Novomatic Software Review – The Company Behind Book of Ra and Greentube

Novomatic put more slot machines on European floors than almost anyone else.

In this Novomatic review, we look at how the Novoline classics behind Book of Ra and Sizzling Hot hold up online: the most popular slots, jackpots, mobile play, and security, and the role of Greentube, the group’s digital arm.

Novomatic Company Info
Company Name: Novomatic AG – online games ship through Greentube, the Novomatic Digital Gaming and Entertainment division
Headquarters: Gumpoldskirchen, Austria (Greentube: Vienna)
Founded: 1980, by Johann Graf
CEO: Stefan Krenn (executive board with Ryszard Presch and Johannes Gratzl)
Gambling Products: Slots, RNG Table Games, Gaming Technology, Casino Operations
Popular Games: Book of Ra Deluxe, Sizzling Hot Deluxe, Lucky Lady’s Charm Deluxe
Number of Games: Around 500 online titles via Greentube
Specialization: Slots
Licenses: MGA, UKGC, US state regulators (PA, DE, NJ, MI)
RNG Tested By: GLI, SIQ
Technologies: HTML5
Release Schedule: Regular monthly releases
Active Markets: 45+ countries; US since 2025 (PA, DE, plus NJ and MI via partners)

Novomatic started in Austria in 1980 and grew into one of Europe’s largest gaming technology groups, running everything from machine manufacturing to its own casino chains.

Online, the group works through Greentube, the Vienna-based division that ports the Novoline floor catalog to desktop and mobile and licensed it into 45+ countries, with US launches in Pennsylvania and Delaware following in 2025.

The group also runs its own Admiral casino brands across Europe, both online and in venues.

Expert Verdict – Is Novomatic Worth Playing?

Yes, if you value simplicity and volatility over spectacle. We tested the Greentube versions on desktop and mobile, and the Novoline classics play exactly like their land-based originals: fast, stripped-back, and unforgiving in the best way.

Book of Ra remains one of the most influential slots ever made, and the Gamble feature adds a risk decision most modern studios have dropped. The catch is the math profile: eight of the ten titles in our table sit around 95% RTP, below the 96% industry norm.

Best for

  • Fans of Novoline classics like Book of Ra and Sizzling Hot
  • High-volatility play with simple rules
  • Players who like the double-or-nothing Gamble feature
  • European players – the catalog is everywhere in regulated Europe

Not Ideal for

  • RTP maximizers – most titles pay around 95%
  • Players chasing modern, cinematic slot graphics
  • Live dealer players – Novomatic doesn’t produce live games

Best Novomatic Games: Top Picks and Must-Try Titles

Slots dominate the catalog, and one franchise towers over the rest: Book of Ra and its many sequels. Still, the range of Novomatic casino games is wider than the Novoline stereotype: Greentube also produces RNG blackjack and roulette, plus the Diamond Mystery progressive jackpot series.

The sections below break the catalog down by category, including our picks for the best Novomatic games in each one, so you can head straight for what you play.

Expect consistency over novelty: the house style has barely changed in twenty years, and its fans consider that the whole point.

Novomatic Slots: Popular Titles, RTP, and Unique Features

Novomatic slots are the definition of land-based classics online. Most run five reels with five to ten paylines, minimal animation, and a high-volatility math model built around expanding-symbol free spins. Titles like Book of Ra Deluxe dominated European arcades years before their online versions arrived.

The trade-off is a familiar one: character over payout rate. Most of the catalog clusters around 95% RTP, so the appeal is the ride, not the long-run return.

If RTP is your first filter, many Playtech slots pay closer to 96%, though Columbus Deluxe (96.31%) is a house exception.

Slot Name RTP Theme Volatility Bet Limits Max Win Overall
Book of Ra Deluxe 95.10% Ancient Egypt High $0.10 – $50 5,000x stake
Sizzling Hot Deluxe 95.66% Classic Fruits Medium $0.20 – $100 5,000x
Lucky Lady’s Charm Deluxe 95.13% Fortune Charms Medium $0.10 – $100 4,633x
Lord of the Ocean 95.10% Greek Mythology High $0.10 – $50 5,000x stake
Roaring Forties 95.48% Classic Fruits Medium-High $0.40 – $100 1,000x
Dolphin’s Pearl Deluxe 95.13% Underwater Medium $0.10 – $100 5,000x stake
Columbus Deluxe 96.31% Exploration Medium-High $0.10 – $50 5,000x stake
Book of Ra Magic 95.03% Ancient Egypt High $0.10 – $50 5,000x stake
Always Hot Deluxe 95.36% Classic Fruits Low-Medium $0.10 – $100 1,000x
Apollo God of the Sun 96.02% Greek Mythology High $0.40 – $100 500x

Reading the table is straightforward once you know what each column measures. RTP is the long-run percentage a game returns on everything wagered, volatility describes how that return arrives (steady trickle or rare bursts).

