Novomatic's history since its 1980 Austrian founding as a physical slot machine manufacturer, its continued private ownership under founder Johann Graf, its 2010 entry into online gaming through the Greentube acquisition, why its classic titles run at a noticeably lower RTP than most modern online slots, its most notable titles including the format-originating Book of Ra, and how it compares to the other providers covered on this site

Novomatic occupies a genuinely different position among the studios covered on this site — not an online-first slot developer at all, but one of the world's largest land-based gaming machine manufacturers that only entered online gaming as a later addition to a much older physical-arcade business. This guide covers Novomatic's history, its Greentube online division, why its classic catalogue plays so differently from more recently-designed titles, its most notable releases, and how it compares to the other developers covered elsewhere on this site.

Novomatic's History and Ownership

Novomatic was founded in 1980 by Prof. Johann F. Graf in Austria, originally as a manufacturer of physical slot machines under the ADMIRAL brand — a genuinely different starting point from every online-native studio covered elsewhere on this site. The company expanded across Europe from 1981 onward, growing over more than four decades into one of the largest gaming technology companies in the world, headquartered in Gumpoldskirchen, Austria, and reporting revenue of roughly €3.6 billion in 2025 across operations spanning around 50 countries and exports to more than 130 states. Novomatic remains privately held under founder Johann Graf, a genuinely different ownership structure from every consolidated or publicly-listed studio covered on this site — closer in spirit to Play'n GO's continued independence (covered in that studio's own guide) than to Evolution's or Light & Wonder's group-owned portfolio, though built on a fundamentally different land-based foundation.

Greentube: Novomatic's Online Division

Novomatic entered the online gaming market in 2010 through the acquisition of the Greentube Group, which has operated as the company's interactive and iGaming division ever since. This is worth understanding specifically because it means "Novomatic" and "Greentube" are often used close to interchangeably when discussing the studio's online slot titles — Greentube is the entity that actually builds and licenses the online versions of Novomatic's catalogue, including its land-based classics adapted for online play, to UK-licensed casino operators.

Why Novomatic's Classic Titles Play Differently

Novomatic's most established titles carry the design fingerprints of their land-based, arcade-machine origins, and this genuinely affects how they play compared to titles from online-native studios covered elsewhere on this site. Most of Novomatic's classic slots use a simpler ten-line architecture, considerably fewer active paylines than many modern online-first titles, alongside a card gamble feature — a double-or-nothing mechanic letting players wager a win on guessing a playing card's colour, inherited directly from the physical arcade-machine tradition these titles originated in. RTP across Novomatic's classic catalogue typically runs lower than the modern online-slot norm, commonly reported in the 95% to 95.7% range, with individual operator versions varying further still — a meaningfully lower range than the roughly 96%+ RTP more commonly seen across the online-native studios covered elsewhere on this site. This isn't a design flaw so much as a genuine artefact of these titles' arcade-machine heritage, where the RTP, payline count, and feature set were originally built for a physical cabinet business model rather than the online-first design conventions that later became standard.

Book of Ra: The Title That Started a Format

Book of Ra, released in 2005, is Novomatic's single most significant release — and the title that originated the entire "Book of" slot format, covered in full depth in this site's dedicated Best "Book of" Slots guide. The format's defining mechanic — a randomly-selected symbol that expands to fill an entire reel during a bonus round — was introduced by Book of Ra specifically, before being followed by Book of Ra Deluxe and eventually licensed and replicated by a wide range of other studios covered across this site's Best "Book of" Slots guide, including Play'n GO's Book of Dead and Legacy of Dead. Book of Ra was originally a land-based casino success before becoming what's widely described as an overnight hit once brought online — a genuinely direct illustration of Novomatic's own land-based-to-online business trajectory playing out through its single most famous title.

Further Notable Titles

Sizzling Hot, described by reviewers as a definitive example of the classic featureless fruit-machine format, represents a genuinely different design tradition from Book of Ra's bonus-round-driven structure — closer to the simplest possible slot format, without an expanding-symbol or free-spins feature layered on top. Lucky Lady's Charm, notable for its tripled free-games feature, and its own Deluxe sequel extend the same classic ten-line architecture. Lord of the Ocean, Dolphin's Pearl, and Columbus round out Novomatic's wider classic catalogue, each applying broadly similar mechanics and RTP ranges to different visual themes, reflecting the studio's pattern of iterating on a proven, simpler structural template across a wide range of individual releases rather than pursuing the more mechanically elaborate feature sets common across several online-native studios covered elsewhere on this site. Deluxe versions of several of these classic titles are also commonly available, typically refreshing the visual presentation and sometimes extending the paytable slightly while keeping the same underlying ten-line structure and gamble feature as the original release — worth checking specifically which version (standard or Deluxe) a given UK operator carries, since the two can differ in RTP even when sharing the same base title name.

