Novomatic is best recognised through Book of Ra and the Sizzling Hot fruit games. Its name also covers different generations of products: casino-floor classics, their digital editions and newer slots with cascades or jackpot features. The full game title matters more than the logo. Book of Ra Deluxe, Deluxe 6 and Deluxe 10 Win Ways have different reel layouts and bonus rules.
Greentube is the group’s digital gaming division and brings Novomatic classics online. A familiar title may therefore appear under a Greentube filter even when its artwork comes from a Novomatic machine. The developer’s name does not set withdrawal terms at every casino that carries the game.
The relationship between Novomatic and Greentube
Johann Graf founded Novomatic in 1980. Its headquarters are in Gumpoldskirchen, Lower Austria. The group develops gaming machines, software and venue management systems, and also operates physical gaming establishments. Vienna-based Greentube handles digital content, including online editions of the classic series.
The corporate timeline records the Greentube acquisition in 2010. The 2011 financial report separately describes the complete takeover of the Greentube group. These are stages of the transaction, rather than two different founding dates. Today’s Greentube catalogue includes both adapted classics and original digital releases.
A casino’s Novomatic filter does not necessarily contain every digital game in the wider group. Some operators have a separate Greentube category; others combine the names. To identify a familiar edition, compare its suffix, reel count and feature set. An explorer or a book on the cover does not establish that two versions use the same maths.
A practical map of the main formats
| Game | Layout | Defining difference |
|---|---|---|
| Book of Ra Deluxe | 5 reels, 10 lines | A randomly selected expanding symbol in free spins |
| Book of Ra Deluxe 6 | Up to 6 reels, 10 lines | The sixth reel is enabled through Extra Bet |
| Book of Ra Deluxe 10 Win Ways | 2 sets of 5 reels | Cascades and symbol transfers between the sets |
| Book of Ra Deluxe Buy Bonus | 5 reels, 10 lines | Feature purchase priced at 100 total bets |
| Cash Connection — Book of Ra | 5 reels, 10 fixed lines | Lock & Spin and 4 jackpots |
| Sizzling Hot Deluxe | 5 reels, 5 fixed lines | Fruit combinations and separate Star scatter payouts |
Deluxe identifies a particular edition of an existing game. The number 6 refers to an additional reel, while 10 in the Win Ways title refers to two reel sets. Neither label promises a tenfold payout or an identical bonus across the whole series.
Cash Connection and Buy Bonus also change the product. The former identifies a separate jackpot format; the latter allows a paid entry into free games. A purchase option in one edition does not establish that it exists in ordinary Deluxe or is available in every jurisdiction.
Book of Ra Deluxe and the expanding symbol
The Book of Ra series entered Novomatic’s land-based catalogue in 2005. Book of Ra Deluxe uses five reels and ten paylines. Ordinary combinations pay from left to right, with matching symbols adjacent on an active line. The Book substitutes for other symbols and also acts as the scatter.
Three or more Books anywhere trigger ten free games. Before the feature starts, one ordinary symbol is randomly chosen as the expanding symbol. The Explorer is not a guaranteed selection. Repeated feature entries do not form a queue in which that particular symbol becomes due.
Regular combinations are paid before the special expansion can take effect. Enough selected symbols must be present to qualify for a win. The special symbols can pay on non-adjacent reels, so a gap between qualifying reels need not stop that feature payout. This exception belongs to the bonus; it does not change how every ordinary payline is evaluated.
The Buy Bonus edition’s rules specifically say that the Book cannot substitute for the selected special symbol when forming its expanding combination. Three further Books can award additional free games, and the feature uses the bet that triggered it. Being able to change an ordinary stake does not mean an existing feature will be recalculated at a new denomination.
Reading the 5,000 symbol award correctly
In the classic Deluxe paytable, 5,000 is the award for five Explorers. A win on one ordinary line and a special award across all active lines are different calculations. Converting a coefficient into money requires its unit: the stake on a line or the total stake for the spin.
