Bonus Wheel Bonus Wheel
A bonus feature where a big wheel appears and spins when certain symbols or conditions are met, awarding the prize, multiplier, free spins, or jackpot on the segment where the pointer stops.
| English | Bonus Wheel |
|---|---|
| Classification | Game Features |
| English name | Bonus Wheel (Wheel Bonus) |
| Category | Bonus feature |
| Best-known origin | IGT Wheel of Fortune (field test in December 1996) |
| Reward types | Prizes, multipliers, free spins, jackpots |
| Outcome decided by | RNG (game math model) |
| Best-known online game | Mega Fortune (NetEnt, 2009) |
Overview
A bonus wheel is a slot feature where, when certain conditions are met, a wheel-shaped bonus screen opens and you receive the reward shown on the segment where the wheel stops. The segments can hold cash prizes (a multiple of your bet), win multipliers, a number of free spins, jackpots, and more. Depending on the game, it goes by different names such as “Wheel of Fortune,” “Jackpot Wheel,” or “Multiplier Wheel.”
The wheel spin looks flashy, but the result is decided by the RNG, just like any other slot result. The share of segments you see on screen is not guaranteed to match the real odds, because the weight of each outcome is built into the game’s math model.
It started with land-based slot machines
The game that popularized the wheel bonus is generally considered to be IGT‘s land-based slot “Wheel of Fortune.” Based on the American TV quiz show, this machine began field testing at the Mirage casino in Las Vegas in December 1996. It had a real spinning wheel mounted on top of the cabinet, and when the conditions were met, the player pressed a “Spin the Wheel” button to spin it.
IGT has said the series has grown to more than 300 versions and has created more than 1,200 millionaires. The wheel bonus in online slots can be seen as a move of this physical wheel into an on-screen presentation (History of slot machines).
Types of rewards a wheel can give
| Type | What goes in the wheel segments | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Prize wheel | Cash prizes worth a multiple of your bet | Mega Fortune outer wheel |
| Multiplier wheel | A multiplier applied to that spin or to the whole bonus | Wheel O` Gold, Fire Joker |
| Free spins wheel | Number of free spins or type of bonus | Legacy of Egypt, Mystic Wheel |
| Tiered jackpot wheel | Landing on an arrow segment moves you up to the inner wheel, with the jackpot on the innermost one | Mega Fortune |
A tiered wheel starts on the outer wheel, and each time it stops on an arrow segment, you move one wheel further in. The prizes get bigger toward the center, and the last wheel has a jackpot segment.
Wheel slots you can find on AI Slot
| Games | Highlights | RTP | Max win |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Fortune | 3 or more bonus symbols trigger a 3-tier wheel bonus, with the Mega Jackpot on the innermost wheel | 96.6% | 1,700x |
| Legacy of Egypt | 3 or more scatters spin the “Wheel of the Gods” for up to 20 free spins | 94.5% | 5,000x |
| Fire Joker | A full screen of the same symbol spins the multiplier wheel | 94.23% | 800x |
| Mystic Wheel | The wheel awards extra spins and multipliers together | 96.16% | 10,194x |
| Wheel O` Gold | When 5 tumbles chain together in one spin, the wheel decides a 2x-50x multiplier | 96.02% | 10,000x |
| Big Money Wheel | On the last free spin, a mystery symbol brings in the wheel | 96.07% | 12,000x |
In more recent games, the wheel is often tied to other features such as free spins or tumbles rather than used as a standalone bonus. In Wheel O` Gold, for example, the wheel sets the multiplier and then leads back into free spins. Checking in a free demo when the same wheel appears is the quickest way to understand it.