The bet range tells you whether your bankroll fits, and the max win is the theoretical ceiling on a single spin.

If you want to try any of these Novomatic online slots without risk, nearly every title has a free demo, and our guide on how to play slots is the place to start if you’re new.

RNG Table Games by Novomatic

Greentube produces a wider range of RNG table games than its slots-first reputation suggests, including several roulette variants, baccarat, and blackjack. The math follows the book: single-zero roulette returns the standard 97.30%, and blackjack pays above 99% with optimal decisions.

Don’t expect the variant depth of a table specialist. There are no game-show hybrids and few side bets; the target player wants the casino floor’s core tables and nothing else. In our sessions they ran without a hitch on desktop and phone, with layouts that favor function over flair.

If tables are your priority, pick a casino stocking several suppliers at once. Novomatic’s versions round out a slots session; they don’t carry one. In the US, Greentube’s launches so far lead with slots, so expect these tables mainly at European casinos.

The full list is longer, so we picked the four most interesting. Globe Roulette is the straight European table: single zero, French betting options, and a quick-spin control for fast sessions, with stakes starting at $0.10.

Royal Crown Roulette runs the same single-zero math behind a close-up 3D wheel and takes chips from as little as $0.01.

Lucky Lady’s Roulette puts the Lucky Lady’s Charm theme on the wheel and adds bonus numbers: after betting closes, the Lucky Lady picks up to four, with multipliers worth up to 210x a straight stake. Straight-up wins pay 30 for 1 rather than 35 to fund the feature.

The Baccarat table, meanwhile, keeps the classic player-banker-tie layout with nothing bolted on.

Novomatic RNG table games online – Globe Roulette, Baccarat, Royal Crown Roulette and Lucky Lady's Roulette

Live Casino Games by Novomatic

There are no Novomatic live dealer games. The group’s strength is machines and RNG content, and Greentube has stayed out of the studio-streaming business and leaves live tables to the dedicated suppliers.

That leaves an easy pairing: most casinos carrying Greentube content also stock live tables from specialists, and Playtech live studios in particular share lobby space with Novomatic slots across Europe.

Other Novomatic Casino Games: Jackpot Series & Beyond

The most interesting corner outside the classics is Diamond Mystery, Greentube’s four-level progressive jackpot series, which wraps familiar Novoline-style reels around locally pooled prizes.

Greentube also produces AWP-style titles for markets that grew up on arcade machines, along with occasional themed spin-offs of the big franchises. These stay deliberately simple: three or five reels, few features, quick rounds.

Exclusive and Branded Casino Games by Novomatic

Novomatic rarely licenses outside brands; its exclusives are its own franchises. Book of Ra is the house Monopoly: the Deluxe version is a fixture of European casinos, and the family has grown sequels from Book of Ra Magic to Deluxe 6.

Sizzling Hot and Lucky Lady’s Charm carry the same weight in the fruit and charm niches.

That self-owned stable is a strength. Nobody can pull the license, and twenty years of continuity is why a Novoline player can sit at any version and know the rules by heart.

Standout Features, Technology & Innovation

Novomatic’s signatures are older than most studios, and that’s precisely their appeal: mechanics proven on arcade floors, ported without dilution. Four of them define the house style.

  1. Risk – The Gamble Feature After any win, one click offers double-or-nothing on a card color or ladder climb. Most modern studios dropped the mechanic; Novomatic kept it, and for many players it defines the brand.
  2. Free Spins – Expanding Special Symbol Book of Ra’s bonus picks one symbol that expands across entire reels during free spins. The mechanic launched a whole genre; every “book” slot since is a descendant.
  3. Jackpots – Diamond Mystery Greentube’s four-level progressive series pools local jackpots on top of Novoline-style reels, giving the classics a prize ladder they never had on the floor.
  4. Technology – Novoline Ports The HTML5 versions keep the original reel strips and pace, so a Book of Ra session online mirrors the arcade original down to the sound effects.

Original? The expanding-symbol free spin genuinely was, and the industry spent a decade imitating it. The Gamble feature survives at few other studios, while the jackpot layer is Greentube catching up to a market standard the industry set years ago.

