Book of Dead Slot Review: Play'n GO's Expanding Symbol Classic

Book of Dead is a 2016 Play'n GO slot in which an explorer called Rich Wilde hunts Egyptian treasure across 5 reels and 3 rows, and the whole game turns on one feature: free spins where a randomly chosen symbol expands to fill entire reels. It is rated very high volatility, so long dry spells are normal and the big wins come almost entirely from that bonus round. The spec card on this page lists the RTP, maximum win and reel layout from Play'n GO's game sheet.

How Book of Dead works in the base game

The slot has 10 paylines, and you can choose to play anywhere from 1 to 10 of them. Wins pay left to right on active lines. The book symbol does two jobs at once: it is the wild, substituting for other symbols, and it is the scatter that triggers the bonus.

After a win you can use the gamble feature, guessing the colour or suit of a card to raise the prize, for up to five rounds. It only adds risk to a win you already have.

Book of Dead free spins and the expanding symbol

Three or more book scatters award 10 free spins. Before they begin, one symbol is picked at random to be the expanding symbol for the round. Whenever enough of that symbol lands to form a win, it expands to cover the whole reel and pays on all active lines, even if the symbols are not on adjacent reels. Free spins can be retriggered by landing three more books.

A high-paying expander produces the largest wins, while a low card symbol usually gives a modest round. That spread is the reason for the very high volatility rating.

Which RTP version are you playing?

Play'n GO supplies Book of Dead with several return-to-player settings: 96.21% by default, and lower versions at 94.25%, 91.25%, 87.25% and 84.18%. The operator chooses which one to run. Open the game's help or paytable screen at the bookmaker to see the figure that applies before you play; our high RTP slots guide explains why it matters.

Book of Dead in South Africa

Book of Dead is a slot-style game, and in South Africa such games appear only in the lobbies of provincially licensed bookmakers, not at licensed casino websites, which do not exist here. Lobbies differ, so check the provider list in the bookmaker's games section for Play'n GO. The legal status of casino-style games at bookmakers is disputed: some provincial boards allow them, while the National Gambling Board considers them unlawful after a 2025 Supreme Court of Appeal ruling, so it depends on the province.

Book of Dead free spins offers and the demo

Searches for 50, 100 or 150 free spins no deposit on Book of Dead mostly lead to offshore sites, which are illegal to use from South Africa. The sign-up spins published by licensed SA bookmakers are tied to other games: Scorebet's to Gates of Olympus and PlayBet's to selected Pragmatic Play titles, for example. Our free spins guide lists what licensed operators currently offer.

There is no demo on this site. Play'n GO publishes a demo version on its own website, and some bookmakers let logged-in players open games in a demo mode with no real stake.

Is there a Book of Dead strategy?

No strategy changes the outcome of a spin; every result is random and the RTP applies whatever you do. What you can control is cost: choose a stake that gives you enough spins to reach a bonus round, decide in advance when to stop, and skip the gamble feature if you want to keep variance down. Slots are for adults 18 and over only. If you feel the urge to chase a bonus round, read our responsible gambling page and use the free 0800 006 008 helpline.