Features of the Game
Book of Shadows Slot Reels, Rows and Paylines
Aside from a book-related and dark theme, what really sets this title apart from slots at sweepstakes casinos are manual Shadow Rows. This feature allows players to pick their own row in the grid before playing with a sweepstakes coin. The standard setup looks like this:
- 5 reels, 3 to 5 rows of symbols (11 total), left- to-right-paylines only.
- Expands by clicking on the top half of the reel-window, no menus.
- Adds another payline as rows are added (10-20 active).
- Increases cost-per-spin as rows are added.
- Players may lock in window shape (rows) and cost-per-spin before playing.
The Row Count You Pick Locks in More Than Payline Cost
When deciding how many Shadow Rows to activate, players will often simply consider how much they want to spend, as activating additional rows increases the cost per spin. However, an easily overlooked aspect of this decision is that the number of active rows when Free Spins is triggered also impacts the number of free spins received, ranging from 6-10 spins at 3 rows to 10-14 spins at 5 rows. Thus, a player betting at 3 rows to limit costs is simultaneously limiting their potential Free Spins payout should they trigger the feature, while a player betting at 5 rows is ensuring that they will receive a longer Free Spins sequence should they trigger the feature.
Book of Shadows RTP, Volatility, Bet Limits, and Hit Frequency
A high volatility slot, the game’s published return changes based on how it’s configured. Its starting RTP of 96.01% at 3 rows increases to 96.07% at 4 rows, and 96.19% at 5. Buy versions of the feature publish even higher numbers, at 96.20%, 96.29% and 96.43%, placing Book of Shadows in the high RTP sweepstakes slots when the buy feature is included in calculations.
Hit frequency of 33.33% means roughly one in three spins lands some win, but most are small. Free spins trigger about once every 154 spins, so dry spells of 200 to 400 spins without the bonus are statistically ordinary. At $1 per spin, a 300-spin drought represents $300 of exposure with nothing to show for it.
How to Trigger the Free Spins Bonus in Book of Shadows at Sweepstakes Casinos
Triggering the Free Spins round is the main objective with Book of Shadows, and reaching it efficiently when playing with Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins from a sweepstakes casino requires a little more strategy than just pulling the spin button. These four steps break down exactly how the trigger works and how to structure your session around it.
Step 1
Set Your Shadow Rows Before the First Spin
Book of Shadows begins on a 5×3 grid but expands to 4 or 5 rows when you click the top part of the reel. Since Book of Shadows free spins requirement is 3 or more Book of Shadows symbols appearing on the grid, expanding allows those scatter symbols more room to hit, albeit at an increased per-spin cost in Sweeps Coins.
Step 2
Watch for 3 or More Book of Shadows Symbols
The trigger is rather easy. Land 3, 4, or 5 Book of Shadows symbols on the reels on an active spin. Since the symbol is also a Wild, near-miss combos can appear to be winners. Keep track of how many scatters you have rather than thinking a large paying line means you are near the bonus.
Step 3
Choose Whether to Reshuffle the Golden Symbol
At the start of Free Spins, one Golden symbol is randomly selected and will expand across that reel when it lands in a winning combination. Only one reshuffle will be granted if the initial pick does not land on a top-tier symbol. Opting before-hand to reshuffle any symbol outside of the top five pay groups will maintain momentum and preserve Sweeps Coin value instead of expanding a low-value symbol.
Step 4
Know How the Feature Buy Option Works
Book of Shadows also offers players the option of a Nolimit Bonus feature buy, available for 60x, 90x or 120x the bet based on how many rows are filled, which immediately takes players into Free Spins. Since this places all of your spend into one rapid-fire round instead of dolled out over dozens of spins, know how much it costs and evaluate that into your SC budget prior to deciding.
Top-Rated Sweepstakes Casino Sites for Playing Book of Shadows with GC and Free SC
Book of Shadows can be found right now at these select Nolimit City casinos that offer sweepstakes. They each have their own promotions of Gold Coin and Sweeps Coin packages to start playing.
| Casino | Welcome Bonus |
|---|---|
| High 5 Casino | 250 GC + 5 SC + 600 Diamonds |
| McLuck Casino | 7,500 GC + 2.5 SC |
| WOW Vegas Casino | 1.75 million WOW Coins + 35 SC for $9.99 |
| Legendz Casino | 500 GC + 3 SC |
Full Paytable and Symbol Values of Book of Shadows
All figures below are given as per-line payouts at the highest 20-payline (5-row) setting. The payouts decrease accordingly at 3 or 4 row settings as there are less active paylines.
| Symbol | 5x | 4x | 3x | 2x |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book of Shadows (Pentagram Book, Wild/Scatter) | 500.00 | - | - | - |
| Woman | 500.00 | 10.00 | 2.00 | 1.00 |
| Purple Cat | 150.00 | 9.00 | 1.60 | 0.50 |
| Ram Skull | 100.00 | 8.00 | 1.40 | 0.40 |
| Green Moth | 75.00 | 7.50 | 1.20 | 0.30 |
| Blue Eye | 50.00 | 7.00 | 1.00 | 0.20 |
| A | 25.00 | 6.00 | 0.80 | - |
| K | 20.00 | 6.00 | 0.80 | - |
| Q | 15.00 | 5.00 | 0.50 | - |
| J | 12.50 | 5.00 | 0.50 | - |
| 10 | 10.00 | 5.00 | 0.50 | - |
Book of Shadows Sweeps Slots Bonus Round and Feature Mechanics
Book of Shadows packs more bonus depth than most titles found at the best sweepstakes casinos, combining a scalable Free Spins round with two distinct gamble paths and two separate buy-in tools. The current live feature set includes Shadow Rows, Free Spins, a Golden symbol selection with one reshuffle, retriggers, a 50/50 gamble, a Wheel of Bonus gamble-to-feature, a feature buy, and a separate booster for row expansion.
