Book of Ra Deluxe is the legendary Egyptian-themed slot from Greentube (Novomatic)
6.3/10
JoyFactory rating
95.10%
Base RTP
x5000
Max win
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Book of Ra Deluxe is the improved version of the cult Egyptian slot from Greentube, a subsidiary studio of the Austrian group Novomatic. Players often just call it “the books” or simply Book of Ra. Book of Ra Deluxe was released in April 2008 and is still listed in the catalogs of licensed Ukrainian casinos.
A 5-reel, 3-row grid, ten paylines, a base RTP of 95.10% and a maximum of x5000 the stake. The book here is both the wild and the scatter, and the slot’s entire potential is concentrated in a single bonus round with an expanding symbol.
The JoyFactory team opened the Book of Ra Deluxe demo, took apart the free spins mechanics, checked how the number of active lines affects the payout and sorted out the five different games in the series that are regularly confused with one another.
| Provider | Greentube (Novomatic group, Austria) |
|---|---|
| Release date | April 2008 |
| Other names | Book of Ra, “the books” in Ukrainian player slang |
| Grid | 5 reels × 3 rows |
| Paylines | 10, the player chooses how many (from 1 to 10) |
| Base RTP | 95.10%, the operator may set it lower |
| Volatility | High |
| Hit frequency | About 30% |
| Max win | x5000 the stake |
| Free spins | 10 free spins, can be retriggered |
| Special symbol | Expanding, picked at random before the round |
| Bonus buy | No |
| Gamble feature | Yes, double up on card colour |
| Bet range | From 0.01 to 50 per line |
| Technology | HTML5, runs in the browser without a download |
| JoyFactory rating | 6.3 / 10 |
| Test date | September 11, 2026 |
Book of Ra Deluxe is the benchmark of the “book” genre, the template for dozens of later slots. Its main problem today is not the mechanics but the numbers: the return is below the market average, and the high volatility calls for a bankroll that can survive a long run without a bonus.
Greentube (Novomatic)
Play for real money
Book of Ra Deluxe is available in demo mode with no registration or deposit, including in the Slots City catalog. The demo runs on play credits and fully mirrors the real-money version: the same paytable, the same free spins and the same gamble feature.
For this slot, the demo makes particular sense. Because of the high volatility, the bonus round triggers roughly once every 80–100 spins. A free session shows you how long the wait can be before any money goes into your account.
Keep in mind, though, that the demo usually runs on the base RTP configuration. If your operator has set a reduced version, real play will differ from what you saw for free.
Book of Ra Deluxe was tested by Oleksandr Petrov, JoyFactory’s casino author.
The test was carried out in demo mode. We launched the game, opened the paytable and checked the dual role of the book, how the expanding symbol is picked, the free spins retrigger conditions and how the gamble feature works. Separately, we tested how the payout changes with different numbers of active lines.
We did not take any statistical measurements. The hit frequency of about 30% and the bonus frequency of once every 80–100 spins are averaged public figures, not our own count. Verifying such figures reliably takes tens of thousands of spins.
| Dual role of the book | Confirmed: wild and scatter at the same time |
|---|---|
| Free spins trigger | 3 or more books in any position |
| Choice of expanding symbol | Random, before the round starts |
| Free spins retrigger | Works within the round |
| Gamble feature | Available after any win |
| Effect of line count on payout | Confirmed, see the section on bets |
The base RTP of Book of Ra Deluxe is 95.10%. For comparison, the original 2005 Book of Ra had 92.13%, so the Deluxe version is noticeably more generous. By today’s standards, though, 95.10% is the low end: 96% and above is considered the market norm.
| Book of Ra Deluxe | 95.10%, the provider's base value |
|---|---|
| Original Book of Ra (2005) | 92.13% |
| Book of Ra Deluxe 6 | 96.06%, a separate game, see the section on versions |
| Current market norm | From 96% |
| Reduced configurations | The operator may set a value below the base one |
An important caveat. Like most major providers, Greentube supplies the game in several RTP configurations, and the casino picks the specific value. The provider does not publish a full list of versions, so you need to check the actual figure in the game’s paytable at your operator.