Mobile Experience with Novomatic Games

Greentube rebuilt the catalog in HTML5, so phones and tablets get the same games with no app required. Our test sessions on iOS and Android matched desktop spin for spin, and the sparse Novoline interfaces translate to small screens better than most modern, button-heavy slots.

Simplicity is the advantage here: five paylines and two buttons need little adaptation.

  1. Novomatic Slots on Android – Chrome or any current browser runs the full catalog; nothing to install.
  2. Novomatic on Android Tablet – Extra screen space suits the clean Novoline layouts, and the Gamble ladder is easier to follow.
  3. Novomatic on iPhone – Safari delivers the desktop math models with controls sized for one-handed play.
  4. Novomatic on iPad – The classics look their best on the mid-size screen; browser play is all you need.

Progressive & Fixed Jackpots

Novomatic built its name on fixed prizes, not network progressives. The classics carry famous ceilings: a free-spins screen full of explorer symbols in Book of Ra Deluxe pays 5,000x the stake, and Lucky Lady’s Charm Deluxe tops out at 4,633x the total bet.

Progressive play arrived with Greentube. The Diamond Mystery series adds a four-level jackpot that can trigger on any spin and pays up to 5,000x the stake depending on the title, while the newer Diamond Link games (Mighty Sevens among them) run the familiar Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand ladder.

Prizes are pooled locally rather than globally, so they hit more often and lower than the giant international networks.

Game Logo Type Record Win
Book of Ra Deluxe Fixed 5,000x stake – via the free-spins expanding symbol
Lucky Lady’s Charm Deluxe Fixed 4,633x total bet – fixed ceiling
Diamond Mystery series Progressive – four local jackpot levels Up to 5,000x stake – top level varies by title (Greentube figure)
Diamond Link series Progressive – Mini / Minor / Major / Grand Locally pooled four-tier ladder

Fixed ceilings mean you always know the maximum before you spin. It suits the house philosophy: the thrill is volatility inside the base game, not a life-changing side prize.

Security, Licensing & Fair Play

Greentube’s licenses come from regulators with the toughest technical standards, including the UK Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority, with US state approvals following the 2025 launches in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

The compliance record in this Novomatic review was the simplest part to check: the group has operated under European regulation since 1980.

Independent test labs including GLI and SIQ verify the random number generators behind every regulated release. Each game publishes its certified RTP in the paytable, so the theoretical return is checkable before you stake anything.

Regular payout audits are a license condition, and the operators carrying these games publish their aggregate results.

Responsible Gaming Tools & Player Protection

The safety net around a Novomatic game comes from the regulator of the market you play in, layered with the casino’s own controls. Expect session reminders and a visible clock, plus deposit or stake caps at account level wherever the license requires them.

Decide your limits before the first spin; changing them mid-session is exactly the decision the tools exist to prevent.

Responsible Gambling Tools in Novomatic Games
Reality Checks Yes (market-dependent)
Session Time Tracking Yes
Bet Size Limits Yes
Spin Speed Restrictions Yes (market-dependent)
Autoplay Controls Yes (market-dependent)

Frequently Asked Questions About Novomatic

Still curious about Novomatic, its games, or how it compares to other providers? You can find the answers to the most common questions below.

1. Is Novomatic reliable for players?

Yes. Novomatic's online games are distributed by Greentube, which is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority and operates in more than 45 countries. The group has run regulated gaming businesses in Europe since 1980.

2. Which are the best games by Novomatic?

Book of Ra Deluxe is the flagship, with Sizzling Hot Deluxe, Lucky Lady's Charm Deluxe, and Lord of the Ocean close behind. For progressive jackpot play, look at Greentube's Diamond Mystery series.

3. Who owns Novomatic?

Novomatic AG is a privately held Austrian group founded by Johann Graf in 1980, headquartered in Gumpoldskirchen near Vienna. Its online division is Greentube, the Novomatic Digital Gaming and Entertainment arm, based in Vienna.

4. What makes Novomatic different from competitors?

Authenticity. The online versions are direct ports of the Novoline machines that filled European casinos and arcades, complete with the double-or-nothing Gamble feature and the expanding-symbol free spins that Book of Ra made famous.

5. Is Novomatic suitable for beginners or casual players?

Yes, with one caveat. The rules are among the simplest in the industry and stakes start at around $0.10, but many classics are high-volatility games, so set a budget before you start and expect swings.

Todd Winkler, Editor at online-gambling.com
Todd Winkler

Todd Winkler has been an editor at online-gambling.com for 6 years. His focus is on guides and articles about poker games, blackjack, and DFS. With relatives in New Zealand, he is also well aware of the gambling industry in the country.