5 Lions Gold in South Africa: 243 Ways, Seven Bonus Options, Three Jackpots
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Luckyfish
Licensed in 3 provinces
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SuperSportBet
Licensed in the Western Cape
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BetXchange
Licensed in the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape
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Lowest bet we saw: R0.18 a spin at Interbet
5 Lions Gold is Pragmatic Play's 2019 slot in its 5 Lions series: five reels, three rows and 243 ways to win, with a gold lion wild and a yin-yang scatter that land only on the middle three reels. Three scatters open a choice of seven free spins options, and three fixed jackpots, worth 15, 150 and 2,000 times the total bet, come from reels turning gold or from a pick game. The demo labels it low volatility.
RTP (return to player): the share of bets the game pays back over time, as Pragmatic Play publishes it.
Figures from provider data, September 2026. The RTP is the figure the studio publishes; check the ranking and the game's own info screen before you deposit.
On this page
What 5 Lions Gold looks like
1 more images
Images: Pragmatic Play, official game page (pragmaticplay.com); Our screenshot of Pragmatic Play's official free demo (pragmaticplay.com), October 2026.
How 5 Lions Gold works
The grid is fixed: five reels, three rows, and every spin counts all 243 ways, three symbols per reel multiplied across five reels. The rules describe no tumble. A win needs matching symbols on adjacent reels from the leftmost one, in any row; the rules screen draws a way that skips a reel and crosses it out. Only the highest win is paid on each way, and wins on different ways are added together.
The red dragon is the one symbol that pays for two in a row. On the demo's rules screen at a $1.80 total bet it pays $12.60 for five, $4.50 for four, $1.50 for three and $0.20 for two; the phoenix and the frog pay $8.10 for five, the fish and the turtle $6.30, A and K $3.60, Q and J $2.70, 10 and 9 $1.80. In rand, by our arithmetic, five dragons are seven times the total bet, R12.60 on a R1.80 spin, and five 9s return the bet once.
The gold lion is the wild and stands in for every symbol except the yin-yang scatter. Both appear only on reels two, three and four, so reel one always has to show the paying symbol itself, and so does reel five for a five-of-a-kind. The scatter has no line pay of its own on the rules screen: three of them start the free spins.
Pragmatic's game page says that on every spin wilds come attached with multipliers of 1x to 40x, and the demo's intro shows a 40x orb by the logo, while the demo's rules pages describe the wild multiplier only for the free spins. Check the rules screen at your casino.
The seven free spins options
Chosen at the start of the feature. On every free spin a multiplier is drawn from the range of the option, and at the end of the spin every winning combination with at least one wild is multiplied by it. Figures from page 4 of the demo's rules; the lion colours are our reading of its pictures.
| Lion | Free spins | Wild multiplier drawn from |
|---|---|---|
| White | 25 | 2x, 3x or 5x |
| Red | 20 | 3x, 5x or 8x |
| Bronze | 15 | 5x, 8x or 10x |
| Blue | 13 | 8x, 10x or 15x |
| Gold | 10 | 10x, 15x or 30x |
| Green | 6 | 15x, 30x or 40x |
| Purple, Mystery | Drawn from the other options | Drawn from the other options |
Retriggers: a new choice each time
Three scatters during the free spins trigger a new free spins feature. The rules say it is played when the current round ends, and that you can choose a different option before it starts. The same screen adds that there is no limit to the number of retriggers, so 25 is the most one round gives, not the most a feature can give.
So six spins at 15x to 40x can be followed by 25 at 2x to 5x, or the other way round. The rules also say special reels are in play during the free spins, without describing them.
The options trade spins for multiplier size: many spins with small multipliers or a few with large ones. No option is published as better value: Pragmatic gives no return per option, and the multiplier counts only when a wild, which lands on three reels out of five, is part of the win.
Three fixed jackpots, priced in rand
Page 5 of the demo's rules gives each jackpot a fixed value in total bets; the rand column is our arithmetic at a R1.80 total bet.
| Jackpot | Value | At a R1.80 bet | Golden reels needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor | 15x total bet | R27 | 3 |
| Major | 150x total bet | R270 | 4 |
| Grand | 2,000x total bet | R3,600 | 5 |
Two ways to reach a jackpot
- Golden Reels Jackpot. On a spin, random reels can turn gold, up to all five. Three gold reels award the Minor, four the Major and five the Grand. The rules screen says the feature is available during the free spins round, as Pragmatic's game page does.
- Caishen Random Award. A random feature that can be won on a spin. It is either a free spins round, which then plays normally with the seven options, or a jackpot bonus game: you pick coins to reveal jackpot symbols, and three of the same symbol award that jackpot. Pragmatic's 2019 launch post says every base-game spin has a chance of triggering it; the rules screen adds that it is available during the free spins round too.
