Rainbow Riches Megaways app guide

Rainbow Riches Megaways app: what changes from the original

The original Rainbow Riches is a five-reel, 20-line game that many UK players first met in high-street bookmakers. The Megaways version keeps the leprechaun, the rainbow and the pots of gold but swaps fixed lines for a grid whose shape changes on every spin. Each of the six reels can show between two and seven symbols, and a horizontal top row sits above the middle reels to add extra symbols.

The practical result is a much bumpier game. The original pays small amounts often; the Megaways edition spends more spins paying little or nothing and saves its value for occasional larger hits. If you liked the gentle pace of the classic, read the volatility section below before you raise your stake.

The Megaways mechanic itself is licensed from Big Time Gaming, which is why this game feels closer to titles such as Bonanza Megaways than to its own parent. Our Megaways glossary entry explains the maths behind the changing ways count.

How the Megaways grid fits a portrait phone screen

A six-reel grid with a top row is wider than a classic 5 × 3 slot, so on most phones the game reads best when you turn the handset sideways. In landscape the reels take up the middle of the screen, with the spin button on the right edge where your thumb rests and the stake selector beside it.

Portrait still works. The reels shrink to fill the top half of the display and the controls move to a bar along the bottom, which suits one-handed play on the bus. On a smaller handset such as an iPhone SE the tallest seven-symbol reels can look cramped, and symbols on the top row are easy to misread, so the win messages and the balance line are worth watching rather than the symbols alone. Our guide to portrait vs landscape slots covers which layouts suit which handsets.

Exact positions depend on which casino app loads the game, because each operator wraps the Barcrest game in its own frame. The game rules screen is always reachable from the in-game menu.

How to play Rainbow Riches Megaways in a casino app

Finding and starting the game takes a handful of taps once you are logged in and verified.

1. Open the casino app and sign in with Face ID, fingerprint or your password.
2. Tap the search icon in the lobby and type “Rainbow Riches”. Several series games will appear, so pick the one marked Megaways.
3. Wait for the game to load, then rotate the phone if you prefer landscape.
4. Open the menu and read the paytable and rules, including the RTP figure shown for this version.
5. Set your stake with the plus and minus buttons. The app will not let you go above £5 (or £2 if you are 18–24).
6. Tap spin once per round. There is no autoplay in Great Britain, so each spin needs a fresh tap.
7. Check the net position line regularly and leave the game from the menu or the back arrow when you planned to stop.

If the game shows a loading wheel for a long time, our guide to games that won’t load walks through cache clearing and connection checks.

Rainbow Riches Megaways features and how to read them on mobile

Every spin starts with the reels settling at random heights. Multiply the number of symbols on each reel (plus the top row) and you get the ways count for that spin, which the game prints above the grid. A spin with short reels might offer a few hundred ways; when every reel shows seven symbols the count reaches 117,649.

Wins pay for matching symbols on adjacent reels from the left, in any position. Because the top row adds symbols over the middle reels, a single symbol up there can complete combinations that would otherwise be missing.

The bonus side of the game draws on the series’ familiar imagery, and the game’s help screen lists each feature with the exact symbols needed to trigger it and what it pays. Those details can differ slightly between the versions supplied to different operators, so check the rules inside the app you use rather than relying on a summary. Our mobile slot features guide explains common mechanics such as wild symbols and scatters in plain terms.

RTP of 96% and high volatility: what a session looks like

RTP is the share of all money staked that a game pays back over millions of spins. At 96%, the theoretical cost of play is £4 for every £100 staked. That is an average across a very long run, not a promise about your session.

High volatility changes how that average arrives. Most spins return nothing or a fraction of the stake, and the occasional larger result carries the figure. Here is how the numbers stack up at three stake levels, assuming the UK minimum of 2.5 seconds per spin:

With a high-volatility game the real outcome of 100 spins can sit a long way either side of those figures. A sensible approach is to decide your spend before opening the app, use a deposit limit, and treat any amount spent as the price of the entertainment. Casinos can also run versions with a lower RTP, so the figure in the game’s rules is the one that counts; our guide on finding a slot’s RTP in an app shows where it lives.

The 12,500× max win in pounds

The top payout is 12,500 times the stake on a single spin. In pound terms that is £1,250 at 10p, £2,500 at 20p and £12,500 at £1. The max win is a ceiling built into the game, and reaching it is extremely rare; most sessions end nowhere near it.

If a large win does land, the app may ask for extra documents before paying out, which is normal under UK anti-money-laundering rules. Our page on large wins on casino apps explains what happens next.

UK rules built into the Rainbow Riches Megaways app version

The version you play in a UK app is not identical to the one shown in overseas videos. Several Gambling Commission rules apply to every spin:

• Stake limits: no more than £5 a spin if you are 25 or over, and £2 a spin if you are 18 to 24. See UK stake limits on mobile slots.
• Each spin takes at least 2.5 seconds, and there is no turbo or slam-stop.
• No autoplay. Every spin is started by your own tap.
• No feature buy. Players in Great Britain cannot pay to jump straight into a bonus round.
• A return smaller than your stake is not celebrated with win animations or sounds.
• Your balance and net position stay visible throughout the session.

These rules apply in the app and on the mobile website alike, because both connect to the same licensed account.

Can you play Rainbow Riches Megaways for free on a phone?

Demo versions exist, but UK-licensed casinos only show them once your age has been verified, a rule in place since May 2019. In practice that means creating an account and completing the identity checks first. Demo credit has no cash value and cannot be withdrawn. The demo mode verification page explains why the demo button can appear greyed out.

Rainbow Riches Megaways vs similar Megaways slots

If you are choosing between Megaways games on your phone, these published figures help separate them:

Ted Megaways offers a higher ceiling, while the original Rainbow Riches suits shorter, steadier sessions. For a wider list, see our page on Megaways slots apps.

Pros and cons of playing it on mobile

Data use, battery and dropped connections

Slots like this load their graphics once and then exchange small amounts of data per spin, so a session uses far less data than streaming live casino. Animated cascades and bright effects do draw battery, and lowering screen brightness helps more than closing other apps. Our casino app data usage guide has rough figures.

If your signal drops mid-spin, the result is decided on the game server the moment you tap. Reopen the game and the outcome will be shown or credited to your balance; the transaction history in the app confirms it.

Where to play Rainbow Riches Megaways on your phone

Game lobbies change, so search for the title in any app before depositing. Among the apps we cover, Ladbrokes (18+, new customers, T&Cs apply) gives 50 free spins a day for 10 days, up to 500 in total, after you deposit and play £10 on slots; each spin is worth 10p on selected games, each day’s batch is claimed from the app inbox before 23:59 and lasts 7 days, there is no wagering, and PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, Neteller, Moneybookers and prepaid-card deposits are excluded. Coral (18+, new players, T&Cs apply) gives 100 free spins once you deposit and bet £10 on slots; the spins are 10p each on selected games, must be accepted within 48 hours, last 7 days and carry no wagering, and PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafe, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don’t qualify.

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