A wheel bonus is a bonus round in which a prize wheel spins to award a cash prize, a multiplier, a feature or a jackpot. It is one of the most recognisable slot features and appears in both online and land-based games.
What a wheel bonus is
The wheel is divided into segments, each labelled with a prize. You trigger the bonus, the wheel spins, and the segment that ends under the pointer is your prize. Some wheels have several rings, or a segment that sends you to a second, more valuable wheel.
A digital wheel is not a physical one. The result is chosen by the random number generator, and the animation shows it landing. The chance of each segment is set in the game's maths and does not have to match how big it looks.
How it works, step by step
- You trigger the bonus in the base game, usually with a set number of bonus symbols.
- The wheel appears. Some games let you see all segments before the spin.
- The wheel spins and stops on a segment.
- You are awarded that prize: cash (as a multiple of the stake), a number of free spins, a multiplier, an upgrade to an outer wheel, or a jackpot.
- If the segment says spin again or move up, the process repeats.
- The total is paid at the stake of the triggering spin.
Common variations
- Multi-level wheels: an outer or second wheel with bigger prizes, reached through an upgrade segment.
- Jackpot wheels: wheels whose segments include fixed jackpots or a progressive jackpot.
- Feature wheels: the wheel picks which bonus you get.
- Multiplier wheels: a wheel that sets a multiplier for a later round.
- Pick-to-spin: a pick bonus decides which wheel, or how many spins, you get.
What it does to the maths and the feel
A wheel bonus's value is the average of its possible outcomes, weighted by their probabilities, and that average is part of the game's RTP. Wheels designed with many modest prizes and a few rare big ones feel generous to look at, but large segments do not mean large chances. Jackpot segments in particular can be visually prominent and statistically rare.
Wheels with a jackpot or a multi-level structure tend to add volatility, because most spins land a modest prize and a few land something much larger.
Rules in Great Britain
Wheel bonuses are available on GB-licensed sites, under the usual stake limits and game design rules. The wheel spin is part of the game cycle that triggered it, and a prize equal to or less than the stake cannot be celebrated with sounds or imagery.
Questions people ask
Is every segment of the wheel equally likely?
Not necessarily. On a digital wheel the probability of each segment is set by the game's maths, so a segment's size on screen is not a reliable guide to its chance.
Do I need to stop the wheel myself?
In most games you start the spin and the result is already decided by the random number generator. Any button you press is presentation.
Can a wheel bonus award a jackpot?
Many do, either a fixed jackpot or a progressive one. The paytable shows the possible prizes.