Cleopatra Slots Review - Wild Multipliers, Sphinx Scatters & Free Spins

Cleopatra Slot - Editor’s Comment

Cleopatra is one of those slots that has been around so long it feels like part of the furniture. The appeal is not complexity. It is a 20-payline game with a wild, a scatter and a free spins round, and that is essentially it. In a market full of Megaways engines and cluster-pays hybrids, that simplicity is either the point or the problem, depending on what you want from a session.

The rules show a game that rewards patience rather than constant action. The Cleopatra symbol substitutes for other symbols and doubles the line win when it does. The Sphinx is the scatter: three, four or five anywhere on the reels trigger the Cleopatra Bonus, which awards 15 free spins with all wins tripled, excluding five Cleopatra symbols. Retriggers during the bonus can extend the round. DraftKings Casino's Cleopatra guide

What we like is that the bonus is genuinely the centre of the game rather than a side attraction. What we are less keen on is that the base game can feel thin between triggers, and the visual presentation is dated compared with modern Egyptian-themed releases. That is not a flaw in the maths, but it is worth knowing before you start.

What We Liked

• The Cleopatra wild doubles line wins when it substitutes, which gives the base game a clear purpose.
• The Sphinx scatter pays in any position and triggers the free spins round.
• Free spins carry a 3x multiplier on all wins except five Cleopatra symbols.
• Retriggers can extend the bonus round.
• The 20-payline structure is easy to understand for players coming from classic three-reel games.

What is the Cleopatra Slot?

Cleopatra is an IGT video slot with an ancient Egyptian theme. The reels are populated with Cleopatra herself, a Sphinx, a scarab beetle, a fan, a cartouche, the crook and flail, and the Eye of Horus, alongside standard card symbols. The game uses a 5-reel, 3-row layout with 20 paylines, and the rules require at least three identical symbols on a selected payline to form a win.

The Cleopatra symbol acts as the wild. It substitutes for all symbols except the Sphinx, and when it completes a payline the win is doubled. The Sphinx is the scatter and the bonus trigger: three, four or five Sphinx symbols anywhere on the reels start the Cleopatra Bonus, which awards 15 free spins with all wins tripled, again excluding five Cleopatra symbols.

It is important not to confuse this game with Cleopatra II. The sequel, also from IGT, uses a different bonus structure. The original Cleopatra does not use a pick bonus or a rising multiplier; its free spins carry a flat 3x multiplier. Treating the two as the same game is a common mistake. Hard Rock Games' Cleopatra II overview

Cleopatra Slot Machine At A Glance

The table below summarises the core structure of the original Cleopatra slot as described in the game's published rules. It does not include RTP or volatility because those figures are not stated in the available official game information.

The absence of an RTP figure in the official material is worth noting. IGT does not publish a single RTP for Cleopatra in the sources available here, and RTP can vary between markets and versions. If you see a specific percentage quoted elsewhere, check whether it refers to the exact version you are playing.

Cleopatra Slot RTP, Payout and Volatility

We do not have a verified RTP figure for the original Cleopatra slot from the available official sources, so we are not going to publish one. RTP is a long-run theoretical average, not a prediction for a session, and it can differ between jurisdictions and game versions. If a casino or review site quotes a number, the useful question is which version that number applies to.

What the rules do tell us is how the payouts are structured. Line wins are based on the line bet, and the Cleopatra wild doubles the line win when it substitutes. During the Cleopatra Bonus, all wins are tripled except five Cleopatra symbols. DraftKings Casino's guide

Volatility is not formally stated in the official material either. The structure suggests a game where the base game produces smaller, more frequent line wins and the bonus round carries the larger potential, but that is an observation about the design rather than a published volatility rating. Players who prefer frequent small returns may find the base game slow; players who are chasing the bonus round will understand why the game has lasted as long as it has.

How to Play Cleopatra

Playing Cleopatra is a straightforward process, suitable for both beginners and players who have spent years on Egyptian-themed slots. The controls are standard for an IGT video slot.

1. Set the number of paylines you want to bet on using the minus and plus controls beneath the reels where the game reads "Lines". The game has 20 paylines available.
2. Set your line bet using the minus and plus controls where the game reads "Line Bet". This is the amount wagered per line.
3. Check the Total Bet display. This is the multiple of your lines and line bet, and it is the amount wagered on the next spin.
4. Press the spin button to submit the bet and spin the reels.
5. If you want to use Auto Spin, set your bet first, then press the Auto Spin button and select the number of spins. Auto Spin is only eligible in certain jurisdictions.
6. To stop Auto Spin, press the red square that appears where the Auto Spin button was.

