Bonanza Review: The Big Time Gaming Slot That Launched Megaways

Almost every "Megaways" slot on the market today — regardless of studio — is running a licensed version of a system Bonanza from Big Time Gaming introduced. It's less a single hit and more the origin point of an entire mechanic category.

Theme and layout

Bonanza is set at a gold mine, with a 6-reel grid where each reel can independently display between 2 and 7 symbols per spin, rather than a fixed number of rows. That variability is the heart of Megaways — the exact number of ways to win changes every spin, ranging up to 117,649 ways at maximum reel heights.

The mechanic that made it stand out

Because reel heights shift on every spin, the number of ways to win is never the same twice, which keeps the base game feeling unpredictable even without a bonus round active. Wins trigger a cascade — winning symbols are removed and new ones drop in — and each cascade in a sequence increases a multiplier that resets only when the sequence ends without a new win. Free spins, triggered by scatters, keep that multiplier climbing across the entire round instead of resetting each spin, which is where Megaways titles typically produce their largest payouts.

Who it suits

Bonanza suits players who want to understand where the Megaways format everyone else licenses actually came from, and who enjoy the specific rhythm of watching reel heights and multipliers shift together rather than a fixed-ways cascade. It runs at high volatility, consistent with most Megaways titles that followed it.

The takeaway

Bonanza's real legacy isn't just as a slot but as the foundation an entire licensing category was built on. Check the details on the game page, or browse more titles from Big Time Gaming that use the same Megaways engine.