Three layers of a slot
Every mechanic in the lobby belongs to one of three layers, and the layers stack. The reel structure sets how symbols are arranged and how wins are counted. The symbol behaviour sets what a special symbol does when it lands. The bonus structure sets what the feature round is and how it is reached. A single game can carry one of each: Megaways reels, sticky wilds, and a feature buy, say. Casino Mechanics lists a game under every mechanic it uses, so a title can appear on three shelves.
Layer | Mechanics on the shelf | What it decides |
Reel structure | Paylines, ways, Megaways, cluster pays, scatter pays, Infinity Reels | How a win is counted |
Symbol behaviour | Sticky wilds, expanding wilds, walking wilds, multiplier wilds, cascades | What happens after a symbol lands |
Bonus structure | Free spins, hold and win, feature buy, progressive jackpot, pick bonus | Where the game's return is concentrated |
Reel structure
Paylines and ways
The oldest layer. Paylines are fixed routes across the reels; a win must sit on one. Ways count matching symbols on adjacent reels from the left in any row, 243 on a five-by-three grid, 1,024 on five-by-four. Dead or Alive 2 runs nine lines; Immortal Romance runs 243 ways. The shelf at Casino Mechanics holds both because the difference changes how a wild is valued: on lines a wild helps the routes it sits on, on ways it helps every route through its reel.
Megaways
Big Time Gaming's engine deals each of six reels a random height from two to seven symbols, so the ways change every spin, up to 117,649. Bonanza, Extra Chilli, The Dog House Megaways, Buffalo Rising Megaways and Book Of Cats Megaways are on the shelf, with the free spin rule listed beside each because the licence covers the reels and not the bonus.
Cluster pays and scatter pays
Cluster pays rewards touching blocks of matching symbols on a grid, five or more in Reactoonz and Jammin' Jars, three in Moon Princess. Scatter pays rewards enough matching symbols anywhere on the grid, eight in Sweet Bonanza and Gates of Olympus, touching or not. The two are shelved separately at Casino Mechanics because they are confused constantly and are not the same rule.
Infinity Reels
ReelPlay's engine starts with three reels and adds one on the right after every win, with no limit and an 888x bonus at twelve added reels. El Dorado Infinity Reels and Thor Infinity Reels are the reference titles. Shelved beside Megaways with a note that one changes reel height and the other reel count.
Symbol behaviour
Sticky wilds
A wild that keeps its position for the rest of the feature. Dead or Alive 2 lets it upgrade when a second wild lands on it; The Dog House and Wild West Gold stamp a multiplier on it; Wanted Dead or a Wild makes it one of three bonus rounds. The shelf lists reel coverage and multiplier rule for each.
Expanding wilds
A wild that grows to fill its reel for one spin, or one respin. Starburst is the reference, with its wild held for up to three respins. Shelved with a note separating it from the expanding symbol of book-style games, which is not a wild.
Walking wilds
A wild that moves one reel per spin, respinning until it leaves the grid. Jack and the Beanstalk and Wild Toro are the reference titles.
Cascades
Winning symbols are removed and replaced, and the reels are checked again. Gonzo's Quest climbs a multiplier ladder, Gates of Olympus collects multiplier orbs, Bonanza counts reactions without limit. Shelved by multiplier design because that is what sets the bankroll.
Bonus structure
Free spins
The common round: scatters award spins with a rule change inside them. Nearly every game in the lobby has one, and the shelf sorts them by what changes: sticky wilds, multipliers, expanding symbols, extra reels.
Hold and win
Six coins lock, three respins begin, each new coin resets the count, and the total is paid at the end with Mini to Grand tiers. 3 Pyramids of Gold, 5 Relics of Power, Coin Strike, Royal Joker and Sunny Coin 10000 are on the shelf, with Money Train 2 as the most elaborate version.
Feature buy
A fixed price, usually 50x to 100x the stake, to start the bonus at once. Gates of Olympus, Sweet Bonanza and The Dog House Megaways at 100x; Extra Chilli's falling Feature Drop from 50x; San Quentin's price ladder. Hidden in markets where it is not permitted.
Progressive jackpot
A prize pool fed by a share of every bet, won by a wheel, a combination or a collect bonus. Mega Moolah for network pools, Divine Fortune for local ones, Jackpot Play titles for a layered version. Shelved with the pool type and bet rule beside each game.
The summary table
Mechanic | Layer | Reference games | Typical volatility | Stake floor |
Paylines | Reel | Dead or Alive 2, Starburst | Low to very high | 100 to 500 |
Megaways | Reel | Bonanza, The Dog House Megaways | Medium to high | 200 to 500 |
Cluster pays | Reel | Reactoonz, Jammin' Jars | Medium to high | 100 to 500 |
Infinity Reels | Reel | El Dorado Infinity Reels | Medium | 200 |
Sticky wilds | Symbol | Dead or Alive 2, The Dog House | High | 300 to 500 |
Expanding wilds | Symbol | Starburst | Low | 100 |
Cascades | Symbol | Gonzo's Quest, Gates of Olympus | Medium to high | 100 to 500 |
Hold and win | Bonus | Coin Strike, 3 Pyramids of Gold | Medium-high | 200 to 300 |
Feature buy | Bonus | Gates of Olympus, Extra Chilli | Set by the round | 30 buys |
Progressive | Bonus | Mega Moolah, Divine Fortune | Base game low, pool rare | 200 |
The stake floor is the balance, in stakes, that Casino Mechanics suggests for a fair session on the mechanic's reference games. It is printed on every game page beside the maximum win, and it changes with the studio's own rules, which is why the table gives ranges.
