Novomatic slots

Who makes Novomatic slots?

Novomatic is a gambling technology and venue group founded in 1980 by Johann Graf, who still owns it. In the 1970s Graf had run Brodnik & Graf, importing pinball machines from Belgium, before starting the business that became one of Europe’s largest makers of gaming machines. Its headquarters are in Gumpoldskirchen, Lower Austria, and Novomatic’s Wikipedia entry (opens in a new tab) gives a 2021 workforce of 21,173.

Unlike most studios on our slot providers list, Novomatic began with physical cabinets for casinos and arcades and only later moved its games online. That history shows in the games: simple 5 × 3 layouts, few paylines and features that would work on a 2000s casino floor. If you want the wider picture of which firms build land-based machines, see our slot machine manufacturers hub.

Novomatic online slots and Greentube

Online, Novomatic’s games are published mainly by Greentube, a London-founded studio in which Novomatic took a controlling stake in 2010. When you see Book of Ra Deluxe in a UK casino lobby, it is usually labelled Greentube or Novomatic, and both refer to the same family of games. Our separate page on Greentube slots covers the studio’s own releases.

Novomatic group companies hold several Gambling Commission accounts: NOVOMATIC AG (45352), Novomatic Gaming UK Limited (53969) and Greentube Alderney Limited (39050). Licences bring scrutiny. In January 2025 the Commission announced that Greentube Alderney Limited would pay £1m (opens in a new tab) over anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures linked to its Admiral Casino site.

Best-known Novomatic slots and their RTP

These are the Novomatic and Greentube games we hold checked figures for. Where a cell says to check the help screen, no figure was confirmed.

Each has its own breakdown: Book of Ra Deluxe, Sizzling Hot Deluxe, Lucky Lady’s Charm Deluxe, Dolphin’s Pearl Deluxe and Lord of the Ocean.

How Novomatic slot machines work

Most Novomatic classics share one blueprint: five reels, three rows, ten paylines (five on Sizzling Hot Deluxe) and a free games round triggered by three or more scatters. The best known of these is the book mechanic. In Book of Ra Deluxe the book is both wild and scatter, and before the free games start one symbol is chosen to act as a special expanding symbol that can fill whole reels during the feature. Dozens of later book slots copied the idea, which is why our book symbol page traces so many games back to it.

Sizzling Hot Deluxe goes the other way: no free games at all, just fruit symbols, sevens and a star scatter on five lines. It is the online cousin of the classic slot machine, and its medium volatility comes from paying everything in the base game.

Worked example: a 10-line Novomatic spin

1. Choose the total stake, for example £1, spread across 10 lines at 10p each.
2. The RNG picks the stop position on each reel before the reels finish moving.
3. The game checks each of the 10 lines from left to right for three or more matching symbols.
4. Line wins are paid as multiples of the line bet (10p), and scatter wins as multiples of the total bet (£1).
5. Three or more scatters start the free games, which are played at the same stake as the triggering spin.

Novomatic RTP and the cost of play

The Deluxe classics publish RTPs of 95.1% to 95.66%, a little below the 96% many newer studios aim for. Over a long run, the difference adds up: the table shows the average cost of 100 spins at £1, which is the stake multiplied by the house edge. Actual sessions vary widely, especially on the high and very high volatility titles. For more on why, see our explainers on RTP and the house edge.

This game exists in at least two RTP versions. The casino chooses which to run, so the only figure that counts is the one in the help screen. Our page on RTP variants explains why.

Novomatic max win at UK stake limits

Online slot stakes in Great Britain are capped at £5 a spin for players aged 25 and over (from 9 April 2025) and £2 for those aged 18–24 (from 21 May 2025); our page on online slot stake limits has the detail. Applied to the 5,000× figures published for two of the classics, the ceilings look like this. Reaching them is very rare.

Novomatic gaming machines in Britain

Novomatic’s British story is mostly about land-based machines. Its UK holding company, Novomatic UK Ltd, was incorporated on 10 May 1993 as Astra Games Limited and changed its name on 12 January 2015; its registered office is Astra House in Bridgend, Wales, according to the Companies House record (opens in a new tab). Astra Games made Category B, C and D machines for the British market, and by 2019 Bell-Fruit Group, best known for Category C pub fruit machines, was also part of Novomatic UK’s Gaming Technology Group. See our Bell-Fruit Games page for that company’s earlier history.

Novomatic also bought venues. It acquired Luxury Leisure in 2014, now a chain of more than 270 UK gambling venues, and in June 2016 bought Talarius, whose Quicksilver outlets were rebranded Admiral. These high-street venues are mainly adult gaming centres, where Category B3 and B4 machines can make up to 20% of the machines and any number of Category C and D machines may be offered. Category B and C machines are strictly 18+.

The 2019 sale to Inspired

In 2019 Novomatic sold its UK Gaming Technology Group, made up of Gamestec, Playnation, Astra Games, Bell-Fruit Group, Harlequin and Innov8, to Inspired Entertainment. The casino assets were excluded. The price is reported two ways: Inspired’s June 2019 announcement (opens in a new tab) gave the euro equivalent of US$120m, while a completion report on 1 October 2019 cited €104.6m. We give both because the sources differ.

The sale means many machines in British pubs and arcades that once came from Novomatic’s UK companies are now supported by Inspired; see our page on Inspired Entertainment slots. Novomatic kept its UK venues and its online business through Greentube. If you are wondering who supplies the machine in your local, our answer to who makes UK fruit machines lists the main names.

UK rules on Novomatic online slots

Online versions offered in Great Britain follow the rules in force since 31 October 2021: no autoplay, at least 2.5 seconds per spin, no turbo or slam-stop, no win celebrations for returns at or below the stake, and a constant display of your balance and net position. Many Novomatic classics outside the UK include a card-colour gamble after a win; check the UK version’s help screen to see which options it shows. Free demo play needs age verification first. These rules are summarised in our guide to UK slot machine rules.

Are Novomatic slots worth playing?

Novomatic suits players who like old-school games and understand they cost a little more per spin on average. If you are comparing the book format, our Book of Dead vs Book of Ra Deluxe guide sets the two side by side.

Where to play Novomatic slots in the UK

Greentube and Novomatic games appear in many UK casino lobbies, but not all, and lineups change; search the lobby for the title before you register. We make no claim that any partner below carries a particular Novomatic game. For new players aged 18+, Coral gives 100 free spins after a £10 deposit and £10 of slot bets; the spins are 10p each on selected games, must be accepted within 48 hours and used within 7 days, and winnings carry no wagering. Ladbrokes gives 18+ new customers 50 free spins a day for 10 days (up to 500) after they deposit and spend £10 on slots, at 10p a spin on selected games, with no wagering. One person may not be able to hold new accounts at both, since the same company runs them.

PlayOJO offers 18+ new UK customers (not Northern Ireland) 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza, 10p each, with a first deposit of at least £10; winnings are cash with no wagering. Terms apply. Decide your budget before you play and stop when it is used.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Decide a budget before you play: plan a slot budget. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.