5 Lions Megaways in South Africa: Seven Free Spins Options Explained
5 Lions Megaways is Pragmatic Play's 2021 Megaways sequel in its 5 Lions series. Each of the six reels holds 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.
On this page
What 5 Lions Megaways looks like
Images: Pragmatic Play, official game page (pragmaticplay.com); Our screenshot of Pragmatic Play's official free demo (pragmaticplay.com), September 2026.
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 7x7x7x7x7x7, the 117,649 maximum in the rules. The official demo opens on reels of 2, 3, 3, 2, 2 and 2 symbols, and the counter above the reels reads 144, those six numbers multiplied. Megaways is a Big Time Gaming trademark, used here under licence, as the game's own screens say.
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; a reel in between with neither that symbol nor a wild ends the way, as the diagram on the rules screen shows with a gap on reel three. 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 come in at the size of the spin's first result, so the ways count holds for the whole sequence.
The paytable per way is 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 paying together, from wild multipliers or from the bonus.
The features, as the rules screen lists them
- Gold lion wild, reels two to five only. It stands in for every symbol except the yin-yang bonus. Because it never lands on reel one, 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 is not removed by 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 bet multiplier goes from 20x to 25x, a quarter more per spin, 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. Unavailable 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. Figures from the game's rules screen.
| 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: what the rules do and do not say
The multiplier only counts 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 give many chances at 2x to 5x, 6 spins give few at 15x to 40x.
Retriggers follow your pick. Three or more yin-yang symbols during the round add the same number of spins you chose: 25 more on the first option, 6 more on the sixth.
Pragmatic publishes one RTP for the game and no figure per option, so there is no published basis for calling one option better value than another. What the choice changes is the shape of the round, not the house edge: no option, and neither the ante nor the buy, beats it. Mystery lets the game draw the spin count and the range from the other six.
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. The rules also say special reels are used in free spins, without describing them.
Ante bet or bonus buy, priced in rand 🎁
On a R2 spin the ante makes it R2.50. For those 50 cents, the rules say, the natural chance of free spins doubles, while wins still pay as for the R2 bet. The ceiling stays put in rand: switch the ante on and the rules screen changes the cap to 4,000 times the bet, now R2.50, which is the same R10,000 as 5,000 times R2.
The buy costs 100 times the total bet, R200 on a R2 spin, and the ante switches it off. Pragmatic's launch announcement says the buy is offered in certain jurisdictions only, so some operators may not show it.
The official demo's rules screen lists the same 96.50% for normal spins, the ante and the buy. At your operator, check that line behind the i button: that is the version you play for money.
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
5 Lions Megaways is in the lobby at 13 operators we list: all of them take Ozow and cards; 9 take Capitec Pay; 12 take cash vouchers.
The smallest first deposit for 5 Lions Megaways among them is R1, at Luckyfish.
5 Lions Megaways winnings are paid by EFT to an account in your own name, after FICA.
Get FICA done first · How to deposit in rand · Every payment method
Is 5 Lions Megaways legal in South Africa? 📜
5 Lions Megaways is a slot, which licensed bookmakers carry under their provincial betting licences.
All 13 operators we list for 5 Lions Megaways hold a South African provincial licence.
Before you play with real money ⚠️
Set your 5 Lions Megaways 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: 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 operators
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. Pragmatic publishes no return per option, so choose by the round your budget can sit through. The per-way paytable is 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 current spin's number.
What is the maximum win?
5,000 times the bet, as the game's intro and rules screens state. A free spins round that reaches it ends at once and the remaining spins are forfeited. With the ante on, the rules screen 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?
The rules do not say, and Pragmatic 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 bet is on, and Pragmatic's launch post says it is available in certain jurisdictions only, so some operators may not have it.
Is this the same game as 5 Lions Megaways 2 or 5 Lions Gold?
No. Pragmatic lists 5 Lions, 5 Lions Gold, 5 Lions Dance, 5 Lions Megaways and 5 Lions Megaways 2 as separate games. This page and its operator list cover the 2021 Megaways title only.
Where to play 5 Lions Megaways in South Africa
Licensed South African operators we have found carrying 5 Lions Megaways, 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.
Also carrying 5 Lions Megaways. Bonus, payment and payout terms for each are on its review.