Last updated:28-06-2026
Sweet Bonanza by Pragmatic Play holds its position as one of the top 3 most-played pokies globally — and for good reason. The 6×5 grid with scatter pays and multiplier bombs creates a mechanic where a single tumble chain can pay 500x+ from one spin. At 96.48% RTP and High volatility, it sits in the sweet spot between session survivability and genuine big-win potential (21,175x max). But Sweet Bonanza now has siblings: Sweet Bonanza 1000 (25,000x max, multipliers up to 1,000x) and Sweet Bonanza 2500 (25,000x max, multipliers up to 2,500x). And there's a RTP trap: Pragmatic Play offers casinos a 95.45% variant of the original. This page covers how the game works, how the three versions compare, and how to check which RTP you're actually playing.
How does Sweet Bonanza work?
Sweet Bonanza uses scatter pays instead of paylines. Land 8 or more matching symbols anywhere on the 6×5 grid and you win — position doesn't matter. After a win, the Tumble feature removes winning symbols and drops new ones from above, potentially creating consecutive wins from a single paid spin. This chain of tumbles is where most significant wins build up.
The bonus triggers when 4, 5, or 6 Lollipop Scatter symbols land, awarding 10 free spins (with retrigger available for every 3+ scatters during the bonus). During free spins, multiplier bombs appear — coloured candies with values from 2x to 100x. All multiplier bombs that land on a single tumble chain are added together, then applied to the total win for that chain. A chain with three bombs (5x + 10x + 25x = 40x) multiplies the entire chain's base payout by 40. This is the mechanic behind the 21,175x max win.
Ante Bet — is it worth paying 25% more?
Sweet Bonanza offers an Ante Bet option: pay an extra 25% on your stake to increase the chance of free spins triggering by approximately 8x. At a A$2 base stake, the Ante Bet raises your cost to A$2.50 per spin. Over 100 spins, that's A$250 instead of A$200 — A$50 extra. In exchange, you'll trigger the bonus roughly 8 times more frequently.
The maths depends on your session length. For short sessions (under 100 spins), the Ante Bet dramatically increases your chance of seeing the bonus at least once. For marathon sessions, the extra cost compounds and the frequency advantage smooths out. In my testing, the Ante Bet felt worthwhile for sessions under A$50 budgets where triggering even one bonus matters. For A$200+ budgets, the natural trigger rate is usually sufficient.
Author's tip from Lachlan Reid, Casino Content Editor & Player Safety Analyst: "Check the in-game paytable before every Sweet Bonanza session. Open the game → tap the info icon → look for the RTP percentage. If it says 96.48% or 96.50%, you're on the standard version. If it says 95.45%, the casino is running the lower variant — that's an extra A$1 lost per A$100 wagered. Both versions look identical. The only way to tell is the paytable."
Sweet Bonanza vs Sweet Bonanza 1000 vs Sweet Bonanza 2500
Pragmatic Play has expanded Sweet Bonanza into a three-game series, each escalating the multiplier ceiling and variance. The original remains the most accessible: 96.48% RTP, 21,175x max, multiplier bombs capped at 100x each. Sweet Bonanza 1000 (released 2024) pushes multipliers to 1,000x per bomb with a 25,000x cap. Sweet Bonanza 2500 (released April 2026) takes it further: 2,500x per bomb, same 25,000x cap, and 96.52% RTP.
The practical difference: higher multiplier caps mean more variance. Sweet Bonanza 1000 and 2500 can produce astronomical single-spin wins, but the base game and average bonus round pay less to compensate. The original Sweet Bonanza is the most "balanced" of the three — if that word means anything in a High-volatility pokie.
| Parameter | Sweet Bonanza | SB 1000 | SB 2500 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTP | 96.48% | 96.50% | 96.52% | Near-identical; check for lower variants |
| Max win | 21,175x | 25,000x | 25,000x | Sequels raise the ceiling |
| Max multiplier bomb | 100x | 1,000x | 2,500x | Higher bombs = more variance |
| Volatility | High | V.High | V.High | Original is most accessible |
| Min punt | A$0.20 | A$0.20 | A$0.20 | All accessible from A$0.20 |
| Bonus Buy | 100x stake | 100x stake | 100x stake | A$20 at A$0.20 stake; A$200 at A$2 |
| Ante Bet | Yes (+25%) | Yes (+25%) | Yes (+25%) | 8x more likely free spins trigger |
Author's tip from Lachlan Reid, Casino Content Editor & Player Safety Analyst: "If you're choosing between the three Sweet Bonanza versions, start with the original. It has the lowest variance in the series and the 21,175x cap is more than enough for a life-changing win at most punt sizes. Sweet Bonanza 1000 and 2500 are for players who've already experienced the original and want steeper swings. More variance doesn't mean more return — the RTP difference across all three is 0.04%."
Pokies are restricted to players aged 18 and over. Demo mode is available — test the scatter pays mechanic and tumble chains before committing real money. Check the bonus page for current offers, visit the glossary for scatter pays and tumble definitions, or download the Roo Spin app for mobile play. Return to the homepage for a full overview.