Wins are formed from left to right on selected paylines, with at least three identical symbols required. The Cleopatra wild substitutes for all symbols except the Sphinx. The Sphinx scatter pays in any position and does not need to land on a payline.

Cleopatra Gameplay, Graphics & Sound

The visual style is classic IGT: bold symbols, a gold and sand colour palette, and a layout that keeps the reels front and centre. Cleopatra, the Sphinx, the scarab beetle and the Eye of Horus are the higher-paying symbols, with the card symbols filling out the lower end. The design is not as elaborate as modern Egyptian-themed releases, and the animations are restrained by current standards.

That restraint is part of the game's character. The reels are easy to read, the paytable is accessible from the game screen, and the bonus trigger is visually distinct when the Sphinx symbols land. The sound design follows the same pattern: a themed backing track and standard spin and win effects rather than a cinematic production. Players who grew up on land-based IGT machines will recognise the feel immediately.

The gameplay loop is simple. Spin, watch for Cleopatra wilds to complete or extend paylines, and watch for Sphinx scatters. The bonus round changes the pace because every win is tripled, which makes even modest line hits more meaningful during those 15 spins. If the bonus retriggers, the round extends and the tripled wins continue.

Cleopatra Slot Features

The feature set is deliberately compact. There are no expanding reels, no cascading symbols, no buy-a-bonus option and no progressive jackpot in the original Cleopatra. What the game offers is a wild, a scatter and a free spins round with a multiplier.

The Cleopatra wild is the most active feature in the base game. It substitutes for all symbols except the Sphinx, and when it completes a payline the win is doubled. This is the main reason the base game holds attention between bonus triggers.

The Sphinx scatter is the bonus trigger and also pays scatter wins. Three or more Sphinx symbols anywhere on the reels trigger the Cleopatra Bonus. The scatter does not need to land on a payline, which means the bonus can trigger from any position on the reels.

Bonus Features: Wilds, Multipliers, and Free Spins

Cleopatra Wild

The Cleopatra symbol is the wild. It substitutes for all symbols except the Sphinx and doubles the line win when it substitutes. The wild is the main reason the base game holds attention between bonus triggers.

Sphinx Scatter Wins

The Sphinx is the scatter symbol. It pays in any position, so it does not need to land on a selected payline. Three or more also trigger the Cleopatra Bonus.

Cleopatra Bonus Free Spins

Three, four or five Sphinx symbols anywhere on the reels trigger the Cleopatra Bonus. The bonus awards 15 free spins with all wins tripled, excluding five Cleopatra symbols. The free spins use the same bet per line and number of lines as the triggering spin. Retriggers are possible during the bonus. The 3x multiplier applies to line wins during the bonus, which is what gives the round its potential.

Auto Spin

Auto Spin allows a set number of spins at the same bet. It is only eligible in certain jurisdictions, and it can be stopped at any time by pressing the red square that replaces the Auto Spin button.

Other Cleopatra Features

Beyond the wild, scatter and free spins, the original Cleopatra does not carry additional feature mechanics. There is no gamble feature, no pick bonus and no progressive element. The game's published rules describe the paytable, the wild, the scatter and the Cleopatra Bonus, and that is the complete feature set.

This is worth stating clearly because the Cleopatra name has been used across several IGT releases. Cleopatra II, for example, uses a different bonus structure. Those mechanics belong to the sequel, not to the original. If you are looking for the sequel's features, you are looking for Cleopatra II.

Where to Play Cleopatra

Cleopatra is an IGT game, and IGT slots appear at a range of licensed online casinos and land-based venues. Availability depends on the operator, the market and the specific version of the game. In Ireland, online gambling is regulated by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, and players should check that any operator they use holds the appropriate licence. Our GRAI licensing guide explains the current framework.

If you want to try the game without staking real money, free-play versions are sometimes available at licensed operators and in demo libraries. Our free demo slots section covers how demo play works. Demo versions use virtual credits and do not pay real money, but they use the same reels and rules as the real-money version, so they are a useful way to learn the paytable and the bonus trigger.

We do not list specific sign-up offers or bonus codes here because those terms change and need to be checked against the operator's current published conditions. If you are comparing casinos, our Irish casino reviews cover licensing, payment methods and terms in more detail.

Other Slot Games You Might Enjoy

If you like the Egyptian theme and the free spins structure, a few other games are worth a look. Book of Ra is the other long-running Egyptian classic, with a similar scatter-triggered bonus round. Egyptian Heroes takes the theme in a different direction with a different feature set. Golden Sphinx is another Egyptian-themed option. If you want to compare the original Cleopatra with the sequel, the Cleopatra II rules are set out in the Hard Rock Games overview linked above.