- Free Spins: Triggered by landing 3 or more Book of Shadows symbols. Amount won scales with how many rows are active when triggered; players receive 6-10 spins at 3 rows and 10-14 spins at 5 rows.
- Golden Symbol: A single symbol is randomly selected at the beginning of Free Spins mode. If this symbol lands on a winning line it will expand to cover the entire reel. Players will automatically be given one reshuffle if the golden symbol is not a high-tier symbol.
- Retriggers: Players can land 3+ Book of Shadows symbols during Free spins to retrigger the free spins feature.
Nolimit Bonus (Direct Feature Buy): Allows players to skip directly to Free Spins mode for a set cost of between 60x (3 rows) and 120x (5 rows). Free spins awarded range from 10 spins at 96.20% RTP (3 rows) – 10 spins at 96.43% RTP (5 rows). - Nolimit Booster: Alternative buy feature for players wanting to expand the grid only. Costs 1.5x the bet amount for 4 rows and 2x for 5 rows.
- 50/50 Gamble: Players can wager base game wins on a simple double-or-nothing game. Players can only gamble up to five times in a row and win up to $25,000 per gamble streak.
- Wheel of Bonus: A separate gamble-to-feature option that risks winnings on a wheel spin for direct entry into 10 Free Spins at the active Shadow Rows setting, available only while winnings stay under 60x the bet.
Other Nolimit City Slots to Try at Sweepstakes Casinos
Book of Shadows is hardly Nolimit City’s first or last title when it comes to high volatility and comprehensive features. Here are three other NLC games you can find at many sweepstakes casinos, including the newest sweepstakes casinos online.
- Duck Hunters: If you liked Book of Shadows’ xExpand mechanic but found the book theme a bit too heavy-handed, check out Duck Hunters. A grimly humorous riff on the hunting-cabin motif, Duck Hunters combines an xNudge/xSplit mechanic with Nolimit City’s characteristic house edge and should appeal to players who want something a little less serious.
- Mental: Fans of Book of Shadows who are already comfortable tackling Nolimit City’s baroque approach to volatility will appreciate Mental’s overstuffed psychiatric hospital theme. Built around a cluster of bonus triggers and buy-ins, Mental leans into the studio’s trademark sandpaper graphics and will reward players who enjoy pulling back the curtain on a slot’s bonus architecture.
- Deadwood: NlC has a handful of crime- and frontier-inspired games, and Deadwood is a highly-recommended entry from that batch. Mixing an xExpand mechanic with the buy-in options Players have come to expect from Nolimit City slots, Deadwood will feel familiar to fans of Book of Shadows in tone and mechanics but transports players to a wholly new world.
Closing Verdict on Book of Shadows
Book of Shadows stands out for expandable Wilds, an above-average free spins round and clear-cut published numbers and 30,338x max exposure. What it gives up in return is no mystery either: very high volatility, rapid balance fluctuations and configuration-based RTPs that cause a level of complexity not every player will likely enjoy. Book of Shadows is for seasoned players who can tolerate variance with a predetermined bankroll and realize the largest jackpot is awarded once every 10 billion spins. If you play on a low budget or like seeing some consistency in your play, avoid this slot.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the Max Win of the Book Of Shadows Slot?
The highest win on Book of Shadows is 30,338x your stake and the official odds of winning are 1 in 10,000,000,000 rounds. So while possible, it is extremely unlikely.
How Often Does the Book of Shadows Free Spins Round Trigger at Sweepstakes Casinos?
The free spins round is triggered approximately once every 154 spins, based on published data. Extended sequences of 200-400 spins without triggering the bonus are completely normal for this game.
Does Going from 3 Rows to 5 Rows Help in the Book of Shadows Slot?
Increasing from 3 rows to 5 rows in Book of Shadows creates more paylines and bumps up the published RTP barely from 96.01% to 96.19%. Book of Shadows also increases the total cost per spin, so the pressure on your bankroll increases as well.
Does Buying the Bonus in Book of Shadows Make Sense?
The Book of Shadows bonus buy has a slightly higher (published) RTP of up to 96.43% at 5 rows than the standard game, but its 60x to 120x wager requirement maintains a high volatility. You can still lose your entire bet.
What is the Difference Between the Wheel of Bonus and the 50/50 Gamble in the Book of Shadows Sweeps Slot?
The 50/50 gamble is simply a heads or tails double-or-nothing wager on your win, maxing out at five successive gambles. The Wheel of Bonus option gambles away your win for a direct game at 10 Free Spins, but only if your winnings are less than 60x your bet.