The Dog House Megaways slot review
Released by Pragmatic Play in 2020, The Dog House Megaways is a follow-up slot that comes with an enhanced win potential of 12,305x and marginally higher RTP when compared to the original.
Along with 117,649 ways to win, the game is played on an asymmetric grid across six reels. For a closer look at its gameplay, bonus features, and overall value, check out my full The Dog House Megaways slot review below.
Highlights
RTP 96.55%
Volatility High
Stakes range 100
Max win 12305x
Number of reels 6
Number of paylines 117649-
Jackpots No -
Slot type Slots -
Slot theme Animal -
Software provider Pragmatic Play -
Launch date 13/08/2020
79/ 100
79% Playscore based on 8 critics
The Dog House Megaways slot summary review
The Dog House Megaways comes with the typically high volatility often associated with Pragmatic Play slots. The game itself keeps the same playful theme and design from the original, but is instead played across an asymmetric grid with six reels and up to 117,649 win ways.
With a decent RTP score of 96.55%, the game’s biggest strength comes from its two selectable bonus rounds. The Sticky Wilds game can award up to 20 free spins, while Raining Wilds can get up to 30 free spins.
Both versions come with multipliers of up to 3x, but the real potential comes from combined multiplier wins. This is also where the game can potentially reach its maximum win of 12,305x your bet.
Pros
Above average RTP at 96.55%
12,305x max win potential
2 selectable bonus rounds
Cons
Tame base payouts
Multipliers only up to x3
No respins during bonuses
The Dog House Megaways comprehensive review
The goal of this review is to get a clear idea of its mechanics and gameplay. I’ll be covering RTP, volatility, its Megaways system, and base gameplay. This also includes delving into its bonuses, with two selectable Free Spins rounds and Bonus Buy option.
RTP and volatility
With high volatility, The Dog House Megaways slot RTP is fixed at 96.55%. The game is played on an asymmetric grid across six reels. Each reel can display between two and seven symbols.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| RTP | 96.55% |
| Maximum win | 12,305x |
| Number of paylines | 117,649 |
| Volatility | High |
Winning combinations are determined by the Megaways mechanic, with the number of win ways displayed above the reels after each spin. A win way must also be formed from matching symbols that align on adjacent reels.
I have no complaints when it comes to RTP, with the game sitting comfortably above the 96% industry average. At 96.55%, it also outperforms several other titles with similar mechanics, including Bonanza Megaways (96%), Big Bad Wolf Megaways (96.05%), and Fruit Shop Megaways (96.05%).
Across 100 test spins, I recorded a hit rate of 27%. This sounds like a lot for a high-volatility game, but most wins returned less than my original stake of $2 per spin.
I did manage to trigger one of the bonus games once, which accounted for the bulk of my total returns, rewarding me with $80.40. This tells me that the game relies on its bonuses to deliver any significant wins. All in all, I’d say that the distribution of my payouts aligned well with the game’s high volatility.
Alexander Teoli
Bonus features
The Dog House symbols are the game’s Wild icons, appearing on reels two, three, four, and five during the base game. They substitute for all other symbols except Scatters and can sometimes appear with random 2x or 3x multipliers.
The game also comes with two Free Spins bonus games that can be triggered by landing between three to six Scatters, represented as Bonus symbols. Once triggered, you can actually choose which game you want to play: the Sticky Wilds Free Spins or the Raining Wilds Free Spins.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Bonus features | Wilds, Scatters, Wild Multipliers, Free spins |
| Top features | Wild Multipliers |
| Jackpot | N/A |
In the Sticky Wilds game, landing three, four, five, or six Scatters grants you seven, 12, 15, and 20 free spins respectively. Any Wild that lands always carries a 1x, 2x, or 3x multiplier. These Wilds remain on the grid for your entire free spins and can change sizes as the reels adjust with each spin.
If you choose to play the Raining Wilds Free Spins game, landing three, four, five, or six Scatters will grant you 15, 18, 25, or 30 free spins respectively. During the Raining Wilds feature, every spin can land up to a maximum of six Wilds. These Wilds may also carry multipliers ranging from 1x, 2x, or 3x.
You can also use the Bonus Buy option to manually trigger the mechanism at a cost of 100x your bet. There are no respins available during either of the bonus rounds.
Rather than just slapping on the Megaways mechanic and calling it a day, I felt like this version genuinely makes an effort to differentiate itself from the original The Dog House slot game.
Over the years, I’ve played so many follow-up slots that essentially share the same bonus features as their original counterparts. Some examples that immediately come to mind include The Finer Reels of Life WOWPOT and Bonanza Megapays.
However, in this game, the addition of two selectable bonus rounds adds a lot of variety to gameplay. While individual Wild multipliers can only reach a maximum of 3x, the chance for combined wins, coupled with the potential to land up to 30 free spins, makes everything a lot more engaging.
Alexander Teoli
Symbols and paytable
The Dog House Megaways has a maximum win potential of 12.305x your bet. This can be achieved through a series of combined multiplier wins during the bonus games with a high spin count.
The slot features 11 pay symbols, including five low-paying card icons. All high-paying symbols feature different dog breeds and dog-related iconography.
