Book of Dead
Book of Dead is the Play’n GO slot that made Rich Wilde a recurring character across the studio’s catalogue. Released in January 2016, it sends the adventurer into an Egyptian tomb with five reels, three rows and ten paylines. On paper it looks old-fashioned, yet it is still a fixture in Australian-facing casino lobbies thanks to one simple idea: a single symbol chosen before free spins that can expand across whole reels and pay on every line at once.
This guide explains how the Tomb symbol works as both wild and scatter, how the expanding symbol decides your free spins result, what the gamble option really does and which RTP figure you should look for. Every number below was taken from the game’s own paytable and rules screen, so you can check it yourself in the Book of Dead demo before playing for real money.
Where to Play Book of Dead
Book of Dead is part of almost every Play’n GO library, so the bigger question is which casino offers the full 96.21% version, quick withdrawals and proper limit tools. The casinos below carry Play’n GO games and accept players from Australia. Open the game rules once you load the slot to confirm the RTP before you deposit.
Quick Facts About Book of Dead
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Slot | Book of Dead (Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead) |
| Provider | Play’n GO |
| Release | 14 January 2016 |
| Layout | 5 reels / 3 rows |
| Paylines | 10, adjustable from 1 to 10 |
| RTP | 96.21% (average RTP stated in the rules; lower versions exist) |
| Volatility | High (not printed in the rules, but the standard rating for this game) |
| Bet range | 0.01 to 100 per spin in the demo (casino limits may differ) |
| Maximum win | 250,000 coins, equal to 5,000x the total bet |
| Wild / Scatter | Tomb symbol, acts as both |
| Free spins | 10 for 3+ scatters, retrigger +10, special expanding symbol |
| Extras | Gamble (colour x2, suit x4), Auto Play, Fast Play |
How Book of Dead Works
Book of Dead is a classic line slot. Wins pay from left to right on up to ten fixed patterns, starting from the leftmost reel, and only the highest win per line is paid. Your stake is set with three controls: coin value (0.01 to 2.00), coins per line (1 to 5) and the number of active lines (1 to 10). Playing fewer than ten lines lowers the cost per spin, but it also removes lines that the expanding symbol could otherwise fill during free spins, so most players keep all ten active.
The paytable is split between five card ranks and four premium symbols. All four premiums already pay for two of a kind. Rich Wilde is the top symbol: five of him pay 5,000x the line bet, four pay 1,000x, three pay 100x and two pay 10x. The Pharaoh mask pays 2,000x for five, while Anubis and the Horus falcon pay 750x. The A and K pay 150x for five, and the Q, J and 10 pay 100x.
The Tomb Symbol: Wild and Scatter in One
The golden Tomb (often called the book) does two jobs. As a wild it substitutes for every other symbol on a payline, which is how many ordinary base game wins are completed. As a scatter it pays in any position, multiplied by the total bet: three Tombs pay 2x, four pay 20x and five pay 200x the stake. Scatter wins are added to any line wins from the same spin.
Three or more Tombs anywhere also trigger the free spins round, so a scatter landing always carries two rewards: the instant scatter payout and the bonus.
Free Spins and the Expanding Symbol
Landing three or more Tomb scatters awards 10 free spins. Before the first spin, the book opens and one ordinary symbol is picked at random to become the special expanding symbol for the whole round. Three more scatters during the feature add another 10 spins, and the round is played at the same bet and line settings as the spin that triggered it.
After normal wins are paid on each free spin, the special symbol can expand to cover all three positions on its reel. It only expands when that produces an extra win, and expanded symbols do not need to sit on adjacent reels: the game rules state that they pay on any active line with gaps allowed. With a premium symbol, three or more expanded reels light up every one of the ten lines at once. That is why the outcome of the round depends so heavily on which symbol the book picks. A card symbol can still pay well when it covers four or five reels, while Rich Wilde covering all five reels is the route to the 5,000x maximum.
The Gamble Feature
After a base game win you can choose Gamble instead of collecting. Guessing the colour of a face-down card doubles the win with a 50% chance, and guessing the suit quadruples it with a 25% chance. You can gamble up to five times in a row, up to a limit of 2,500 coins. According to the rules the gamble does not change the overall RTP, but it does make every result more extreme, and it is switched off during Auto Play.
