Almost every slot machine in today’s online casino catalogues has special symbols. The most common symbols found in new generation slots are Wild and Scatter — each of them has a specific function. The wild symbol can build up incomplete combinations, and the Scatter is a multiplication tool and a pass to the special bonus modes. All popular casinos strive to offer their visitors only high-quality, branded and modern games.
The slot machines are characterised by excellent graphics, attractive design and a large number of extra winning features. One of them is the Scatter symbol. The item gets its name from a unique feature that distinguishes it from all the other symbols. In this article, we are going to talk about the role of this special symbol in slots — how it influences the outcome of the playing process and what benefit every player can derive from this feature.
What is Scatter & How It Works
The scatter symbol is a special symbol that can form winning combinations without being attached to a single payline — this means scatter lands anywhere on the reels, completes a winning combination, and the player can get a payout. Moreover, we can safely talk about the enviable profitability of combinations that are composed of scatter symbols, because this picture has one of the biggest payouts. Slot machines with the special Scatter symbol are great for efficient money gameplay on any budget.
No matter how many scatter symbols appear on the screen at the same time, the player will always get the benefit, because this special symbol is profitable in any case. For example, when the scatter falls in a single copy, the payout on combinations can be tripled. If two, three, four or five Scatters land at once — payment is made according to the appropriate coefficient. When there are 3 to 5 of these images on the playing field, a user can be involved in a bonus game or spin the reels in Free Spin mode and win money without real-money betting.
To sum it up, the Scatter is a symbol that may triple the payout during the gameplay and launch the bonus round bringing more rewards.
What are the Types of Scatter Symbols in Slots
Before playing any video slot that has scatters, it is better to figure out its categories and what impact they have on the result of the game. Here you can explore how scatters are divided into various types and check their peculiarities:
Free Spins Scatters
The most common type of the Scatter is when the player gets an extra free move or round. Most of the time, 3 scatters are enough for this to happen on the screen — then a user receives up to 10-20 or even more Free Spins on a slot. These extra spins increase the players’ chances of boosting their prizes and payouts.
Almost all slot machine games allow you to restart the spins, provided the required number of scatters are rolled again. Theoretically, there could be a situation where the gambler wins the bonus spins first and then gets another batch of free runs with them. The likelihood of this happening is not too high, but it is there.
Bonus Scatter
Such a type of the scatter is the presence of an extra mini-game. In this case, the player usually gets an extra field where they have to choose one of several options. If the correct option is chosen, the player gets additional funds, increasing winnings by several times.
What is more, the Scatter is usually used to trigger a series of bonus games. In modern slot machines, such a symbol opens up a new individual game for a participant. These bonus rounds are very interesting and exciting for gamblers worldwide.
Slot Machines with Scatter Symbols — Top 3 Slots
Video Slots are the major games that provide scatter symbols within the playing process. Every player may ask — how do I know if a game has a scatter? Every slot machine has its own characteristics written in the game description or expert reviews. Therefore, it is possible to explore whether a slot game provides a special symbol as Scatter. Now we want to talk about the games having profitable Scatters which bring good wins and positive emotions:
Sakura Fortune
RTP — 96.58%
It is time to head back to the mysterious East to reveal all the secrets of Quickspin‘s Sakura Fortune slot game. Technically, this slot game features five reels with four rows of symbols and 40 lines to form payments. Among the high-value symbols, players will see 3 characters from this fantastic story, as well as a Dragon and a Jade Lion. The lower values are four coins of different colours. The main character, the princess is the Wild symbol, the Scatter symbol is the fan with the word Bonus on it.
Speaking about bonus rounds, Free Spins are triggered when three or more Scatter symbols appear. Initially, a player gets up to 7 Free Spins, but each Wild princess symbol that appears during the round will bring an Extra spin. Plus, these wild symbols will expand to fill the entire game reel. Sakura Fortune is a good-looking slot machine with exciting gameplay and profitable bonuses.