One theme, two mechanics
The clearest way to see why Casino Mechanics sorts by mechanic is to take two games that look alike. The Dog House and The Dog House Megaways share artwork, music and a studio. The first runs twenty paylines on a fixed five-by-three grid with sticky multiplier wilds in free spins; the second runs up to 117,649 ways on reels of changing height and offers a choice of sticky or raining wilds. In the lobby they sit on different reel shelves and the same symbol shelf, and their stake floors differ by a hundred. A player who chose by theme would treat them as one game. They are not, and the tags say so.
The reverse is also true. Dead or Alive 2 and Wanted Dead or a Wild have different studios, different grids and different artwork, and both are sticky wild games with a high floor. A player who liked one will very probably like the other, and the sticky wild shelf puts them side by side.
Matching a mechanic to a bankroll
The three layers make a bankroll rule possible without a formula. The reel structure sets how often something pays: paylines and cluster grids with small minimums pay often, Megaways and Infinity Reels less so. The symbol behaviour sets how large the occasional win is: expanding wilds and ladders keep it modest, sticky wilds with multipliers and unlimited counters let it run. The bonus structure sets how much of the return is hidden in a rare round: hold and win and progressives hide most of it, expanding-wild respins hide little. A player with a hundred stakes wants a mechanic that pays often, keeps wins modest and hides little; a player with five hundred can afford the opposite. Casino Mechanics tags every game on all three so the match can be made before the deposit.
Bonuses and wagering
Every promotion at Casino Mechanics shows its wagering requirement, game weighting and stake cap while the bonus is active, and states whether feature buy and progressive games are included. High-variance mechanics can breach a stake cap in one round, and a stake above the cap voids the bonus, so the cap is the line to read first. Free spin awards are tied to a named game at a fixed stake. Cashback, where offered, is calculated on net losses over the stated period with its own terms alongside.
Cashier
Balances are in EUR. Deposits by Visa, Mastercard, Skrill, Neteller, Trustly and paysafecard are credited on confirmation. Withdrawals return to cards, e-wallets or bank transfer after identity and address verification; e-wallets are released first, and paysafecard cannot receive payouts. A document uploaded at sign-up keeps the first withdrawal from being held for checks.
- Visa and Mastercard. Deposits and withdrawals.
- Skrill and Neteller. Deposits and the quickest withdrawals.
- Trustly. Bank payments without card details.
- paysafecard. Prepaid deposits only.
Phone play
The lobby runs in any phone browser without an app, and the mechanic tags are the filters on the phone lobby as well. Square grids, six-reel Megaways boards and growing Infinity Reels grids each fit portrait with their counters above the reels. Stake and feature buy controls sit behind a menu icon; confirm the stake before the first spin. Balance, bonus progress and limits follow the login.
Safer play
Casino Mechanics is for adults of legal gambling age. Deposit limits, loss limits, session reminders, time-outs and self-exclusion are in account settings, with lower limits taking effect at once and higher ones after a cooling-off period. Mechanics that hide their return in a rare round ask for a limit set for the wait, not for the round. Independent help is available from Gamblers Anonymous (https://www.gamblersanonymous.org).
Support
The help centre at Casino Mechanics is arranged by the same three layers as the lobby, with a page per mechanic explaining its rule and its reference games, and separate pages for verification, withdrawals, limits and bonus terms. The support team is reached by chat or contact form from the account menu; account matters are handled only with the verified holder.
Frequently asked questions
What is a slot mechanic?
The rule that decides how a slot pays: how wins are counted, what special symbols do, and what the bonus round is.
Can one game appear under several mechanics?
Yes. A game is listed under every mechanic it uses, so The Dog House Megaways appears under Megaways, sticky wilds and feature buy.
Which mechanic suits a small balance?
Paylines or small-grid clusters with expanding wilds or ladders and no hidden bonus: Starburst, Moon Princess, Gonzo's Quest.
Is cluster pays the same as scatter pays?
No. Cluster pays needs touching symbols; scatter pays counts them anywhere on the grid.
Can I try each mechanic in demo?
Yes. Every game opens in demo without an account at the same RTP version as real play.
What currency does Casino Mechanics use?
EUR for accounts, deposits and withdrawals.
Pick a layer, open its reference game in demo, and see whether the rule suits you before you choose a theme. Casino Mechanics tags every new release on all three layers on the day it ships.
