5 Lucky Lions in South Africa: 88 Lines and a Pick of Five Lions
5 Lucky Lions is a Habanero slot from 2019 on six reels of four rows with 88 fixed lines. Three or more drums anywhere open a pick of five lion dancers, each worth a different number of free games, from 8 to 18, and only the lion you choose appears during them. Habanero rates the volatility low and lists a maximum multiplier of x527. It is a different game from Pragmatic Play's 5 Lions Megaways.
Figures from provider data, September 2026. RTP is set per operator, so check the ranking and the game's own info screen before you deposit.
On this page
What 5 Lucky Lions looks like
Images: Habanero, official game page (habanerosystems.com).
How 5 Lucky Lions pays
The grid is six reels of four rows, and the lines are not optional. The rules screen of Habanero's free demo: 'Play 88 lines fixed at a cost of 88 coins', 'Line wins pay if in succession from the leftmost reel to the right', 'Highest win only on each line' and 'Wins on different lines are added'. Line wins 'are multiplied by bet per line'.
The demo's Help sets the price. Coins run from 0.01 to 5, bet levels are 1, 2, 5, 7 and 10, and the total bet in coins is 88 times the bet level, so the smallest spin is 0.88 and the largest 4,400 in the player's currency.
The wild, a smiling child in a golden headdress by our reading of the picture, 'substitutes for all symbols except' the red drum. It also pays on its own, and the amounts on the rules screen are the same as for the red lion. The drum is the scatter: 'Scatters pay any', 'Scatter wins are multiplied by total bet' and 'Scatter wins are added to line wins'.
What a line pays on a R17.60 spin
The rules screen of Habanero's free demo shows these amounts at its starting bet of 17.60 (88 coins at 0.20, bet level 1, so 0.20 a line); we write them in rand, named the symbols from their pictures and divided the six-symbol pay by the total bet. The drum row is a scatter pay on the whole bet, not a line pay.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Symbol | Six | Five | Four | Three | Six, x total bet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drum (scatter) | R1,760 | R880 | R264 | R52.80 | 100x |
| Child (wild) | R200 | R100 | R20 | R10 | about 11x |
| Red lion | R200 | R100 | R20 | R10 | about 11x |
| Pink lion | R180 | R90 | R16 | R8 | about 10x |
| Yellow lion | R160 | R80 | R12 | R8 | about 9x |
| Purple lion | R140 | R70 | R11 | R6 | about 8x |
| Green lion | R120 | R60 | R10 | R6 | about 7x |
| A | R100 | R50 | R9 | R4 | about 6x |
| K | R100 | R50 | R8 | R4 | about 6x |
| Q | R60 | R30 | R7 | R2 | about 3x |
| J | R40 | R20 | R6 | R2 | about 2x |
| 10 | R20 | R15 | R5 | R1 | about 1x |
| 9 | R20 | R10 | R4 | R1 | about 1x |
Small line pays, drum pays and the x527
One line costs 20 cents in that table, so three red lions return 50 line bets, by our division, while three 9s or 10s return five. Against the whole R17.60 spin even six red lions on one line come to about 11 times the bet.
The drums pay on the total bet wherever they land: 3, 15, 50 and 100 times the bet for three, four, five and six, by our division of the screen's amounts. Habanero lists x527 as the maximum multiplier without saying how a spin reaches it; on a R17.60 bet that is R9,275.20 by our arithmetic. It is Habanero's figure, not a win cap the rules state.
The lion pick: fewer games or a better lion
Three or more drums 'anywhere' start what the rules call the BONUS PICK FEATURE (the game page says Lion Pick Feature). Five lion heads stand on the screen, and the rules pair them in order with 8, 10, 12, 15 or 18 FREE GAMES: red, pink, yellow, purple and green, by our reading of the colours. The lion that pays most on a line comes with the fewest games.
The selected lion 'is the only lion symbol that will appear during free games, and all other lions symbols are removed from the reels'. Before each free game, '4 of the selected lion symbols are added STACKED to any random reel'. 'Free games are played at the bet of the triggering game', and 'the feature cannot be retriggered'.
