Cleopatra slot review

Why the Cleopatra slot is still a lobby regular

Cleopatra comes from the generation of slots designed for casino floors before online play took over, and it is usually the first title named among IGT’s best-known games, alongside Da Vinci Diamonds and Wolf Run. IGT, headquartered in Las Vegas, has since been combined with Everi and, from 1 July 2025, owned by funds managed by Apollo, but Cleopatra has stayed a fixture through all of it.

Its appeal is the opposite of a modern grid game. There are no cascades, no collection meters and no lives. You get a wild that doubles, a scatter that starts free spins, and a round where everything pays three times as much. For players who like classic slots with modern presentation, that simplicity is the point.

Cleopatra layout, paylines and line bets

The game uses a standard 5x3 grid with 20 paylines. Wins pay from left to right on those lines, starting from the first reel. The symbol set mixes Egyptian imagery with lower-value card ranks, and the paytable lists what each pays.

Because the game is built around lines, its paytable is often shown per line bet rather than per total stake, and that trips up a lot of players. On a 20-line game, a 20p total stake is 1p per line. A symbol paying 100 on the paytable then means 100 × 1p = £1, which is 5x your total stake, not 100x.

If the paytable on your casino’s version shows values in pounds for your current stake, it has already done this sum for you. Our guide to reading a slot paytable explains both formats, and the total bet glossary entry covers the terms.

The Cleopatra wild: substitution and double wins

The Cleopatra symbol is the wild. It stands in for the other symbols on a line, except the Sphinx scatter, and any line win it helps complete is doubled.

In practice, a 2x line win completed with the help of a wild on a £1 stake (5p per line) becomes 4x: 20p instead of 10p. The doubling only applies where the wild is part of the winning line, so a wild sitting elsewhere on the grid doesn’t affect other wins.

Cleopatra free spins: how the Sphinx round works

The Sphinx is the scatter. It pays wherever it lands, and three or more anywhere on the reels start the bonus.

1. Land three or more Sphinx symbols anywhere on the reels in one spin.
2. The scatter win is paid and 15 free spins are awarded at your triggering stake.
3. Every win during the free spins is tripled.
4. Three or more Sphinxes during the round add another 15 spins, up to the game’s limit of 180 in total.
5. When the spins run out, the round’s total is added to your balance.

The tripling applies to every win, including wild-assisted lines, so the wild’s doubling and the round’s tripling work together; the game’s rules confirm exactly how they combine. The ability to retrigger is what gives the round its upside: most rounds end after the first 15 spins, but a retrigger or two can turn a modest bonus into a much larger one.

Cleopatra RTP of 95.02% compared with modern slots

Cleopatra’s RTP is 95.02%, so the theoretical edge is £4.98 per £100 staked. That’s noticeably lower than many modern online slots, which commonly publish top figures around 96% to 96.5%. The gap is small per spin but real over time.

Some players are happy to pay that difference for a game they know and enjoy; others prefer to pick from higher-RTP titles. Either way, look at the help screen at your casino, because the version on offer can differ. See what is a good RTP for a slot and our high RTP slots list.

Volatility, sessions and the max win

Cleopatra is rated medium volatility. Twenty lines produce regular small wins, the wild’s doubling lifts some of them, and the free spins supply the larger results. A £20 budget at 20p a spin covers 100 spins before returns, and at 95.02% the average theoretical cost of those 100 spins is about £1. Actual sessions range widely around that.

We haven’t been able to verify a single max win figure that holds across versions, so we don’t quote one; the game’s rules state the cap that applies to the version you’re playing. Because free spins triple wins and can run to 180 spins, the round is where the game’s largest outcomes come from. Our max win guide explains how caps are set.

Cleopatra and UK slot rules

Online versions in Great Britain follow the same rules as every other slot. There’s no autoplay, so each spin needs a press; spins take at least 2.5 seconds; and the stake limit is £5 per spin for players 25 and over and £2 for those aged 18 to 24. You can play a demo at casinos that offer one, but only after your age has been verified. The UK slot game design rules explain each requirement.

Cleopatra vs other Egyptian and IGT slots

Pharaoh’s Fortune is IGT’s other Egyptian favourite, with a higher top RTP. Book of Dead is the high-volatility alternative built on an expanding symbol, while Le Pharaoh shows how far modern Egyptian slots have moved from the 5x3 formula. Browse more on our Egyptian slots page and the IGT studio page.

Cleopatra pros, cons and who will enjoy it

Cleopatra suits players who want a familiar, straightforward Egyptian slot with one well-understood bonus. If RTP is your priority, compare it with higher-return titles before settling on it.

Where to play Cleopatra

Use the lobby search at a UKGC-licensed casino to find Cleopatra and check the RTP and max win in its rules. Ladbrokes gives up to 500 spins (18+, new customers, £10+ on slots, 50 a day for 10 days on selected games, 10p each, no wagering) and Coral 100 spins for £10 on slots (selected games, 10p, no wagering); terms apply.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Set a deposit limit before you play: how to set limits. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.