| Provider | Betsoft |
|---|---|
| RTP | 95.84% - Compare RTPs |
| Volatility | High |
| Reels | 5 |
| Paylines | 5 |
| Bet Range | £0.05 - £5.00 |
| Hit Frequency | 8.65% |
| Max Win | 300,364x |
| Features | Wilds, Scatters |
Spring Tails is a Chinese New Year slot from Betsoft Gaming, released on 21 February 2020. It runs on a 5-reel, 3-row grid with 5 fixed paylines and carries an RTP of 95.84%. The theme centres on the Year of the Rat - a lucky symbol in Chinese culture - with high-paying icons including pearls, jewels, and golden hats, supported by mid-range symbols (cheese, peanuts, rice bag) and low-end royal card values (J, Q, K, A). The top symbol pays 5,000x for five of a kind. Two special symbols drive everything: the Lucky Rat Wild and the Golden Key Scatter.
Spring Tails at a Glance
- Provider: Betsoft Gaming
- Release date: 21 February 2020
- Reels / Rows: 5 x 3
- Paylines: 5 (fixed)
- RTP: 95.84%
- Volatility: High
- Max win: 300,364x bet
- Bet range: £0.05 - £5 per spin
- Bonus features: Multiplier Wilds, Free Spins with symbol removal, Bonus Buy
The 95.84% RTP lands slightly below the UK average for licensed online slots. Five fixed paylines is a deliberately narrow win structure - Betsoft channels the game's return potential into the multiplier mechanics and free spins rather than high-frequency base game hits. High volatility confirms that: the session pattern is long quiet stretches punctuated by sharp win bursts when the multipliers stack.
Theme and Design
Spring Tails leans fully into the Chinese New Year aesthetic. The colour palette is red and gold throughout, with lanterns and oriental motifs framing the reels. Betsoft's 3D presentation is more polished than many competitors at the same stake range - symbols are richly detailed, win animations are sharp, and the Lucky Rat has a personality: it moves and reacts when it lands rather than sitting static on the reel.
Symbol hierarchy runs from the high-paying pearl, jewels, and golden hat down through the mid-tier food symbols to the card values at the bottom. The gap between the top premium (5,000x for five of a kind) and the lowest card symbol is substantial, which is intentional - the high-paying symbols are where the multiplier wild mechanic becomes genuinely impactful.
Lucky Rat Wild and Multiplier Mechanic
The Lucky Rat is the wild symbol, appearing on reels 2, 3, and 4. It substitutes for all regular symbols except the Golden Key Scatter. The distinguishing feature is the multiplier it carries: each Lucky Rat that lands applies a random multiplier of 3x, 4x, or 5x to any win it contributes to.
When multiple Lucky Rats land on the same spin, their multipliers stack. Two wilds multiply together rather than add - a 5x wild combined with a 4x wild produces a 20x multiplier on the combined win. Three wilds can stack to a maximum of 60x. On a game with only five paylines, a three-wild spin covering a high-value payline combination at 60x is the base game's peak moment. That structure is what drives the 300,364x maximum win figure.
Five paylines limits the frequency of multi-wild wins in the base game, but when they do land, the multiplier stacking ensures the payout is significant. Sessions without wild action can be slow; sessions with clustered wild appearances and stacked multipliers return in sharp bursts.
Golden Key Free Spins
The Golden Key is the Scatter, appearing on reels 2, 3, and 4. Landing three Golden Keys in any position across those three reels triggers the free spins round, awarding 12 spins.
The critical change in the free spins is symbol removal: all low-paying symbols are stripped from the reels for the entire 12 spins. J, Q, K, and A values disappear, leaving only the premium and mid-tier symbols on the reels. This significantly increases the proportion of high-value combinations that can form on each spin during the feature.
The Lucky Rat wild and its multiplier mechanic carry over into the free spins unchanged - 3x, 4x, or 5x per wild, stacking to 60x when multiple wilds land. On a reel set populated only by mid and high-value symbols, a stacked multiplier wild win in the free spins is the game's highest-potential outcome.
There are no retriggering mechanics documented in the feature. The 12 spins run their course and return to the base game.
Bonus Buy
Spring Tails includes a Bonus Buy option, allowing players to purchase direct access to the free spins round rather than waiting for three Golden Keys to land organically in the base game. The cost varies by operator but is typically set at around 100x the total bet.
Bonus Buy is available on this title at licensed UK casinos that permit the feature. Note that this feature is restricted on certain regulated markets - check your casino's terms to confirm availability. It is not available to players using the demo version.
Bet Range and Stake Levels
Bets run from £0.05 to £5 per spin. The compressed stake ceiling is consistent with Betsoft's general approach for games built on multiplier mechanics - the 300,364x max win at £5 per spin would return over £1.5 million if achieved, which explains the conservative upper limit. Most UK players will find the useful range sits between £0.20 and £2 per spin.
Because paylines are fixed at five, there is no option to reduce active lines to lower effective bet size. Your bet per spin is your full total, spread across all five lines.
