5 Lions Megaways in South Africa: Seven Free Spins Options Explained
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Hollywoodbets
Licensed in 5 provinces
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Betway SA
From R0.60 a spin
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Luckyfish
Licensed in 3 provinces
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Lowest bet we saw: R0.20 a spin at World Sports Betting
5 Lions Megaways is a Pragmatic Play slot on six reels of up to seven symbols, so one spin can have up to 117,649 ways to win. Wins tumble, gold lion wilds carry random multipliers of up to 40x, and three or more yin-yang symbols open a bonus where you choose between more spins and bigger multipliers.
RTP (return to player): the share of bets the game pays back over time, as Pragmatic Play publishes it.
RTP as the studio publishes it.
On this page
In short
5 Lions Megaways is a slot by Pragmatic Play, released in 2021. Studio figures: RTP 96.50%; max win 5000x. Found at 23 casinos we cover, from R0.20 a spin at World Sports Betting. No. 16 in our South African top 100.
What 5 Lions Megaways looks like
1 more images
Images: Pragmatic Play, official game page (pragmaticplay.com); Our screenshot of Pragmatic Play's official free demo (pragmaticplay.com), September 2026.
Where 5 Lions Megaways comes from
Pragmatic Play announced the release of 5 Lions Megaways on 24 June 2021, as the Megaways sequel in its 5 Lions series. Megaways is a Big Time Gaming trademark, used under licence. 5 Lions Gold, 5 Lions, 5 Lions Dance and 5 Lions Megaways 2 are separate games.
How 5 Lions Megaways works
There are six reels, each showing up to seven symbols, and the spin sets how many. The number of ways is the reel heights multiplied together: seven on every reel gives the 117,649 maximum, and a counter above the reels shows the number on each spin.
A way starts on the leftmost reel and moves one reel at a time to the right, through any position. Three matching symbols on reels one to three pay, and a reel in between with neither that symbol nor a wild ends the way. Wins on different ways add up.
Every winning combination sets off a tumble: the winning symbols disappear, new ones fall in, and it repeats until nothing new wins. The new symbols keep the size of the spin's first result, so the ways count holds for the whole sequence.
The pays per way are modest. Six red dragons, the top symbol, pay 25 times the total bet on one way, R50 on a R2 spin; six of a card rank pay 1 to 1.25 times the bet. Anything larger comes from several ways at once, from wild multipliers or from the bonus.
The features at a glance
- Gold lion wild, reels two to five only. It stands in for every symbol except the yin-yang bonus. It never lands on reel one, so every paying way needs the real symbol there, and a six-symbol way needs it on reel six too.
- Random multiplier on wild wins. When a wild is part of a win, a random multiplier applies to every winning combination that uses a wild, tumbles included. The base game draws from 1x, 2x, 3x, 5x, 8x, 10x, 15x, 30x and 40x, so a 1x draw means no boost.
- Yin-yang bonus symbol. Lands on any reel and stays through tumbles. Three or more anywhere start the free spins and also pay 3, 5, 25 or 100 times the total bet for three, four, five or six.
- Ante bet. Labelled Double Chance to Win Feature: the spin costs a quarter more (25x instead of 20x the bet multiplier), and the natural chance of free spins doubles.
- Buy Free Spins. 100 times the current total bet opens the round with the same seven options. It is off while the ante is on.
The seven free spins options
Chosen before the first free spin. During the round, every win that uses a wild gets a random multiplier from the range you picked.
| Option | Free spins | Wild multiplier drawn from |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 2x, 3x or 5x |
| 2 | 20 | 3x, 5x or 8x |
| 3 | 15 | 5x, 8x or 10x |
| 4 | 13 | 8x, 10x or 15x |
| 5 | 10 | 10x, 15x or 30x |
| 6 | 6 | 15x, 30x or 40x |
| Mystery | One of the counts above | One of the ranges above |
Which option to take
The multiplier counts only when a wild is part of a win, and wilds land only on reels two to five. The choice trades chances for size: 25 spins at 2x to 5x, or 6 spins at 15x to 40x. Mystery lets the game draw both from the other six.