Golden Ticket
RTP — 96.73%
Now everyone can visit a circus show with a slot developed by Play’n GO called Golden Ticket. This slot machine has a 5×5 playing grid, there are no win lines, and combinations are formed when three or more same symbols land, either horizontally or vertically. The Scatter symbol is presented as a Bonus item that triggers extra bonus rounds — up to 20 Bonus Games. The Wild is a Golden Ticket sign that substitutes for other in-game symbols and creates more winning combinations. Before playing for real money, users have an opportunity to test a free game via demo mode.
Wolf Gold
RTP — 96.01%
This is an American Indian-style slot with 5 reels and 25 paylines from Pragmatic Play.
The wild symbol looking like a Wolf appears anywhere on the reels and replaces all other symbols except for the Scatter which serves to launch the Free Spins round. The Free Spins feature begins if a player manages to catch a sunset Scatter symbol on the first, third, and fifth reel. As a result, a participant receives 6 Free Spins.
Thanks to the giant Wild symbols that can completely fill up the second, third and fourth reel of the game makes the bonus round very lucrative. Besides, if a gambler gets three more Scatter symbols, the round is extended by 3 extra Free Spins.
The QYTO team admit that most people come to gambling sites to play slot machines for real money. However, we recommend trying free demonstration games before betting real funds from the bankroll.
Advantages of Playing Slots with Scatters
The Scatter symbol is considered to be one of the key highlights of modern slots. When this symbol appears on the screen, every player can expect to receive a nice bonus. In each particular slot, it can perform a different function.
- Enjoyable Bonus Games. Sometimes slots can be simple and boring for customers in online casino sites. That is why developers created a Scatter Bonus Symbol that triggers mini-games built-in video slots to please the gambler and give them more opportunities to win;
- Free Play. Thanks to the Scatter bonus feature, every customer can easily get a series of Free Spins. This means a player can spin reels for free without
- Boost of Winnings. This special feature is always a sign of possible rewards that become available within Free Spins mode or Bonus round.
In general, if we talk about the scatter symbol, it is particularly useful to players, as it improves the quality of the gameplay and increases the chances of collecting winning combinations.
All players can appreciate the possibilities of the additional symbol, but before you start playing, be sure to clarify the rules in a particular slot. Different slot machines may have different scatter functions, and it is not uncommon for special symbols to be combined into a single picture with a rich collection of additional features.
How Scatter Wins Are Calculated
Another unique feature of scatter is the payout rules. Speaking about standard combinations, the player only gets the winnings on the line where the chain is formed. It looks logical and fair but always hurts when the other lines with bets do not bring anything.
In the case of the scatter, such a situation is impossible. Since the characters fall out scattered and cannot be on one line (or happens but extremely rare), to calculate the winnings the total bet on all lines is used.
And this is a huge plus with scatter. Slots often have big bets on all the available lines. By collecting at least 3 scatter symbols, the gambler receives a large payout.
Of course, the scatter does not have such high multipliers as for the most valuable characters, rewards are quite good as well.
Wild Symbols and Scatters — Lifelong Partnership
Wilds are symbols that have a unique function, they can be used to substitute for other gaming symbols except for Scatter in an online slot reel game. With the help of a wild symbol, players can create a winning combination and get more payouts.
Unfortunately, in most cases, the wild cannot replace the scatter symbol. Slots games do not usually provide for such a possibility, allowing the wild symbol to substitute only for the standard elements.
By the way, it is worth remembering that the Wild often gets extra abilities during the Bonus Free spins round. For example, the landing of the Wild can lead to the activation of additional multipliers, or to the transformation of ordinary characters into Wilds. In fact, there are quite a few bonus options, so the rules should be clarified in each case.
To sum it up, we must say the Scatter plays a crucial role in casino slot gameplay. If you ask any slot gambler — how do you win at slots every time, he/she may answer that special symbols bring high chances to win. The QYTO members do not call people to gamble for real money. We stand for responsible players’ attitude towards casino games. Just learn, test, explore, and compare before betting in slots and opt-in bonus rounds.
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