If a €1 total bet is divided equally over ten lines, each line receives €0.10. An award of 5,000 line bets is then €500 on that line. If the special expansion pays that combination on all ten lines, the combined award is €5,000. This is a calculation under those stated conditions, rather than a promise about a bonus result.
Greentube’s Q1 2018 technical catalogue lists a maximum coinciding win multiplier of 5,010 for the Deluxe model with Game ID 110. Its footnote explains that a complete game round can pay more when it contains several spins. Calling 5,000 an unconditional cap on the entire free-games sequence would therefore be wrong. A different edition may have its own limits.
Deluxe 6 and the additional reel
Book of Ra Deluxe 6 retains the Egyptian setting but adds a sixth reel. The official description allows that reel to be enabled or disabled through Extra Bet. This changes the game configuration; similar artwork is not enough to transfer the older edition’s payouts.
The 2018 catalogue gives the historical Deluxe 6 model an RTP of 95.03% and a separate column for six-symbol awards. Six Explorers carry a 15,000 coefficient in its symbol table. That figure should not automatically be presented as a multiplier of the total stake. The amount actually charged after enabling the extra feature and the selected edition’s rules matter.
Three Books still trigger free games and the special symbol is chosen randomly. Extra Bet enables the extra reel; it does not let the player assign the bonus symbol. A spending comparison with Deluxe needs the full spin price after activating the option.
Win Ways links two reel sets through cascades
Book of Ra Deluxe 10 Win Ways plays across two reel sets. Winning symbols are removed and replacements fall into the gaps. New winning combinations are paid until no further win is present. Several such awards can belong to a single paid spin.
Wilds on the left-hand set transfer to the corresponding reel on the right. They can arrive as single, double or triple stacks. The sets are connected through this feature, rather than behaving as two entirely independent games of ordinary Deluxe.
Bonus scatters appear on reels one, three and five of both sets. Three scatters award eight free games, four award twelve, and five or more award twenty. The familiar rule of three Books for ten spins cannot simply be carried into this edition.
During the feature, the selected special symbol can expand on the left-hand set and transfer to the right as a stack. Expansion requires enough symbols for a win. The classic book-style feature now works alongside transfers and cascades, which makes the old cabinet rules an incomplete guide to the result.
Buy Bonus and the full entry price
Book of Ra Deluxe Buy Bonus charges 100 total bets for an entry. It guarantees a triggering spin with three scatters and a randomly selected special symbol. The guarantee concerns entry to the feature, rather than a particular payout or repayment of the purchase price.
At a €0.20 total stake, one purchase costs €20. Two purchases at that setting require €40, even if the first pays very little. Reducing the denomination before a later purchase reduces its price, but does not make the Explorer selection more likely.
The term free games describes the spins inside the already purchased feature. They do not each incur another base-spin charge, but the initial entry was paid. The relevant comparison is the feature’s full payout against €20, rather than against the €0.20 base stake alone.
Cash Connection and straightforward fruit play
Cash Connection — Book of Ra uses a 5 × 3 layout with ten lines always active. The official description values five Explorers on one line at 500 total bets. That wording states the payout unit directly. It is a different way of expressing the award from a line-bet coefficient in an older Deluxe paytable.
This edition includes Lock & Spin and four jackpots. Their presence does not mean that every Book game connects to one progressive network. A named prize tier, a fixed multiplier and an amount that grows over time are different things. A Jackpot banner alone does not settle which system applies.
Sizzling Hot Deluxe is simpler: five reels, five fixed lines and fruit symbols. Matching symbols pay from left to right, while Stars pay as scatters in any positions. Scatter awards are added to the line wins. This classic model has no separate free-games sequence.
That format suits a preference for ordinary line results without several bonus modes. Straightforward presentation does not make the outcome predictable, though. The available stake and the payout pattern matter more than how familiar the fruit symbols look.
