, patient base game that banks its value into an occasional big feature.
The max win is quoted as 5,000x, and this is the most misread number in the whole slot. That 5,000x is five Explorers on a line bet, not 5,000x your total stake in a single spin - across ten Deluxe lines a top line hit is closer to 500x total bet. The real ceiling is built slowly, when the expanding explorer covers whole reels across several free spins. Tellingly, casino.guru lists the Deluxe max win as "Unknown" because Greentube publishes no certified figure. Treat 5,000x as a symbol pay, not a promised jackpot.
Classic vs Deluxe vs Magic - which one to play
Three builds are worth knowing. The Classic is the 2005 original: 9 lines, older graphics, and typically the lowest default RTP. The Deluxe is the 2008 refresh most players actually mean - 10 lines, higher default RTP, sharper visuals, same feature. If you have a choice and both are on the same operator, Deluxe is the straightforward pick.
Magic is the newer twist on the formula, changing up the bonus behaviour rather than the core reels. It is a different flavour, not a replacement. The wider family - Deluxe 6, Deluxe 10, Two Symbols, Buy Bonus editions - is mapped on the versions comparison, and it is easy to pick the wrong one by name alone, so check the paylines and RTP before you commit.
| Build | Released | Paylines | Default RTP | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | 2005 | 9 | ~92.13% | Nostalgia, simplest version |
| Deluxe | April 2008 | 10 | 95.10% | Most players - higher RTP |
| Magic | Newer | Varies | Verify per casino | A change of pace on the feature |
Is it worth playing, and is it actually rigged?
No, it is not rigged. Book of Ra runs on an independently tested RNG, so results are drawn at random and can't be timed or predicted. In UK-licensed builds that is a legal requirement - the UK Gambling Commission's RTS 7 forces the software to produce unpredictable, unbiased outcomes. There is no hot or cold reel, no "due" payout, and no button sequence that unlocks a win. The stories about tricks and hacks are myths, and where such tools are sold they are simply scams.
Whether it is worth your time depends on what you want from a slot. If you enjoy suspense and can stomach dry patches waiting on one big feature, few slots deliver that tension better. If you want frequent wins, bonus variety, or a rich base game, this is not the machine - and there are higher-RTP, higher-ceiling options on the alternatives page. My advice is to try the demo first to feel the variance, then, if it clicks, check the RTP at a properly licensed operator on the where-to-play list.
Pros
- The free-spins feature with a random expanding symbol is genuinely tense and can pay big.
- The Book being both wild and scatter keeps the single feature elegant and easy to grasp.
- A true classic with a proven, transparent design - and an audited randomiser behind every spin.
- Deluxe's 95.10% default RTP is respectable for a game this old.
Cons
- The base game is thin - long dead stretches on low-paying royals are normal.
- One bonus feature and nothing else; no free-spins variety, no side games.
- High volatility means real bankroll swings, not casual entertainment.
- The casino picks the return tier, so a lazy or greedy one can run a low build.
- Availability is limited to regulated markets, and offshore copies are often fakes.
Verdict
7.6 out of 10. Book of Ra is a landmark that has aged into a specialist's slot rather than a crowd-pleaser. Its strength is a single, well-designed idea - the expanding symbol in free spins - executed with real tension, and my score rewards that plus the certified fairness and the decent Deluxe RTP. What holds it back from an eight is honest: the base game is barren, there is only one feature to chase, the variance is unforgiving, and the RTP you get is at your operator's discretion. Play the Deluxe over the Classic, confirm the RTP on the info screen, treat the demo as your test drive, and go in knowing the machine banks its value into rare moments rather than steady ones.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Book of Ra and Book of Ra Deluxe?
Deluxe (2008) is the polished successor to the 2005 Classic. It adds a tenth payline (10 versus 9), upgrades the graphics, and typically carries a higher default RTP of 95.10% against the Classic's ~92.13%. The core feature - Book wild-scatter, ten free games, one random expanding symbol - is identical.
Is there a guaranteed way to win on Book of Ra?
No. Every result is drawn by an audited randomiser with each spin standing on its own, so no pattern, timing trick, app or algorithm can influence the result. All you actually get to choose is your stake size and a version with a higher configured RTP; the house edge is built in.
How much can you win on Book of Ra?
The quoted 5,000x is the top line-symbol pay (five Explorers on a line bet), not a 5,000x-of-total-stake single spin. Big wins are built during free games when the expanding symbol fills whole reels. Greentube publishes no certified maximum, and casino.guru lists the Deluxe ceiling as "Unknown."
Can I play Book of Ra for free before betting real money?
Yes. A demo version runs on the same RNG as the cash game, so it plays identically, though the RTP on a fun-money build can differ from the operator's real-money configuration. It is the best way to feel the volatility before you commit any money.
Why is Book of Ra hard to find at some online casinos?
Greentube pulled the genuine game out of grey and unregulated markets around 2017-2018, so today it appears real-money-online mainly at licensed operators in markets such as Germany, the UK and the Netherlands. Copies on offshore or non-Gamstop sites are unlicensed and frequently fake clones.