An expanding wild is a wild symbol that grows to cover its whole reel when it lands, so it substitutes in every position on that reel at once. On a payline game that can complete wins on many lines in one go.
What expanding wilds are
A normal wild sits in one position and stands in for other symbols there. An expanding wild lands in one position and then stretches up and down to fill the reel. Some versions grow wider than one reel, or grow in a cross shape. Expanding wilds are a staple of video slots and are often paired with a free respin while the expanded reel holds.
How it works, step by step
- You place a stake and the reels stop.
- A wild lands on an eligible reel, often limited to the middle reels.
- The wild expands to cover all positions on that reel.
- Wins are evaluated with the whole reel acting as wild.
- If the game has wild respins, the expanded reel holds and the other reels spin again. Another wild landing may expand and add a further respin.
- All wins are added for the spin total.
Common variations
- Always expand vs expand to win: some wilds expand every time; others only if expanding completes a win.
- Multiplier wilds: the expanded wild carries a multiplier applied to wins it is part of.
- Expanding symbols: in many free spins rounds, a randomly chosen symbol expands to fill its reel whenever it lands and pays on any position, even on non-adjacent reels in some games.
- Sticky expanding wilds: the expanded reel stays for several spins, as a sticky wild.
- Expanding to adjacent reels: some wilds spread sideways, covering several reels.
- Nudging wilds: a stacked wild that partly lands may nudge into place to fill the reel.
What it does to the maths and the feel
A single full-reel wild on a middle reel can connect many lines or ways at once, so these spins pay noticeably more than average. Because the designer has to budget for that, expanding wilds are usually balanced by lower pays elsewhere. Games whose main feature is a frequent expanding wild with respins tend to sit at the lower to middle end of volatility, with regular moderate wins. Games that combine expanding symbols with free spins can be much more volatile, because a high-paying symbol filling several reels is rare but valuable.
Either way, the long-run return is fixed by the game's RTP. An expanding wild is a feature of the distribution, not extra money on top.
Rules in Great Britain
Expanding wild games are available on GB-licensed sites, under the usual stake limits and game design rules. Wild respins are part of the same game cycle and need no further stake.
Questions people ask
Does an expanding wild always expand?
In some games it expands every time it lands; in others only when it would complete a win. The info screen says which rule applies.
What is an expanding symbol?
A regular symbol, usually chosen at the start of free spins, that expands to fill its reel when it lands and pays on any position. It works like an expanding wild but only for itself.
Do expanding wilds improve my chances?
They make particular spins better, but the game's RTP already includes them. They change how the return is spread, not how much it is over time.