RTP belongs to a particular game model
Novomatic does not have one return percentage shared by every slot. Greentube’s Q1 2018 catalogue records different models of its classics. Those figures help compare the designs, but do not establish an identical setting in every modern launch.
| Model | RTP | Volatility rating |
|---|---|---|
| Book of Ra Deluxe, ID 110 | 95.10% | 5 stars |
| Book of Ra Deluxe 6, ID 3319 | 95.03% | 5 stars |
| Sizzling Hot Deluxe, ID 123 | 95.66% | 3 stars |
At an RTP of 95.10%, the theoretical difference between stakes turned over and payouts is 4.90%. For €100 of turnover, that is €4.90 in the long-run mathematical model. It is not a bill for an individual session. A short run can end very differently.
A hundred €0.20 spins produce €20 of turnover, even if the starting balance was smaller and some returns were staked again. RTP applies to turnover rather than just the initial deposit. Deluxe’s high volatility describes the spread of outcomes, not the number of spins remaining before a feature is due.
The similar expanding-symbol idea in Book of Egypt belongs to Platipus. Its terms cannot stand in for Novomatic’s rules. An Egyptian setting and a book symbol do not turn the two games into the same model. Specific award conditions and stake costs make a more useful comparison than matching cover art.
Demo access, mobile play and location
The official cards for these digital editions list desktop and mobile support. Their online versions run in the browser without Flash. Some supplier demo buttons nevertheless lead to a client login. Unrestricted play without an account cannot be promised for the entire collection.
A demo uses play credits. It can explain paylines, settings and the order in which features run, but cannot establish an operator’s withdrawal speed. A play-credit award is not a withdrawable balance and does not improve the next cash game’s chances.
Availability depends on location, the operator’s permissions and the particular edition. Russian interface text does not make a game a Russian-market product, while English does not confine it to Canada or Great Britain. A market can allow ordinary classic spins while excluding feature purchases or particular jackpot releases.
On a phone, the relevant checks are within the actual game window: whether the total stake is visible, help opens correctly and both Win Ways sets fit the screen. A statement about mobile support does not establish that every operator allows every feature on that device.
Supplier licences and the casino account
NOVOMATIC AG appears in the British register under account 45352, with active gambling software and gaming machine technical permissions. Greentube GmbH has its own active remote Gambling Software licence under UKGC account 41020, effective from 16 March 2015.
These are supplier records. The particular casino’s agreement governs the player’s account, documents, fees and payout schedule. Carrying Book of Ra does not itself establish that an operator’s own licence permits it to accept residents of a given country.
The operator also sets a slot’s contribution to promotional wagering, the maximum bonus stake and excluded features. Casino-awarded free spins and an in-game Free Games purchase are separate offers. A developer’s feature name does not override restrictions on the promotional balance.
The wider group and changes in ownership
Novomatic has locations in around fifty countries and exports equipment to more than 130 states. It reports about two thousand owned casinos, electronic gaming venues and betting outlets. These figures describe different business activities; they do not establish that every online game is accessible in all those countries.
Revenue in 2021 was €1.8423 billion. The current corporate overview reports around €3.6 billion for 2025 and approximately 26,000 employees. Those are group-wide figures, including land-based activity, rather than the revenue of the Book of Ra series.
The purchase of a 52% stake in Ainsworth Game Technology completed in early 2018. The group acquired control of Italy’s HBG in 2022, then completed the Vikings Casinos transaction in July 2025, adding a French business with more than ten casinos. The British ADMIRAL operation and Germany’s LÖWEN also belong to the physical gaming business. Their venues are not a measure of one studio’s online catalogue.
Separately, Novomatic completed the sale of ADMIRAL Austria to Tipico in September 2025. A familiar venue name therefore does not always mean the previous owner or a shared agreement across countries. For an individual player, the useful choice remains the exact game edition and the operator holding the account.