Low volatility, two RTP lines and no stated cap
The demo's intro badge and its rules screen both say LOW VOLATILITY, with the studio's gloss that such games pay out more often in smaller amounts while keeping a chance of a big win. Its Megaways sequel's screen reads high volatility.
Pragmatic's game page gives an RTP of 96.50%. Page 7 of the demo's rules gives two lines: a maximum RTP of 96.5% and a minimum of 95.94%, without saying what moves the figure. Read that line behind the i button at your casino before you play for money.
The intro screen advertises a win of over 7,000 times the bet. That is Pragmatic's headline, not a limit: none of the ten rules pages states a maximum win, and the Grand jackpot alone is 2,000 times the bet.
5 Lions Gold RTP and volatility
Pragmatic Play gives 5 Lions Gold's return to player as 96.50%.
Volatility is low: wins come often and small.
Paying for 5 Lions Gold in rand
5 Lions Gold is in the lobby at 8 operators we list: all of them take Ozow and cards; 6 take Capitec Pay; 7 take cash vouchers.
The smallest first deposit for 5 Lions Gold among them is R1, at Luckyfish.
5 Lions Gold winnings are paid by EFT to an account in your own name, after FICA.
Get FICA done first (the ID and address check every licensed site runs) · How to deposit in rand · Every payment method
Is 5 Lions Gold legal in South Africa?
5 Lions Gold is a slot. In South Africa you find it at licensed bookmakers, next to their sports markets.
All 8 operators we list for 5 Lions Gold hold a South African provincial licence.
Before you play with real money
Set your 5 Lions Gold budget and a deposit limit before the first round, not after a losing one. If it stops being fun, the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation helpline is free on 0800 006 008.
Pros, cons and verdict
- Seven free spins options, and a new choice at every retrigger
- Retriggers without a limit, by the rules screen
- Three fixed jackpots, from 15x to 2,000x the total bet
- Low volatility by the demo's own label
- Wilds and scatters only on reels two to four
- Small per-way pays: five 9s or 10s return the bet once
- Two RTP lines on the rules screen with no word on what moves them
- The rules give no detail of the special reels in the free spins
5 Lions Gold is a steadier game than its Megaways sequel by the studio's own labels: a fixed 243-ways grid, low volatility and modest per-way pays, with the swing kept in the free spins options and the three fixed jackpots. The decision that matters comes when the bonus starts, and again at every retrigger. Pragmatic publishes no return per option, so pick by the kind of round your budget can sit through, and check the RTP line at your casino.
5 Lions Gold FAQ
How do you trigger the free spins in 5 Lions Gold?
Land three yin-yang scatters, which appear only on reels two, three and four. The Caishen Random Award can also start a free spins round at random. Either way you choose one of seven options, from 25 spins at 2x to 5x up to 6 spins at 15x to 40x.
How much are the 5 Lions Gold jackpots worth?
They are fixed in total bets: Minor 15x, Major 150x and Grand 2,000x. On a R1.80 spin that is R27, R270 and R3,600 by our arithmetic. Three, four or five golden reels award them, and so does matching three symbols in the Caishen jackpot pick game.
What is the maximum win in 5 Lions Gold?
The rules pages state no limit. The intro screen advertises a win of over 7,000 times the bet, which is Pragmatic's headline figure, not a ceiling. The largest fixed prize in the rules is the Grand jackpot, 2,000 times the total bet.
Is 5 Lions Gold high or low volatility?
Low, according to the badge on the demo's intro screen and the volatility line of its rules. Pragmatic describes low volatility games as paying out more often in smaller amounts, with a chance of a big win remaining.
Is 5 Lions Gold the same game as 5 Lions Megaways?
No. 5 Lions Gold is the 2019 slot with 243 fixed ways and three jackpots; 5 Lions Megaways is the 2021 sequel with up to 117,649 ways and tumbles, and has its own page here. 5 Lions, 5 Lions Dance and 5 Lions Reborn are separate games too.
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Where to play 5 Lions Gold in South Africa
Licensed South African operators we have found carrying 5 Lions Gold, each with its licence and our score, and the date where we saw the game in the lobby ourselves. Ordered by that score. How we score Offers checked September 2026.
Luckyfish
4.9
/5
SuperSportBet
4.9
/5
BetXchange
4.9
/5
Tic Tac Bets
4.9
/5
Gbets
4.9
/5
Also carrying 5 Lions Gold. Bonus, payment and payout terms for each are on its review.
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