The paytable scales accordingly to your bet size and all symbols consist of four payout tiers. Wins awarded for three, four, five, or six matching symbols along adjacent reels using the Megaways system.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Theme | Dog Cartoon |
| Reel layout | Six reels (Asymetric Grid) |
| Highest paying symbol | Rottweiler |
| Adjustable paylines | Yes |
| Visuals | Very good |
| Sound | Very good |
| Mobile quality | Very good |
The Rottweiler is the game’s highest paying symbol, rewarding 7.5x your wager for six matches. That’s equivalent to $7.50 on a bet per spin of $1. Five, four, and three Rottweilers award 3x, 2x, and 0.75x your stake respectively.
The Terrier and Pug icons award 3x and 2x your bet respectively for six matches. Next up, the Dachshund, collar, and bone icons all pay 1.5x your bet for six matches. In fact, the collar and the bone share identical payouts across all four pay tiers.
The letters A, K, and Q also share the exact same payouts across all tiers, ranging from 1x your stake for six matches and 0.10x for three. J and 10 also share identical payouts, with six matches and three matches awarding 0.50x and 0.05x your stake respectively.
Compared to its counterparts, The Dog House and The Dog House Multihold, this variant offers the weakest paytable. This is no doubt done as a way to compensate for the bonus-heavy gameplay when compared to the other versions.
Plus, The Dog House Megaways carries a higher maximum win potential than either of the other variants. This just reinforces how reliant you are on triggering the bonus features for any meaningful returns.
Generally speaking I believe that additional bonuses do not make up for a poor paytable, but in this case, the maximum win potential and the Bonus Buy option make it a fair trade, just about.
Alexander Teoli
How to play The Dog House Megaways slot?
The Dog House Megaways has a bet range of 0.20 up to $100 per spin. To adjust your bet, select the plus and minus buttons. This opens up a betting menu where you can set your stake by Bet level, Coin value, or Total Bet.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Min bet | $0.20 |
| Max bet | $100 |
| Autoplay | Yes |
| Turbo mode | Yes |
| Game history | Yes |
To start plating, press the big spin button with two circular arrows. The Autoplay button beneath it opens up a small menu that allows you to use a slider to set your desired number of autospins. You’ll also see options for Quick Spin, Turbo Spin, and skipping screens.
To the side of the reels, you’ll see the Bonus Buy option, with its total cost displayed underneath. The price depends on your current stake, but it will always cost 100x your wager which is also dependent on your stake.
Select the speaker icon to adjust game sounds and music during gameplay. The ‘i’ button beside opens up game rules, allowing you to swipe through a breakdown of its mechanics and bonuses. From here, you can also view the symbol payouts.
Finally, the hamburger icon with three horizontal lines will open up additional settings. From here, you can view game history and adjust your bet. You can use the toggles to activate battery saver, isolate game sounds from music, and remove the intro screen before starting the game.
Casinos where to play The Dog House
Pragmatic Play is one of the biggest names in the iGaming space and is well-known for producing very high quality slot games. If you want to try The Dog House Megaways, along with other titles from the provide, check out these online casinos below:
| Casino Logo | Rating | Bonus | Go-to-casino button | Show more | T&C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
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85/100
Expert rating
by T2P contributor
86%
Playscore
based on
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100% up to $1,000 and 2,500 Reward Credits on a $25+ wager
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2
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89/100
Expert rating
by T2P contributor
91%
Playscore
based on
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100% up to $1,000 + $25 On The House
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Play now |
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Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. MI, NJ, PA or WV only. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable site credit, unless otherwise provided in the applicable Terms. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling Problem? 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA & WV). |
3
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88/100
Expert rating
by T2P contributor
92%
Playscore
based on
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Spin the Wheel up to 1,000 Bonus Spins
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Play now |
|
Visit Borgata.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. NJ and PA only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable site credit, unless otherwise provided in the applicable Terms. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling Problem? 1-800-GAMBLER. |
Expert verdict
One of the most impressive features about The Dog House Megaways is how different it feels from the original. Once you get past the familiar visuals and theme, the asymmetric grid, boosted RTP, and bonus features make it feel like a much more complete and engaging slot in my opinion.
I will say that its volatility can be quite unforgiving at times. Considering how tame its pay symbols are, the inclusion of a Bonus Buy option was a very smart and necessary move.
For a non-jackpot slot, I also thought that the maximum win potential was pretty reasonable, if nothing too crazy. Plus, despite the enhanced bonus features, the game itself still isn’t too complicated to wrap your head around. Overall, a very well executed follow-up game on what was already a good game before.
FAQs
What is the RTP of The Dog House Megaways?
The Dog House Megaways has a fixed RTP of 96.55%, placing it above the 96% industry average.
Does The Dog House Megaways have free spins?
Yes, The Dog House Megaways has two selectable Free Spins rounds available, a Sticky Wilds round and a Raining Wilds game. Both come with Wild multipliers of up to 3x.
Does The Dog House Megaways have a Bonus Buy option?
Yes, you can activate the Bonus Buy option anytime at a cost of 100x your stake. This will allow you to choose between its two selectable bonus games.
What is the maximum win potential of The Dog House Megaways slot?
The maximum win potential for this slot stands at 12.305x your bet. This is mainly achieved through a combination of Wild multiplier wins during its Free Spins bonus rounds.
What is the volatility of The Dog House Megaways?
The Dog House Megaways is a high-volatility slot. This means payouts may be less frequent but can be more rewarding when they do hit, especially during bonus rounds when Wild multipliers connect properly.