RTP Versions: Check Before You Play
The game rules state an average RTP of 96.21%, achieved over the long run. Like most Play’n GO titles, Book of Dead is also supplied to casinos in lower RTP configurations that look and play exactly the same, with versions around 94% and below in circulation. The only reliable check is the rules screen inside the casino you are using: open the help menu and find the RTP line before you deposit. Over thousands of spins a difference of a few percentage points has a real effect on how long a budget lasts.
Worked Example: An Expanding Rich Wilde
Say you play A$1 per spin across all ten lines, so the line bet is A$0.10, and the book picks Rich Wilde as the special symbol. On one free spin he lands on reels 1, 3 and 5. He expands to fill those three reels, and because expanded symbols pay with gaps, every one of the ten lines now holds three Rich Wildes. Three of a kind pays 100x the line bet, so each line returns A$10 and the spin pays A$100 in total. If he had landed on all five reels, each line would pay 5,000x the line bet, which adds up to A$5,000, the 5,000x cap.
The same three reels with the 10 symbol would pay 5x the line bet per line, or A$5 in total. That gap explains why two free spins rounds of the same length can end so differently.
Bankroll Tips for Book of Dead
- Plan for a budget that covers at least 200 spins. Long runs without the free spins round are normal in a high volatility slot.
- Keep all ten lines active and adjust the coin value instead, so the expanding symbol can use every line.
- Treat the gamble as optional. Doubling small wins does not improve your long-term return.
- Set a loss limit and a session time before you start, and use the casino’s deposit limit tools.
- Ignore streak systems. Every spin is decided independently by a certified random number generator.
Pros and Cons of Book of Dead
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Very simple rules that are easy to learn | Base game can be quiet for long stretches |
| Expanding symbol pays on all lines with gaps allowed | Free spins value depends on a random symbol pick |
| Tomb symbol works as wild and scatter | Lower RTP versions are common |
| Max win of 5,000x the bet | No bonus buy or extra modifiers |
| Optional gamble and free demo | Dated look compared with newer releases |
Demo Play vs Real Money
The free demo on this page runs the official Play’n GO version with play credits, so the reels, paytable and free spins behave exactly like the real game. It is the easiest way to see how often the book opens and how much the chosen symbol matters. Play a few hundred demo spins and note how your balance moves between bonuses. If those swings feel uncomfortable with play money, they will feel worse with your own.
For real money play, choose a casino that shows the RTP in the game rules, pays out quickly after verification and offers limit and time-out tools. You can compare options in our casino reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
The game rules state an average RTP of 96.21%. Some casinos run lower configurations, so check the RTP line in the rules screen before you play.
Yes. The rules do not print a rating, but Book of Dead is classed as high volatility: wins can be infrequent and most of the value sits in free spins with the expanding symbol.
Land three or more Tomb scatters anywhere on the reels for 10 free spins. Three more scatters during the feature add another 10 spins.
The maximum win is 250,000 coins, which equals 5,000x the total bet. It needs the expanding Rich Wilde symbol to cover all five reels in free spins.
No. The rules say the gamble does not affect the overall RTP. It doubles a win with a 50% chance or quadruples it with a 25% chance, up to five times and 2,500 coins.
Yes. The demo on this page runs the official Play’n GO version with play credits, so you can try the free spins and expanding symbol without a deposit.
Responsible Gaming Note
Book of Dead is entertainment, not a way to make money. Only play if you are 18 or older, decide on a budget before you start and stop when you reach it. If gambling stops being fun, free and confidential support is available 24/7 from Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858.
Final Verdict
Book of Dead has lasted because its design is easy to understand and hard to predict. The Tomb symbol keeps the base game ticking, and the expanding symbol in free spins can turn a modest round into a big one, up to 5,000x the bet. The trade-offs are high volatility, a plain base game and the risk of landing a lower RTP version. Try the demo first, confirm 96.21% in the rules at your casino and keep stakes small relative to your budget.
