Expanding wilds are a wild symbol with a feature that allows them to cover all positions on the reel where they land. They stretch vertically and can cover 3, 4, 5, or 6 positions, depending on how many are on the reel.
Effectively, what this mechanic does is create wild reels.
The wild symbol itself is a wildcard that substitutes for any regular symbols on the reels. This makes the expanding wild even more valuable than a non-expanding wild, as there are more chances of completing a symbol combination when multiple reel positions are covered. As a result, the chance of you landing a winning combination massively increases.
Some modern online slots use expanding wilds on every reel. Others only use this feature on the center reel. In terms of consistency, you may find it in the base game and also in free spins, while some slots use expanding wilds only during the free spins bonus round.
Here are some types of expanding wilds you may come across in online slots:
- Expanding reels with multipliers
- Free spins with expanding reels
- Wild reels (available in the base game and free spins)
If you’re new to wild mechanics, check out our guide on wild symbols explained, or head over to mBitcasino to try expanding wilds for yourself.