The demo's Help answers the obvious question: 'The maximum RTP can be achieved by choosing the' red lion 'symbol in the pick feature'. The same Help gives the game's theoretical RTP as 96.51% - 96.79% without saying what moves it; by our reading that spread comes from the pick, about a quarter of a point between the ends by our subtraction.
Lion heads, jackpots and what is not in the game
- Two pictures for each lion. The rules show every lion twice, as the framed tile of the paytable and as a lion head without a frame, and say the heads 'can be interpreted as' the tiles of the same colour.
- Minor and Grand in the demo's Help. Two jackpots, each taking 0.250% of the bet, seeded at €50 and €5,000 and triggered at random; they 'cannot be won during Fun Play or Bonus Play'.
- A casino's choice. Habanero sells its jackpots, Jackpot Race and tournaments to operators as tools they switch on per brand and title, so a South African casino may show other meters or none.
- No buy and no bet multiplier. SuperBet, Buy Feature and Feature Multiplier carry a cross on the game page: the drums are the only way into the free games.
5 Lucky Lions RTP and volatility 📊
Habanero gives 5 Lucky Lions's return to player as about 86%, 92%, 94%, 97% or 98%, set by the operator.
That is 5 settings, and each operator picks one. The highest is 98% and the lowest 86%: a 12-point gap on the same game with the same name.
Volatility is low: wins come often and small.
Top payout: 527x.
What RTP and volatility mean, and why the operator picks the RTP
Paying for 5 Lucky Lions in rand
5 Lucky Lions is in the lobby at 7 operators we list: all of them take cards; 6 take Ozow; 4 take Capitec Pay; 6 take cash vouchers.
The smallest first deposit for 5 Lucky Lions among them is R1, at Luckyfish.
5 Lucky Lions 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 Lucky Lions legal in South Africa? 📜
5 Lucky Lions is a slot. In South Africa you find it at licensed bookmakers, next to their sports markets.
All 7 operators we list for 5 Lucky Lions hold a South African provincial licence.
Before you play with real money ⚠️
Set your 5 Lucky Lions 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 ⚖️
- A real choice in the bonus, and the Help says which lion gives the most back
- 88 fixed lines, and the wins of different lines are added
- Spins from 0.88 in the player's currency by the demo's Help
- Most three-of-a-kind line pays are a fraction of the spin cost
- The free games cannot be retriggered
- Five RTP versions on Habanero's list, the lowest near 86%, chosen by the casino
A low-volatility line slot whose one decision comes in the bonus: eight games with the best lion or eighteen with the weakest, and Habanero's Help says the red lion returns the most. That choice moves the theoretical return a little; no betting system beats the house edge. Check the RTP in your casino's Help before playing for money.
5 Lucky Lions FAQ ❓
Which lion should I pick in 5 Lucky Lions?
Habanero's Help says the maximum RTP comes from choosing the red lion, which gives 8 free games. The other four give 10, 12, 15 or 18 games with lower-paying lions. The Help puts the game's return at 96.51% - 96.79% in its demo, so by our reading the gap between picks is small.
How do you trigger free games in 5 Lucky Lions?
Three or more drum scatters anywhere on the reels start the pick. The drums also pay on their own, 3 times the total bet for three by our division of the rules screen. The free games cannot be retriggered and play at the bet that triggered them.
Is 5 Lucky Lions the same as 5 Lions Megaways?
No. 5 Lucky Lions is Habanero's slot from 2019 with 88 fixed lines on six reels of four rows. 5 Lions Megaways is a separate game by Pragmatic Play with its own rules and its own page on this site.
What is the RTP of 5 Lucky Lions?
Habanero's game page lists five settings, about 86%, 92%, 94%, 97% or 98%, and the casino chooses which to run. The Help of Habanero's free demo reads 96.51% - 96.79% for the game, plus 0.50% for each of two jackpots.
What is the maximum win on 5 Lucky Lions?
Habanero lists a maximum multiplier of x527, R9,275.20 on a R17.60 spin by our arithmetic, without saying how it is reached. The largest single pay on the rules screen is six drums, 100 times the total bet by our division.
Where to play 5 Lucky Lions in South Africa
Licensed South African operators we have found carrying 5 Lucky Lions, 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 Lucky Lions. Bonus, payment and payout terms for each are on its review.
