Novomatic casino games

Who makes Novomatic casino games?

Novomatic is an Austrian gaming group founded in 1980 by Johann Graf, who still owns it, with its headquarters in Gumpoldskirchen, just south of Vienna. For most of its history the business has been about physical machines: cabinets for casino floors and arcades across continental Europe. Its online catalogue grew out of that hardware, so many Novomatic casino games are digital copies of titles that first appeared on gaming terminals.

The online side runs through Greentube, the group's digital studio. When you open a Novomatic slot at a UK casino, the game server and the remote build are usually Greentube's work, even if the lobby tile says Novomatic. That split matters when you search a casino lobby: some sites file these titles under Novomatic, others under Greentube, and a few use both labels.

If you are new to the idea of studios, our explainer on casino software providers covers how a supplier, a platform and a casino brand fit together. The short version is that the studio builds and certifies the game, while the casino you play at holds the licence for offering it to you and handles your account, money and safer gambling tools. The wider list of studios sits on our game providers hub.

From arcade cabinet to online slot: the Deluxe versions

Most Novomatic online slots carry the word Deluxe. These are refreshed versions of earlier cabinet games, with cleaner graphics and the same basic maths. Book of Ra Deluxe, for example, dates from 2008, and Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe from 2009 according to the release figures we hold. The originals were built for a world of physical buttons and coin slots, which explains why the screens look plain next to a modern video slot.

That heritage shapes the experience in three ways. First, the layouts are almost always five reels and three rows. Second, the win lines are few, usually 10, so each line carries a meaningful share of your stake. Third, the excitement comes from one bonus feature rather than a stack of modifiers. You will not find cascading grids or cluster pays here; for those, studios like Play'n GO or NetEnt are the usual names.

Why 'Deluxe' doesn't mean a higher RTP

The Deluxe label refers to presentation and small feature tweaks. It is not a promise of better returns. Book of Ra Deluxe, for instance, is listed at 95.1%, with a 94.26% version also in circulation, so the RTP you meet depends on which version the casino has chosen. Our guide to RTP explained shows why a percentage point matters over many spins.

Signature mechanics in Novomatic slots

Novomatic's design toolkit is small but recognisable. Once you have played one title, the others feel familiar, which is part of their long-running appeal in continental arcades.

• The expanding book symbol. In Book of Ra Deluxe, a random symbol is picked before the free games and expands to fill a whole reel when it lands, paying on any of the 10 lines even if the reels aren't next to each other. This is the template for the entire 'book' genre that dozens of studios copied.
• Wild that doubles wins. Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe and Lord of the Ocean use a wild that substitutes and multiplies the line win, so a modest hit can pay noticeably more.
• Free games with a fixed multiplier. Lucky Lady's Charm Deluxe pays free game wins at a set multiple, which raises the value of the round without changing the base game.
• Fruit-machine style simplicity. Sizzling Hot Deluxe has no free spins at all: five paylines, fruit symbols and a scatter star. It is about as close to a classic one-armed bandit as an online slot gets.

If any of these terms are unfamiliar, the glossary entries for expanding wilds, scatters and multipliers explain each in a couple of minutes.

Best-known Novomatic games: verified figures

The table below uses only figures we hold on file. RTPs are the published default figures; casinos can run lower versions, and the help screen inside the game shows the live number.

Two patterns stand out. Every title shares the same 5×3 shape, and every published RTP sits between 95.1% and 95.66%. Max win figures vary between sources for several of these games, so we have left them out rather than guess. Sizzling Hot Deluxe lists a 5,000× stake top prize; check the paytable for the version in front of you.

How Novomatic maths works in pounds

Novomatic's habit of building high-volatility games with RTPs around 95% means two things in practice: longer runs without a meaningful win, and a slightly higher long-run cost than a 96% slot. Neither is good or bad; it is simply the trade the design makes in exchange for occasional large free-game rounds.

Here is how that plays out on paper. Suppose you stake £1 a spin on Book of Ra Deluxe and play 300 spins, which is £300 of total stakes. At 95.1% RTP the expected return is £285.30, so the average cost of that session is £14.70. On the 94.26% version the expected cost rises to £17.22. On a 96% slot it would be £12. Real sessions swing far above and below those figures, which is exactly what volatility describes, but the long-run direction never changes: the house keeps the difference.

