A 5x3 grid with 10 left-to-right paylines sets up Hot Tuna. The theme blends Chinese, Fishing, Japanese and Ocean elements, and two matching symbols are enough to start a win. Tuna School symbols are MONEY symbols. Each spin they show a random value, but those values stay unpaid until the Free Spins begin. Knowing that rule first makes the base game easier to read.
Three SCATTER symbols start 10 Free Spins, four start 15 and five start 20. In Free Spins, WILD symbols work on every reel, and each WILD landing adds a spin and collects all MONEY values. A seven-step CATCHES meter fills from uncollected MONEY; each fill adds 10 spins. HOT TUNA x10 unlocks after the first retrigger. Ante Bet doubles total bet and lifts SCATTER frequency.
Know what it pays
Slotastic Casino lists every figure in plain sight, so you know the game before you spin.
| Feature | At the table |
|---|---|
| Game provider | Pragmatic Play |
| Return to player | 96.53% |
| Volatility level | High |
| Grid layout | 5x3 |
| Maximum win multiple | x2,500 |
| Maximum win in money | A$1,200,000 |
| Release date | 01/01/2026 |
Hot Tuna Step By Step
Read this before your first spin, so the stake and the win lines are clear from the off.
Stakes run from A$0.05 to A$480, so a round can cost a few cents or a few hundred. The tables here use A$2 and A$5 as examples, not as the game's outer limits.
Ten paylines read left to right across five reels and three rows, and two matching symbols at the left edge are enough to pay. Squid and Sushi Rolls are the priciest of the ten symbols.
SCATTER triggers the bonus and pays on its own, while MONEY tokens land with random values that sit unpaid during the base game. Ante Bet doubles the total stake and puts more SCATTERs on the reels.
Three, four or five SCATTERs award 10, 15 or 20 free spins. Each WILD that lands during the feature adds a spin and gathers every MONEY value on screen.
A$2 spins at a high volatility burn through a balance faster than low-volatility play, so fix a session budget and a spin count beforehand. Take a break the moment either line is reached.
Round rules
After this part you will know how each mode starts and what happens inside it.
3, 4 or 5 SCATTER symbols start Free Spins with 10, 15 or 20 spins. Every WILD landing adds 1 free spin and collects all MONEY values. Each fill of the CATCHES meter retriggers 10 free spins. HOT TUNA x10 unlocks after the first retrigger.
Base GameExtra free spins
A 5x3 grid with 10 left-to-right paylines starts every round. WILD is not available in this mode. Tuna School MONEY symbols show a random value on each spin, but are not paid until Free Spins.
Opening the gamePaylines and money
The shortcut is priced at 100 times your bet, so it takes A$500 at a A$5 stake, while the ante toggle simply doubles whatever you stake.
| Toggle | Stake Impact | RTP |
|---|---|---|
| Buy Free Spins | x100 · A$500 | – |
At A$100 staked, the listed 96.53% version returns A$96.53 on average over long play. Which build this lobby runs is printed in the game rules panel.
| Build | RTP | Provider Standard |
|---|---|---|
| build 1 | 96.53% | Yes |
What You Will See
You will have seen the base grid, the free spins and a finished win before staking anything.
Pay table
The payouts below are in Australian dollars at the example bet of A$2, and more symbols in a win pay more.
| A$ value | 2+ | 3+ | 4+ | 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 ScatterScatter | – | A$20 | A$30 | A$40 |
 Squid | A$0.80 | A$10 | A$40 | A$400 |
 Sushi Rolls | – | A$6 | A$30 | A$200 |
 Treasure Chest | – | A$4 | A$20 | A$100 |
 Seahorse | – | A$4 | A$20 | A$100 |
 Tuna School | – | A$2 | A$10 | A$40 |
 A | – | A$0.80 | A$4.80 | A$20 |
 K | – | A$0.80 | A$4.80 | A$20 |
 Q | – | A$0.80 | A$4.80 | A$20 |
 J | – | A$0.80 | A$4.80 | A$20 |
Ten free spins need three SCATTER symbols, twenty need five, and no figure on this page says how often that lands. Each spin resolves on its own, so a session swings with the volatility rather than with the 96.53% return, which is a long-run average across thousands of rounds, not a promise about yours.
Pragmatic Play ships Hot Tuna at 96.53% return here, and the return is printed inside the game rules panel on the reels themselves. That screen is the one place that states the figure in play, so check it before staking anything.
Hot Tuna is capped at 2,500 times the bet, which is A$12,500 on a A$5 stake and A$1,200,000 at the A$480 limit. Treat the cap as a ceiling the maths allows, not a target: most rounds end far below it, and the multiplier unlock sits behind a retrigger.
At the first spin
You will leave knowing how free spins start, which bets apply, the RTP and what can't be predicted.
The top prize is x2,500 your total bet. At the example top bet of A$5 that means A$12,500, and at the highest bet of A$480 it means A$1,200,000. Volatility is high, so the size and timing of any large win cannot be known in advance.
Three, four or five SCATTER symbols start the free spins, giving 10, 15 or 20 spins. WILD symbols are not active in the base game, but they work on every reel during the free spins. Each WILD landing adds one more free spin.
Hot Tuna is a video slot with a 5x3 grid and 10 left-to-right paylines, made by Pragmatic Play and developed in the Reel Kingdom studio. Its themes are Chinese, Fishing, Japanese and Ocean. Symbols include Squid, Sushi Rolls, Treasure Chest and Seahorse, plus the Tuna School money symbols.
The lowest bet is A$0.05 and the highest allowed bet is A$480. The paytable uses A$2, and A$5 is the top example bet on this page.
The game runs at one RTP, 96.53 percent. RTP is the average return over a very large number of spins, measured on A$100 staked, so it does not predict any single session. Results on a short run can be far above or below it.
Hot Tuna is for players 18+. In Australia, call the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858, or self-exclude through BetStop.
Decide how much you can afford to lose before you open Hot Tuna, and stop once that amount is gone.
Set your stopping point before the first spin, and keep to it even after a big win.
Use the deposit and loss limits in your account to cap how much a session can cost you.
If Hot Tuna stops being fun, take a break or self-exclude through BetStop, even if you have a balance left.
Hot Tuna and five neighbours
Same reels, same stakes, so nothing feels unfamiliar when you switch games.
Senior editor, Australian content; former support team lead
I test every page on a phone before it goes live, and I read the bonus terms closely, including how the 34x wagering applies to the welcome match and weekend free spins.
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