Megaways vs “Pay-Anywhere” (Scatter Pays): What Bonanza-Style Actually Means

Slot games have evolved far beyond the old three-reel classics. Today, two mechanics dominate modern titles: Megaways and scatter pays, also called pay-anywhere systems. Both are designed to keep reels unpredictable, but they work in very different ways. Understanding how these mechanics function can help you quickly read a slot’s info panel and know what to expect from its layout and payouts.

Research into how people perceive probabilities helps explain why these mechanics feel so different. A 2024 study in Journal of Intelligence noted that decisions from description (like reading a paytable) often lead to different choices than decisions from experience (like spinning repeatedly and learning outcomes through play). This distinction sheds light on why Megaways and scatter-pay formats—though both transparent in their rules—still create unique player experiences depending on how those rules are presented and absorbed.

What Megaways Really Means

The Megaways system, introduced in 2016, is built around dynamic reels. Instead of fixed paylines, each reel can display a variable number of symbols on every spin. One reel might show two icons while another reveals seven. This creates a constantly shifting reel set where the total number of winning combinations can soar into the tens of thousands.

Think of Megaways as a constantly reshaping grid. One moment, you might see a narrow layout with fewer potential wins, and the next spin could expand into a wide setup with multiple lines of connection. The “ways” count at the top of the screen updates each spin, showing you exactly how many possible win paths exist in that moment. Wins are usually awarded for matching symbols on adjacent reels, starting from the left.

What “Pay-Anywhere” or Scatter Pays Mean

Scatter pay, often called pay-anywhere, throws paylines out the window entirely. Instead of needing adjacent reels or fixed lines, wins occur whenever a set number of the same symbol appears anywhere on the grid. Popularized by titles like Sweet Bonanza, this mechanic turns every symbol on the screen into part of the action, no matter where it lands.

A typical scatter-pay setup might be a 6×5 grid where wins trigger if eight or more matching symbols appear anywhere. Cascading features often follow, clearing out wins and dropping new icons into place. This makes scatter pay games feel more like puzzle-board clearers than traditional slot reels.

Where “Bonanza” Fits In

The name Bonanza is often tied to Megaways because Bonanza was the breakout title that introduced the mechanic to a wide audience. But the word “bonanza” has also been attached to scatter-pay releases like Sweet Bonanza. This overlap is why players sometimes confuse the two mechanics, even though one is based on dynamic reel rows and the other on grid-style symbol counts.

For side-by-side definitions and examples, the guide on Bonanza slots at mBitcasino summarizes how Megaways and scatter-pay formats differ in practice. That same guide on Bonanza slots makes it clear that while both mechanics thrive on unpredictability, one relies on shifting reel setups while the other rewards symbol clusters regardless of position.

Recent Expansions of the “Bonanza” Idea

The use of “Bonanza” has stretched even further with themed releases. A recent example is the Spin Asgard Bonanza: Gods Claw slot, highlighted on mBitcasino’s Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DOL3cRbjXN8/

This title mixes mythological visuals with a bonus-heavy format, showing how flexible the Bonanza branding has become. The common thread across all these variations is that “bonanza” signals volatility, action-packed spins, and mechanics that go beyond traditional fixed paylines.

How to Tell Them Apart in the Info Panel

If you want to know which mechanic a slot uses, the fastest way is to check the info panel or paytable:

1. Megaways titles usually advertise their maximum “ways to win,” often a six-reel setup reaching into tens of thousands of ways. The reel sizes visibly shift with every spin.
2. Scatter pay / pay-anywhere titles emphasize symbol counts instead. You’ll often see “win with 8+ symbols anywhere” highlighted in the paytable, with cascades and multipliers explained underneath.

Recognizing these cues lets you immediately understand how wins are triggered without needing to test spin after spin.

A Quick Comparison

To keep things simple, here’s a short table comparing the two mechanics:

Understanding the “Bonanza-Style”

The phrase “Bonanza-style” now covers two very different mechanics: the reel-shifting chaos of Megaways and the symbol-count scatter pay approach. Both break away from traditional paylines, but they deliver that unpredictability in distinct ways.

This balance of perception and design reflects a broader trend noted in recent research on probability and cognition. A 2025 article in Pragmatic and Cognitive Perspectives emphasized how people form mental models of randomness differently depending on visual cues. That insight explains why Megaways and scatter-pay games can feel worlds apart even though they share the same ultimate foundation: chance.