Rise of Merlin

Rise of Merlin is a Play'n GO pokie that draws on Arthurian legend, putting the famous wizard Merlin front and centre. Released in 2019, it has remained a popular pick among Australian players who prefer a clean five reel pokie with a fantasy theme over a screen packed with gimmicks. The crisp medieval artwork and simple paytable make it easy to pick up whether you are new to online pokies or a seasoned slot player who checks the RTP before spinning, and this page lets you try it in Australian dollars or free of charge in demo mode.

How Rise of Merlin plays

The game runs on a five reel, three row grid with ten fixed paylines, so every spin covers all ten lines and there is nothing to adjust beyond your stake. Merlin is the top regular symbol, sitting above a set of medieval icons and the usual card ranks. The crystal ball does the heavy lifting: it works as the wild, standing in for regular symbols, and as the scatter that unlocks the game's main feature. Land enough crystal balls and you trigger the free spins round, where one regular symbol is picked at random to become an expanding symbol. Each time that symbol lands during the round it stretches to fill the whole reel, and landing more scatters mid feature can add further expanding symbols, which is where the bigger results tend to come from.

Rise of Merlin RTP, volatility and max win

The default RTP is 96.58%, a little above the common industry mark, though Play'n GO also supplies lower RTP builds, so it pays to check the paytable at your chosen casino to confirm which version is running. Volatility is high, rated at the top of the scale, which means wins can be scarce during ordinary play and the game leans on the free spins round for its bigger hits. The maximum win is 5,000x your stake, reached when expanding symbols line up across the grid during a well retriggered feature. That high variance suits players who are comfortable with quieter spells in return for the top end potential.

Playing Rise of Merlin in Australia

It is worth being clear about the law: under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, online pokies and casino games cannot be licensed for or advertised to Australians, so any casino offering real money play does so from offshore rather than under a local licence. That is the honest picture, and it is why the free demo above matters, since it lets you try Rise of Merlin with no account, no deposit and no legal grey area at all. If you do play for real money in Australian dollars, understand that you are using an offshore-licensed operator.

Is Rise of Merlin worth playing?

Rise of Merlin is a solid, no nonsense high variance pokie that rewards patience rather than flashy extras. The single expanding symbol mechanic is simple but effective, and the 96.58% default RTP keeps it competitive, but the high volatility will not suit everyone, especially anyone who prefers frequent smaller wins. Try the demo first, set a budget you are happy to lose, and if gambling ever stops being fun, the tools and support at responsible gambling are there to help.