Volatility is high, and every source agrees on that. In practice, this means small payouts in the base game, a hit frequency of about 30% and a bonus round that triggers roughly once every 80–100 spins.
Hence the main bankroll tip: a session should be able to cover at least 150–200 full bets. The most common mistake with this slot is to start with a small amount, make 25 spins without a bonus and decide the game “doesn’t pay”. It does pay, but only over the long run, and you need enough of a buffer for that.
The reels carry two tiers of symbols. High-paying: the explorer in a hat, the pharaoh, the golden idol and the scarab. Low-paying: the card ranks 10, J, Q, K and A.
The explorer is the most valuable symbol in Book of Ra Deluxe. When everything lines up, he is the one who brings the maximum win.
The book performs two functions at once, and that is the key feature of the mechanics:
A win is paid for three or more identical symbols in a row from left to right, starting from the leftmost reel. The per-symbol multipliers depend on the bet per line and are shown in the paytable inside the game.
This is the only bonus round in Book of Ra Deluxe and, at the same time, the only route to a big win.
How the x5000 maximum is reached. The explorer has to be picked as the special symbol and expand on all five reels at once with ten active lines. The win is then paid on all lines simultaneously, which is what gives the game its ceiling.
The provider does not disclose the probability of this outcome, but it is clearly rare: first you have to wait for the bonus, then the explorer has to be picked out of the four high-paying symbols, and then he has to fill every reel.
What this means in practice. Count on an average bonus rather than the maximum, when the pharaoh, the idol or the scarab becomes the expanding symbol and covers two or three reels. Rounds like these happen far more often, and they are what shapes the real picture of the game.
In Book of Ra Deluxe, the gamble feature is available after any win in the base game. You have to guess the colour of a face-down card: a correct answer doubles the amount, a wrong one wipes out the win for that spin.
You can take the win with the Collect button, as the gamble feature is optional.
Mathematically, the feature is neutral: the chance is close to 50% and the payout is double, so it does not affect the long-term return. It does add variance to the session, though, and combined with the slot’s own high volatility this can end your game quickly.
One important nuance: because of the high volatility, base-game wins are not that frequent, so you get fewer chances to use the gamble feature than in classic fruit machines.
The bet has two parts: the bet per line (from 0.01 to 50) and the number of active lines (from 1 to 10). The hryvnia limits are set by the operator.
There is a nuance here that is rarely mentioned. The x5000 maximum is calculated from the bet per line, not from the total bet. If you play one line, five explorers pay x5000 of that line’s bet. If you play ten, the same combination on a single line pays x500 of the total bet, because the total bet is ten times larger.
That is why the advertised maximum is realistically reached only in free spins on ten lines, when the expanding symbol pays on all lines at once.
Is it worth playing fewer lines? The number of lines does not affect the long-term return: the RTP stays the same. But fewer lines mean the bonus triggers less often, and the bonus is where all of the game’s potential lies. For this slot, cutting lines to save money is a dubious strategy.
There are at least five different games under the Book of Ra name, and review sites regularly mix up their specs. If you are reading about a x15,000 maximum or a sixth reel, it is not about Book of Ra Deluxe.
| Book of Ra Deluxe | 2008, 5×3, 10 lines, RTP 95.10%, max x5000: this review |
|---|---|
| Book of Ra (original) | 2005, 9 lines, RTP 92.13%: outdated version |
| Book of Ra Deluxe 6 | Sixth reel for an Extra Bet surcharge, RTP 96.06%, max x15,000 |
| Book of Ra Magic | A separate game with different maths |
| Book of Ra Cash Connection | Jackpot version |
The most important comparison is with Deluxe 6. It is not just a refreshed design but different maths: the sixth reel unlocks for an extra stake, the base RTP is 96.06% instead of 95.10%, and the maximum is three times higher.
If the return rate is what matters most to you, Deluxe 6 is the better deal. If you are looking for the classic game you remember, that is Book of Ra Deluxe.
Greentube is integrated into the catalogs of Ukrainian operators with a valid PlayCity license, so you can play Book of Ra Deluxe for real money legally. Book of Ra Deluxe is confirmed in the Slots City catalog, where it is also available in demo mode.
| Slots City | Confirmed, September 11, 2026 |
|---|---|
| First Casino | Confirmed, September 11, 2026 |
| SuperGra | Confirmed, September 11, 2026 |
| Gorilla | Confirmed, September 11, 2026 |
Book of Ra Deluxe is listed at casinos without a Ukrainian license. But for this slot, offshore play is a particularly bad deal.
