Quick Stats
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Provider | IGT |
| Game Type | Video Slot |
| RTP | 95.02%–95.7% (varies by casino) |
| Volatility | Medium |
| Reels / Rows | 5 × 3 |
| Paylines | 20 (adjustable) |
| Min Bet | $0.10 (1 line × $0.10 coin) |
| Max Bet | $100 (20 lines × $5.00 coin) |
| Max Win | 10,000x line bet |
| Features | Wild (2x multiplier), Scatter, Free Spins (3x, retriggerable to 180) |
| Theme | Ancient Egypt |
| Release Date | 2005 (land-based); January 2012 (online) |
| Platform | Desktop (check your casino for mobile availability) |
What Is Cleopatra?
Cleopatra is a classic 5-reel pokie set in ancient Egypt, themed around the last pharaoh of the Ptolemaic dynasty. The reels show scarab beetles, the Eye of Horus, a crook and flail, lotus flowers, golden ingots, and standard card royals dressed up in Egyptian gold. Cleopatra herself is the wild symbol, and the Great Sphinx of Giza is the scatter.
It suits players who want uncomplicated spins with one decent bonus feature attached. There are no cascading reels, no expanding symbols, no multiple bonus tiers — just base game spins, a doubling wild, and a free spins round with a 3x multiplier. If you’re chasing complex mechanics or big volatility swings, this isn’t the right game. But if you want something fast, accessible, and genuinely capable of a 10,000x payout, Cleopatra still holds up after two decades.
One caveat worth knowing: Blackspins lists this game as desktop only. If mobile play matters to you, confirm availability on your device before depositing.
RTP and Volatility
The standard RTP on Cleopatra is 95.02%, which is about one percentage point below the current online average of 96%. That difference adds up over a long session. On a $100 wagered, you’re theoretically giving back roughly $5 to the house instead of $4. It’s not dramatic, but it’s real, and it’s worth factoring into how long you plan to play.
Volatility is medium. In practical terms, expect wins on roughly 1 in 4 spins during the base game. Most will be small — royals and lower-tier Egyptian symbols paying 5–12x your line bet. The real upside comes in the free spins round, where the 3x multiplier on every win shifts the return profile significantly. On a $1 total bet per spin, landing a 5-scarab combination worth 37.5x your stake becomes 112.5x in the bonus. That’s the feature you’re playing toward.
Betting Range
The minimum total bet is $0.10 per spin (1 active payline at the lowest coin size), and the maximum is $100 per spin (20 lines at $5.00 per line). Most players run all 20 lines, which sets a practical minimum of $2.00 per spin at the lowest coin size. Wins on regular paylines are calculated against your line bet — not your total bet — so a 10,000x jackpot hit at $0.10 per line is worth $1,000, not $10,000. Keep that in mind when sizing your stake.
Try this: Run 20 lines at the lowest coin size ($0.10 per line = $2.00 total per spin) for a 20-spin familiarisation session before adjusting your stake.
How to Play Cleopatra
- Set your paylines. Use the Lines control to activate between 1 and 20 paylines. Running all 20 gives the best coverage and activates the full payout potential.
- Set your line bet. Use the +/– controls to choose your coin size per line. This determines how much individual wins pay — your line bet is the multiplier base.
- Check the paytable. Tap the Pays or Paytable button at the top of the screen to review symbol values and bonus conditions before you spin.
- Start a round. Hit Spin, or use Autoplay for a set number of spins. Autoplay pauses when the free spins bonus triggers.
- A win occurs when matching symbols land on consecutive reels from left to right on an active payline. The Sphinx scatter pays regardless of payline position — two or more anywhere on the reels pays out.
- Watch for the Cleopatra wild. When she forms part of a winning line, that win doubles. She substitutes for all symbols except the Sphinx.
- Free spins trigger when 3, 4, or 5 Sphinx scatters land anywhere on the reels simultaneously.
Try this: Activate all 20 paylines at the minimum coin size and run at least 30 spins before adjusting stakes — medium volatility means you need a reasonable sample to feel the rhythm of the base game.
Symbols and Paytable
Cleopatra uses 13 symbols in total — six card royals (9 through Ace, stylised in Egyptian gold) and seven themed symbols. Card royals make up the lower-pay tier: 9, 10, J, Q, and K each pay 5x your line bet for five on a payline, and the Ace pays 6.25x. The themed symbols climb from there.
The Eye of Ra and the Sceptre each pay 12.5x your line bet for five. The golden tablet pays 20x, the lotus flower and scarab beetle each pay 37.5x. All of these are multiplied further if the Cleopatra wild completes the combination (the win doubles) or if the win falls inside the free spins round (the win triples — except five Cleopatra symbols, which pay normally).
The Cleopatra Wild (her close-up portrait) substitutes for all regular symbols and doubles any win it completes. She can appear on any reel. Five Cleopatra symbols on an active payline award 10,000x your line bet — that’s the top jackpot.
The Sphinx Scatter pays 2x your total bet for two appearances, 5x for three, 20x for four, and 100x for five — regardless of where they land on the reels.
Bonus Features
Free Spins (Cleopatra Bonus)
Land 3, 4, or 5 Sphinx scatters anywhere on the reels to trigger 15 free spins. During the entire feature, every winning combination pays 3x the normal amount. The Cleopatra wild still doubles wins it forms part of — so any line win she completes inside the bonus round pays 6x the base value (2x wild multiplier × 3x feature multiplier).
The one exception: five Cleopatra symbols on a payline during free spins do not receive the 3x multiplier. That combination pays the standard 10,000x line bet.
The free spins feature is retriggerable. Land another 3 or more Sphinx scatters during the bonus round and you receive an additional 15 free spins. There is no cap on how many times the feature can retrigger, but the total number of free spins in a single round is capped at 180.
That retrigger potential is the most important thing to understand about Cleopatra. A single bonus entry that keeps retriggering is how players generate the session-defining wins this game is known for. Most sessions won’t see multiple retriggers — but when it happens, the compounding 3x multiplier across 45–180 free spins can produce returns well above the base game’s normal range.
Is Cleopatra Worth Playing?
Pros:
- The free spins feature with a 3x multiplier on all wins (retriggerable up to 180 spins) gives a genuine upside that older-style pokies rarely match.
- Medium volatility means wins come regularly enough that a $20 session rarely goes completely dry.
- The 10,000x line-bet jackpot is achievable — it’s not locked behind a progressive or a jackpot buy.
- Simple controls make it fast and low-effort to play, which suits casual sessions.
Cons:
- RTP of 95.02% is below the current online average — over 1,000 spins at $2.00, you’re theoretically giving up roughly $20 more than a 96% game.
- No second bonus feature of any kind. If the free spins bonus doesn’t trigger, there’s nothing else to play toward.
- Graphics are dated by modern standards. The animations are minimal and the background is static.
- Listed as desktop only on Blackspins — mobile players should verify availability before depositing.
Cleopatra earns its reputation through reliability, not innovation. The 3x multiplier free spins round with retrigger potential is genuinely good for a game of its era, and the 10,000x top prize adds real excitement to every Cleopatra wild landing on the reels. The below-average RTP is the main drawback for regular players. Play it for the bonus — and go in knowing the house edge is slightly steeper than most modern alternatives.
Responsible Gambling
Cleopatra uses a random number generator (RNG) for all outcomes. No spin can predict or influence the next. Results are entirely random regardless of how long you’ve been playing. Set a session budget before you start and stop when you reach it. If gambling stops being enjoyable, reach out to a responsible gambling support service in your region.