Published on April 21, 2026 • Updated: October 2, 2026 • Reading time: 6 min
An earlier version of this article reviewed a series of "ghost Spartan" slots that does not exist, backed by claimed player interviews and years of testing. All of that has been removed. This rewrite answers a more useful question: if two slots look like the same Spartan battle, how can you tell what each one will actually do with your money?
Theme is the skin, maths is the engine
Helmets, shields, red cloaks and ghostly warriors are artwork and sound. How a slot behaves comes from its maths model: the return to player (RTP), the volatility, the hit frequency, the maximum win and how often each feature is triggered. Two studios can draw the same Spartan and build completely different games underneath. The reverse happens too: one maths model is sometimes released several times with new artwork. A theme is a reason to like a game, never a reason to expect more from it.
How to read the info screen
Every licensed slot has an info or paytable screen, usually behind an "i", a question mark or a menu icon. These are the lines worth finding:
- RTP: the theoretical share of all stakes paid back over a very large number of spins. Many providers release the same game in several RTP versions and the casino chooses which one it runs, so read the figure in the game at your casino, not in a review.
- Volatility: how wins are spread out. Low volatility means frequent small wins; high volatility means long dry spells and rare large wins. Providers use their own scales (stars, bars, 1 to 5), so compare games within one provider.
- Hit frequency: how often a spin returns anything at all. Some providers publish it; many do not.
- Maximum win: usually stated as a multiple of the stake, e.g. 5,000x. A high cap normally means a large part of the RTP sits in rare events.
- Features and bonus buy: how free spins or the bonus round are triggered, and whether a feature buy has its own RTP.
- Malfunction clause: "malfunction voids all pays and plays" is standard wording and worth knowing before you play.
If a figure is missing from the info screen, treat it as unknown rather than guessing. RTP, volatility and other terms are defined in our glossary.
Two Spartan slots, two different games
Assumption: two hypothetical slots with identical Spartan artwork, played with €1 spins for 500 spins (€500 of total stakes).
| Slot A | Slot B | |
|---|---|---|
| RTP | 96.5% | 94.0% |
| Volatility | Low | High |
| Maximum win | 500x | 10,000x |
| Expected cost of €500 in spins | €17.50 | €30.00 |
Slot A costs €17.50 on average and usually feels steady. Slot B costs €30 on average, but the average hides the spread: most sessions end below it and a rare session ends far above it. Neither result says anything about the next spin, because each spin is independent. The artwork could be identical; only the info screen tells the two apart. Why "hot" or "haunted" machines do not exist is covered in our article on slot myths.
Bonus buys and "ghost" features
Many modern slots let you buy the bonus round for a fixed multiple of the stake, often around 100x. That does not tilt the long-run return in your favour; it concentrates the volatility into fewer, larger bets. GladiatorsBet lists Bonus Buy as a separate section of its casino. Sticky ghost wilds, respins and expanding symbols are features inside the RTP, not ways around it.
Bonus play at GladiatorsBet: excluded games and the €5 limit
If you play with a casino bonus, the theme also tells you nothing about whether a slot counts. GladiatorsBet's general bonus terms (updated 13 February 2026, checked 2 October 2026) exclude a long list of titles from bonus play, including Sweet Bonanza, Dead or Alive, Blood Suckers and crash games such as Aviator, Spaceman, Mines and Plinko. Slots that are not excluded count 100% toward wagering. While a bonus is active, bets must stay between €0.50 and €5; a 100x feature buy already costs €5 at a €0.05 stake. Check the list before you start, not after a win. The other bonus rules are on our bonuses page.
A short checklist
- Open the info screen before the first spin.
- Note the RTP, volatility and maximum win.
- Choose a stake that gives your budget enough spins for the session you want.
- If a bonus is active, check the excluded list and the €5 maximum bet.
- Ignore the theme when deciding how much to play.
Frequently asked questions
Does a slot's theme affect how much it pays?
No. Payouts come from the maths model (RTP, volatility, hit frequency and maximum win), not from the artwork or the story.
Where can I find a slot's RTP?
In the game's info or paytable screen at the casino where you play. Many providers release several RTP versions of the same game, so a review may show a different figure.
Can I play any slot with a GladiatorsBet bonus?
No. The general bonus terms exclude a long list of games, including Sweet Bonanza, Dead or Alive, Blood Suckers, Aviator, Spaceman, Mines and Plinko.
Operator source: General Bonus T&Cs (updated 13 February 2026), checked 2 October 2026. Slot figures in this article are hypothetical examples, not data for any real game.