The reason is the RTP configuration. The base 95.10% is already below the market, and the operator can set it even lower. At a licensed Ukrainian casino, PlayCity oversees this; at an offshore one, nobody does. For a slot that already sits at the low end for return, every extra percentage point matters.
Add the high volatility: waiting for the bonus takes hundreds of spins, which means long sessions on a platform you will have no recourse against in a dispute. In our section on unlicensed casinos we have recorded payout limits and delays of up to 45 days.
Offshore operators are rated on a separate scale: the safety ceiling there is about 3.0 out of 10, even with a valid certificate.
The full ranking of licensed operators is on the licensed casinos in Ukraine page.
A genre classic with a real x5000 potential, but the return is below today's norm and the high volatility calls for a serious bankroll.
Maths: 4.5. The weakest criterion. 95.10% is noticeably below today’s 96% norm, and the operator can set an even lower configuration. For comparison, the provider gives its own Deluxe 6 version 96.06%.
Win potential: 7.0. x5000 is a solid ceiling for a classic slot without modern mechanics. That is five times more than typical fruit machines, though three times less than Deluxe 6.
Features: 5.5. One bonus round, an expanding symbol and a gamble feature. In 2008 this was the genre standard, copied by dozens of games. Today it is the bare minimum: no bonus buy, no multipliers and no extra mechanics.
Interface and usability: 8.0. Flexible bets from 0.01, a choice of line count, autoplay, HTML5 with no download and smooth performance on mobile.
Availability: 9.0. Greentube is integrated into the catalogs of leading Ukrainian operators with a PlayCity license.
The rating was given on September 11, 2026 under the JoyFactory methodology. You can see who worked on this article on our editorial team page.
The provider's base value is 95.10%. That is higher than the 92.13% of the original 2005 Book of Ra, but below today's market norm of 96%. The operator may set a reduced configuration, so check the actual figure in the game's paytable at your casino.
The slot is available in demo mode without registration or a deposit, including in the Slots City catalog. The demo runs on play credits and fully mirrors the real-money version. This is especially useful for this game: because of the high volatility, the bonus triggers roughly once every 80–100 spins.
The maximum is x5000 the bet per line. It is reached in free spins when the explorer is picked as the expanding symbol and fills all five reels with ten active lines. It is a rare event, and the provider does not disclose its probability.
You need three or more books anywhere on the screen; position and lines do not matter. This awards 10 free spins. Three new books during the round add another 10 spins.
Before the free spins start, the book flips through its pages and randomly picks one of the regular symbols. During the round, whenever this symbol lands it expands to fill the whole reel and pays even when it is not in a row on a line. It is what decides how profitable the bonus will be.
They are different games with different maths. In Deluxe 6 a sixth reel unlocks for an extra stake, the base RTP is 96.06% instead of 95.10%, and the maximum reaches x15,000 instead of x5000. If the return rate matters to you, the version with the six is the better deal.
The number of lines does not affect the long-term return: the RTP stays the same. But fewer lines mean the bonus triggers less often, and all of the slot's potential lies in the free spins. So cutting lines to save money makes little sense here.
Because of the high volatility, your bankroll should cover at least 150–200 full bets. The most common mistake with this slot is to start with a small amount, make a couple of dozen spins without a bonus and decide that the game does not pay.
October 12, 2026: scheduled update: content refresh and fact-checking.
October 9, 2026: scheduled update, content refreshed and data fact-checked.
September 11, 2026: first publication of the review. Oleksandr Petrov tested the slot in demo mode: he confirmed the book’s dual role as wild and scatter, the mechanics of picking the expanding symbol, the free spins retrigger conditions and how the gamble feature works, and tested the effect of the number of active lines on the payout. We also compiled the differences between the five games in the Book of Ra series that are regularly confused in public sources and checked the slot’s availability in the catalogs of licensed operators. The next scheduled check is in three months, or earlier if the list of casinos offering this slot changes.