Retriggers follow your pick: three or more yin-yang symbols during the round add the same number of spins you chose, 25 on the first option, 6 on the sixth.
Pragmatic publishes one RTP for the game and no figure per option, so no option is better value on paper. The choice changes the shape of the round, not the house edge.
Every option shares the cap: if the round's total reaches 5,000 times the bet, it ends there and the spins left are forfeited. Special reels are used in the free spins, but the rules do not describe them.
Ante bet or bonus buy, priced in rand
On a R2 spin the ante makes it R2.50. For those 50 cents the natural chance of free spins doubles, while wins still pay as for the R2 bet. With the ante on, the cap reads 4,000 times the bet, now R2.50: the same R10,000 as 5,000 times R2.
The buy costs 100 times the total bet, R200 on a R2 spin. Pragmatic says it is offered in certain jurisdictions only, so some casinos may not show it.
Pragmatic gives the same 96.50% for normal spins, the ante and the buy. Check that line behind the i button at your casino.
5 Lions Megaways RTP and volatility
Pragmatic Play gives 5 Lions Megaways's return to player as 96.50%.
Volatility is high: long quiet stretches between the wins that matter.
Top payout: 5000x.
Paying for 5 Lions Megaways in rand
We found 5 Lions Megaways at 23 casinos. All take cards, 22 take Ozow, 16 take Capitec Pay and 21 take cash vouchers.
The lowest minimum deposit among them is R1, at Luckyfish, World Sports Betting and Hollywoodbets.
Winnings are paid to a bank account in your own name, after the FICA check.
Get FICA done first (the ID and address check every licensed site runs) · How to deposit in rand · Every payment method
Is 5 Lions Megaways legal in South Africa?
5 Lions Megaways is a slot. In South Africa you find it at licensed bookmakers, next to their sports markets.
All 23 operators we list for 5 Lions Megaways hold a South African provincial licence.
Before you play with real money
Set a budget and a deposit limit before your first round. 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: a long round or a short, high-multiplier one
- Wild multipliers up to 40x in the base game, not only the bonus
- A counter shows each spin's ways, up to 117,649
- Yin-yang symbols pay by themselves, 3 to 100 times the bet
- No wilds on reels one or six
- A 1x multiplier draw means some wild wins get no boost
- The 5,000x cap ends a bonus round early and forfeits the spins left
- The buy costs 100 times the bet and may be missing at some casinos
5 Lions Megaways is a high-volatility Megaways slot whose main decision comes when the bonus starts: many spins with small wild multipliers, or a few with large ones. The pays per way are small, and the swing sits in the ways, the wilds and the bonus. Treat the ante and the buy as ways of paying more for the same feature.
5 Lions Megaways FAQ
How many ways to win does 5 Lions Megaways have?
Up to 117,649. Each of the six reels holds up to seven symbols, the spin decides how many, and the ways are those heights multiplied together. A counter above the reels shows the number for each spin.
What is the maximum win?
5,000 times the bet. A free spins round that reaches it ends at once and the remaining spins are forfeited. With the ante on, the cap reads 4,000 times the bet instead; as that bet is a quarter larger, the cap in rand is the same.
Which free spins option pays best?
Pragmatic does not say, and gives one RTP for the game with no figure per option. Option one is 25 spins at 2x to 5x, option six is 6 spins at 15x to 40x.
How much does the bonus buy cost in rand?
100 times your total bet, so R200 on a R2 spin. It is off while the ante is on, and Pragmatic offers it in certain jurisdictions only, so some casinos may not have it.
Is this the same game as 5 Lions Megaways 2 or 5 Lions Gold?
No. Pragmatic lists them as separate games. This page and its casino list cover the 2021 Megaways title only.
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Where to play 5 Lions Megaways in South Africa
Licensed South African operators where we have found 5 Lions Megaways, with each one's licence and our score. Ordered by that score. How we score Offers checked September 2026.
Hollywoodbets
4.9
Betway SA
4.9
Luckyfish
4.9
SuperSportBet
4.9
Also carrying 5 Lions Megaways. Each one's terms are on its review.
See our full ranking of 28 casinos · Welcome offers compared