Line bets on a 10-line game

Classic Novomatic games often let you choose how many lines to play and how much per line. Playing all 10 lines at 10p each is a £1 spin. Dropping to five lines halves the stake to 50p but also halves the ways a symbol combination can land, and in a book-style free games round a symbol that expands on an inactive line pays nothing on it. For that reason most players keep every line active and adjust the line value instead. The guide to slot paylines covers this in more depth.

UK rules that change how Novomatic casino games play

Because these games started life on cabinets in other markets, the British versions can feel slightly different from what you may have seen abroad. Several Gambling Commission rules apply to every online slot supplied to UK customers.

• No autoplay on online slots since 31 October 2021, so every spin is started by hand. See our page on the autoplay ban.
• At least 2.5 seconds per spin, with no turbo or slam-stop to cut the wait. The spin speed limit page explains the detail.
• No celebrating a loss. Sounds and animations can't treat a return equal to or smaller than your stake as a win.
• Stake caps: £5 per spin if you are 25 or older (since 9 April 2025) and £2 per spin if you are 18–24 (since 21 May 2025), under the £5 slot stake limit and its under-25 counterpart.
• Net position on screen. Your running win or loss for the session and elapsed time must be displayed.

The full technical wording is in the Commission's summary of changes to the remote technical standards (opens in a new tab). One practical effect for Novomatic fans: some international versions of these games include a double-up gamble after a win. Whether a UK build offers one depends on the version the casino has installed, so check the game's help screen rather than assuming it is there.

Licensing: Novomatic, Greentube and the UK register

Anyone who makes or supplies gambling software used by British customers needs a Gambling Commission licence, in the same way the casino does. For Novomatic content that responsibility sits with the Greentube side of the group. We haven't verified the exact account numbers for each Novomatic entity, so the reliable step is to check yourself: search 'Greentube' or 'Novomatic' on the Commission's public register of businesses (opens in a new tab) and read the status and licensed activities on each entry.

The group also has a presence on the operator side in Britain. In January 2025 the Commission announced that Greentube Alderney Limited would pay £1 million (opens in a new tab) over anti-money-laundering and social responsibility failures linked to its Admiral Casino site. That action concerned how a casino treated its customers, not the fairness of the games themselves, but it is a useful reminder that regulatory history is public and worth a look. Our page on Gambling Commission fines lists other recent cases.

A studio's licence and a casino's licence are separate. Always check that the casino you deposit with is on the register too; our two-minute walkthrough on how to check a casino licence shows where to look.

Are Novomatic slots a good fit for you?

In short, these games suit players who like traditional fruit-machine pacing and are comfortable with the bumpy ride that very high volatility brings. If you prefer frequent small hits, a lower-volatility title from another studio will feel calmer. Either way, set a budget first; our guide to setting a gambling budget has a simple method.

How to find Novomatic casino games in a UK lobby

Large UK casino lobbies hold thousands of games, so searching by studio saves time. The steps below work at most sites, though labels vary.

1. Log in and confirm your age and identity checks are complete; even demo play needs verification in Britain.
2. Open the slots or casino lobby and look for a filter labelled 'Providers', 'Studios' or 'Game makers'.
3. Tick Novomatic, and if nothing appears, try Greentube, since some casinos file the games under the online studio name.
4. Alternatively, type a title such as 'Book of Ra' into the search bar; the result usually shows the studio name on the tile.
5. Open the game's info or help screen before playing to read the RTP for that version and the paytable.
6. Set your stake within the £5 or £2 cap that applies to your age, and remember a deposit limit can be set from your account.

Where to play Novomatic casino games with a current offer

We can't promise any particular casino carries a given Novomatic title on a given day, because lobbies change. What we can show are three UKGC-licensed casinos with offers checked on 5 October 2026. Coral gives new players aged 18+ 100 free spins worth 10p each after they deposit and bet £10 on slots, valid on selected games for 7 days, with no wagering on winnings. Ladbrokes awards up to 500 free spins at 10p, released as 50 a day for 10 days after a £10 slots spend, again with no wagering.

PlayOJO gives 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza, a Reel Kingdom game rather than a Novomatic one, after a first deposit of £10 or more; winnings are paid in cash with no wagering, and Northern Ireland is excluded. Certain payment methods don't qualify for the Coral and Ladbrokes offers, and full terms apply to all three. Compare them on our latest casino offers page, and remember that free spins are a cost of entertainment, not a way to make money.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Set a deposit limit before you play: how to set deposit limits. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.