Scatters in Online Slot Games

In the world of igaming and online slots you might find yourself confused from time to time. Especially online video slots offer so many different features and different terms and words for said features. We wrote these pages with exactly that in mind; just in case you like the idea of playing online slots, but you’re not sure how they work. This time we’re going to talk about Scatters and everything there is to know about these special symbols. Because at Casumo, we don't just offer you the best casino games, we’re also here to provide you with all kinds of useful information. Now let’s jump right on it!

If you like what you’re reading and you’d like to know more about other features, go ahead and have a look at our Sticky Wilds page.

What are Scatter symbols?

In a nutshell: Scatter symbols are special symbols included in many (but not all!) online video slots that offer a specific trigger mechanic or functionality depending on the slot you are playing. 

Why are Scatters called Scatters? 

The name of this symbol practically gives it away. ‘To scatter’ means ‘thrown in various random directions’ and Scatter symbols behave exactly like that. They’ll be scattered onto the reels without any particular order to get something (like a bonus feature) activated. In most slots, you’ll need to collect three or more Scatters anywhere on the reels to activate the bonus games. So surely you’ll want to keep your eye out for them! Bonus features tend to bring something extra to the game and could increase your win potential. 

Types of Scatter Symbols

Let’s have a look at the different types of Scatter symbols that you might find in online slots. 

• Free spins Scatters: a free spins feature will generally get triggered when you match at least 3 free spins Scatter symbols on the reels. It will most likely trigger between 5 and 10 free spins. For most online slots the rule of ‘the more Scatters the more free spins’ will apply. This could look something along the lines of, ‘get 10 free spins with 3 Scatters, get 20 free spins with 4 Scatters and 50 free spins with 5 Scatters’. This is just an example, of course, but you get the gist. 

• Scatter Wilds: some slots include Scatter symbols that turn into Wild symbols and vice versa. Meaning that if you match a certain number of them you could potentially activate the bonus feature of that slot. 

• Scatters and bonus games: if a slot includes bonus games, they are usually activated by landing at least 3 Scatter symbols on the reels at the same time.

• Cash prize Scatters: these are an extra special kind of Scatter symbol that will award you cash prizes on the spot and have no other function than that. But truth be told that these are becoming harder and harder to find in today's video slots.  

How to play with Scatter symbols?

Another truth to be told is that there is absolutely zero strategy when it comes to Scatter symbols, or any other online video slots play for that matter. Though their graphics might resemble something closer to a video game, video slots are in fact gambling machines and therefore entirely random. Please don’t believe someone who claims to have discovered “The Ultimate Scatter Strategy to Win in Slots” or something click-baity along those lines. Balderdash, gibberish, gobbledygook that is!

Advantages of Scatter Symbols

Scatter symbols come with the very clear advantage of activating / triggering special features and bonus games such as Free Spin rounds. Besides this obvious advantage, you could say that the more Scatter symbols you manage to get onto the reels, the less ‘useless’ symbols there are in play and the more chances you get to increase your win potential.

Where can you find the Scatter Symbols?

Let’s make one thing very clear: not all online video slots have Scatter symbols included. Although they are very common, there are still many slots that don’t include Scatters in their mechanics. In fact, in one of the most popular slots out there, NetEnt’s Starburst, Scatter symbols are not part of the game play.  

How will I know if a slot has Scatter symbols? 

Easy as pie! To find out if a slot includes Scatters, all you have to do is check out the slot’s paytable. You should be able to find it there together with all kinds of info you’d want to know before you start playing a slot. Think symbols, Wilds, Scatters and how each of them behaves, as well as winning combos, payouts and how they could potentially activate bonus feature(s). 

Bottom line: having a close up look at the slot’s paytable before you start playing with real money is always a good idea. 

Casumo's top games with Scatter symbols 

At Casumo we offer a great variety of Scatter slots. For the occasion we’ve put together a selection of our personal favourites available from our game browser. Have a look and give them a try, if you like!

1. Dead or Alive

Let the tumbleweed roll in outlaw-filled Dead or Alive, a 5x3 slot from NetEntertainment. Get 3 matching symbols on one of the 9 fixed paylines to win. Landing 3 or more Guns Symbols on the same spin activates 12 free spins – here all your wins are doubled and you’ll also get a cash prize before starting the free rounds, according to the number of Scatters that triggered the feature. This could be anywhere from 4x to 2500x your bet! During free spins, the Wanted Poster turns into a Sticky Wild. 

2. Dead or Alive II

Hey Sheriff, load your guns, polish your badge and go hunt some outlaws in this illegally popular sequel! Dead or Alive II is a 5-reel slot with 9 paylines from NetEnt. Five sheriff badges (1000 credits) across a payline pay 111.11x your stake. Outlaws are Wilds and substitute for all symbols except for the crossed guns Scatter symbol. There’s also a big win opportunity where you could win 2500x with 5 scatters in the base game. 3 or more scatter symbols trigger the free spins feature where you play one of 3 games

3. Book of Dead

Open the Book of Dead slot and it will reveal all of Ancient Egypt’s most valuable treasures. This 5-reels, 3-rows, 10-paylines slot game created by software developer Play‘N GO is based on one of Rich Wilde’s adventurous storylines. The main feature of the Book of Dead slot is the free spins game where you get 10 free spins. During this game, a symbol might transform into a special expanding symbol that takes over the reels for wins of up to 5,000x your bet! 

Trigger three or more books and the secret passage to the pyramid will appear together with potentially great rewards. 

4. Vikings

From the same-named TV show to a ragingly popular online video slot. Vikings follows the adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok, as he rises to become King of the Viking tribes. This stunning 5-reel, 3-row and 243 ways-to-win game from NetEnt is chock-full of features. During the Raid Spins Feature, reels expand to a 5×7 format, increasing the ways-to-win to 78,125 and the payout potential to 10,000x your bet. It comes with a Hotspot feature where Viking symbols transform for scatter pays. In the randomly triggered Shield Wall feature, mystery symbols transform into winning combinations.

5. Bonanza Megaways

Bonanza Megaways is a 6-reel slot with up to 117,649 paylines and a win potential of up to 10,000x your stake on every spin. Features include free spins with unlimited multiplier, substitution of winning symbols and Wilds. Every symbol in a winning combination explodes, with new symbols appearing to form new winning combinations. Spell GOLD anywhere on the reels to play the free spins game.

6. Jack and the Beanstalk 

The Jack and the Beanstalk slot is a 5 reel, 20 payline game from NetEntertainment. Besides magic beans and a not so friendly giant, the game includes treasure chest Scatters and Walking Wilds that could award re-spins until the Wild disappears off the leftmost reel. If your wins include Walking Wilds you'll receive them 3x. The bonus spins feature will get you up to 15 bonus spins and special key symbols bring Expanded Wilds into play.