How Spring Tails Compares
The narrow five-payline structure makes Spring Tails an unusual proposition in Betsoft's catalogue. Most modern slots from comparable providers use 20+ paylines or cluster pays to generate base-game frequency. Spring Tails trades that frequency for the multiplier stacking mechanic - the design philosophy accepts drier base-game sessions in exchange for bigger burst potential when wilds and multipliers align.
The symbol removal in the free spins is a meaningful upgrade rather than cosmetic - removing the card values from a 12-symbol paytable materially shifts the distribution of outcomes toward the top half of the pay table. That is a well-constructed feature on a game with only five paylines, where premium symbol combinations would otherwise be diluted by low-value filler.
Players who enjoy similar Chinese-themed slots might also look at Lucky Zodiac, Eastern Dragon, or Lucky Pearl. If multiplier wild mechanics interest you regardless of theme, Dragon's Fortune operates on a comparable structure.
RTP and Volatility in Practice
The 95.84% RTP is below the 96% midpoint that most UK players consider the benchmark for licensed slot games. That 0.16% gap is marginal in short sessions but meaningful over extended play. Betsoft publishes this figure and it applies across the stake range - there is no stake-dependent RTP tiering on this title.
High volatility means the deviation from the theoretical average in any individual session can be substantial. Short sessions can end significantly up or significantly down relative to the RTP prediction. The 300,364x max win is achievable in principle but sits at the extreme end of the probability distribution. Realistic session expectations involve the free spins triggering occasionally with symbol removal providing a material uplift, and the multiplier wilds driving individual win spikes rather than sustained base-game volume.
Verdict
Spring Tails is a focused, high-volatility Betsoft slot built around one clear mechanical proposition: multiplier wilds that stack to 60x, activated on a clean reel set during free spins. The 95.84% RTP is modest and the five-payline structure creates a base game that can be quiet for stretches. What offsets that is the free spins symbol removal, which concentrates value into the high-paying positions exactly when multiplied wilds appear. It is a game that rewards patience and suits players who prefer infrequent but sharp win events over consistent small returns.
For the full list of casinos where you can play Spring Tails, see our casino reviews.
- Provider: Betsoft Gaming
- Reels / Paylines: 5 reels, 5 fixed paylines
- RTP: 95.84%
- Volatility: High
- Bet range: £0.05 - £5
- Key features: Lucky Rat Multiplier Wilds (3x-5x, stacks to 60x), 12 Free Spins with symbol removal, Bonus Buy
- Max win: 300,364x stake
- Release: 21 February 2020
What is the RTP of Spring Tails?
Spring Tails has an RTP of 95.84%, which sits slightly below the UK licensed slot average of around 96%. This applies across all stake levels - there is no stake-dependent RTP variation on this title.
How do the Lucky Rat wild multipliers work?
The Lucky Rat wild appears on reels 2, 3, and 4. Each one carries a random multiplier of 3x, 4x, or 5x that applies to any win it contributes to. When two or three Lucky Rats land on the same spin, the multipliers stack by multiplying together rather than adding - two wilds at 5x and 4x produce a 20x combined multiplier. The maximum stacked multiplier is 60x, achievable with three wilds at 4x and 5x values.
How do you trigger the free spins in Spring Tails?
Land three Golden Key scatter symbols on reels 2, 3, and 4 simultaneously to trigger the free spins round. This awards 12 free spins. The scatters do not need to appear in a specific order, just one on each of those three reels.
What happens to symbols during the Spring Tails free spins?
All low-paying card symbols (J, Q, K, A) are removed from the reels for the entire 12 free spins. Only the premium symbols - pearls, jewels, golden hat - and the mid-range symbols (cheese, peanuts, rice bag) remain active, along with the Lucky Rat wild and Golden Key scatter. This concentrates payouts into the higher-value positions throughout the feature.
What is the maximum win on Spring Tails?
The maximum win is 300,364x your total bet. At the maximum stake of £5 per spin, that is a theoretical ceiling of just over £1.5 million. This extreme outcome requires exceptional alignment of multiplier wilds during the free spins feature.
Can you buy the free spins in Spring Tails?
Yes, Spring Tails includes a Bonus Buy feature that lets you purchase direct access to the 12 free spins round without waiting for the Golden Key scatters to land organically. The cost is typically around 100x your total bet. Note that Bonus Buy may be restricted on some regulated markets - check your casino account for availability before placing a stake.
Where to Play Spring Tails
These online casinos carry Betsoft games including Spring Tails. Read our FatBet review or browse all casino reviews.
Spring Tails RTP and Variance
Spring Tails has an RTP of 95.84%, which is around the industry average. See our highest RTP slots for the best returning games. High volatility means wins come less often but tend to be significantly larger. Explore our high volatility slots guide.
At the minimum bet of £0.05 per spin, a £10 deposit gives you 200 spins with a statistical expected return of £9.58. Read our slot betting strategy guide for tips on managing your bankroll.
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