As with many online slots, in order to win a spin you need to match three, four, or five symbols across one of the paylines. The symbols that appear as part of the Mega Moolah slot can be broken down into two categories: playing cards and animals. Playing card symbols are far more common than animals, and therefore produce lower payouts.
Mega Moolah also has two specific symbols with special effects.
The lion is the wild symbol, meaning it can substitute for any other symbol and complete winning paylines. Not only can the lion substitute for other symbols, it also doubles the amount won on that particular payline. Because of this, lions are particularly useful when contributing to different paylines on the same spin.
The monkey is the scatter symbol, which allows you to win back double, triple, 20x, or even 100x your bet depending on how many monkeys there are anywhere on the reel, with a minimum of two. Additionally, if you’re lucky enough to get three monkeys in a row, you can access the bonus round, which gives you 15 free spins and in which all wins are tripled.
It gets even better in that the bonus round can stack on top of itself, so if you happen to get another three monkeys during those free spins, you’ll get even more free spins with tripled earnings. There may be low odds of this happening, but if you’re playing for real money, it can translate to significant casino rewards.
In terms of design, Mega Moolah is bright and colorful, with each of the animal symbols being instantly recognizable and standing out against the sunset orange and earthen brown of the game’s background.
Despite the complicated nature of the information being conveyed, paylines are displayed in bright colors, greens and pinks, and it’s easy to trace them from one side of the reel to the other.
The sound design in Mega Moolah is excellent, featuring tribal drum patterns, realistic animal noises, and a background of birds chirping and other ambient savannah sounds.
If the foundation of great pokie design is how clearly it communicates information to the player and how much its graphics and sounds contribute to its theme, Mega Moolah gets top marks. Sitting at your computer or playing on your mobile, you probably won’t think you’re actually in Africa, but it is a strong approximation.
Despite Mega Moolah being a progressive jackpot game, the jackpot cannot actually be won from within the game itself. The more you wager on each spin, the higher your chances are of triggering the jackpot bonus wheel.
Separate from the main game, the bonus wheel is a spinner with spaces in four different colors, with each space corresponding to one of the four types of progressive jackpot (Mini, Minor, Major, and Mega). As you might imagine, the more the jackpot is worth, the less spaces there are for it on the wheel, with only a single space for the Mega Moolah jackpot.
Because Mega Moolah is such a force and so beloved the world over, some casinos may offer free spins to play it as part of their welcome bonus. However, since Mega Moolah’s jackpot is progressive, every spin is intended to contribute towards it, so you’re far more likely to find offers for multiple spins for a flat rate.
Visit our bonuses page for a more comprehensive breakdown of bonuses at various casinos, our bonus ratings, and to find the casino with the best bonus for your needs or play style.
Mega Moolah was developed by UK-based Microgaming, who have been in the casino software business for almost 30 years. Microgaming’s slot machines are renowned the world over, as they have been responsible not only for progressive jackpot games like Mega Moolah and Cash Splash, but over 500 games overall.
Microgaming brings an incredible pedigree to online casino and slot games, having developed products based on properties including Jurassic World, Tomb Raider, and Game of Thrones. Their ability to attract these franchises to them speaks volumes to the quality of their work.
Interestingly, Microgaming also holds a Guinness World Record for their progressive jackpot network, having awarded a UK player over 17 million pounds from a single spin of one of their games.
That game?
Mega Moolah.