A Land-Based Business That Happens to Also Be Online

This is worth spelling out clearly, since it's the single biggest structural difference between Novomatic and every other studio covered on this site: the online slot catalogue covered in this guide represents just one part of a considerably larger physical gaming machine and casino-operations business. Novomatic's core historical business — manufacturing and operating physical slot machines and arcade cabinets — continues to operate at genuinely large scale across Europe and beyond, entirely separate from the online titles UK players encounter through Greentube. This matters practically because it explains design choices that might otherwise look dated: the ten-line architecture and card gamble feature covered above weren't compromises made for an online-first product, but a faithful digital adaptation of mechanics originally built for a physical cabinet business with its own separate design conventions, regulatory environment, and player expectations. No other studio covered on this site shares this land-based-first origin story — even Novomatic's closest structural comparison, Play'n GO, was built online-first from its 1997 founding.

Where to Play Novomatic Slots

Given Novomatic's status as one of the largest gaming technology companies in the world and Book of Ra's enduring popularity, Novomatic and Greentube titles are available across a substantial majority of UK-licensed casino operators. Checking whether a specific operator's version of a classic title includes the card gamble feature, and confirming the exact RTP for that specific build, is worth doing directly on the game's information screen — given how much more variation exists across Novomatic's classic catalogue's RTP range compared to the tighter, more standardised RTP figures more typical of newer titles from online-native studios covered elsewhere on this site.

How Novomatic Compares to Other Providers Covered on This Site

Positioned against Play'n GO (also covered in a dedicated guide on this site as one of the industry's few remaining independently-owned major studios), the comparison is closest on ownership structure — both remain outside the Evolution/Light & Wonder consolidation pattern — but genuinely different in origin, with Novomatic's land-based arcade heritage shaping its classic catalogue's RTP and feature simplicity in a way no purely online-native studio shares. Positioned against the wider "Book of" format covered across this site, Novomatic holds a uniquely foundational position — every other studio's "Book of" title, including Play'n GO's own Book of Dead, is building on a mechanic Novomatic's Book of Ra introduced first. Positioned against Big Time Gaming's Megaways licensing model (covered in a dedicated guide on this site), Novomatic's own influence on the wider industry runs through direct imitation and format-following by competitors rather than a formal licensing relationship — a genuinely different mechanism for a single studio's design to spread across the wider market.

Novomatic and UK Licensing

As with every developer covered on this site, Novomatic and Greentube's titles operate exclusively through UKGC-licensed casino operators for UK players, subject to the standard UK regulatory framework — RTP disclosure requirements, the mandatory online slots stake limits covered in this site's Penny & Low Stake Slots guide, and the minimum spin-speed and autoplay rules referenced elsewhere on this site. The card gamble feature found on many classic Novomatic titles is worth checking for UK availability on a specific operator's version of a given game, since gamble features are subject to the same UK regulatory scrutiny as any other slot mechanic and aren't necessarily implemented identically across every UK-licensed platform carrying the same title.

A Practical Checklist Before Playing Novomatic Slots

Check a specific title's RTP directly rather than assuming a single figure applies across the whole classic catalogue — Novomatic's classic titles typically run in the 95% to 95.7% range, meaningfully lower than the roughly 96%+ norm common across many online-native studios covered elsewhere on this site.

Understand Novomatic and Greentube are effectively the same studio for online purposes — Greentube is Novomatic's online and interactive division, established through a 2010 acquisition, rather than a fully separate company.

Know that Book of Ra originated the "Book of" format before assuming a later, more recently-released title in the format is the definitive version — Novomatic's original remains the historical reference point covered in this site's Best "Book of" Slots guide.

Don't expect the elaborate bonus-feature stacking common on many modern online-native titles — Novomatic's classic catalogue's ten-line architecture and card gamble feature reflect a genuinely simpler, arcade-machine-derived design tradition.

Who Novomatic Slots Genuinely Suit

Good fit: players who enjoy classic, straightforward slot design with a genuine arcade-machine heritage, and anyone specifically interested in playing the original title that started the "Book of" format before trying its many later variations.

Less suited: players prioritising the highest possible base RTP or the more elaborate multi-layered bonus features common across several online-native studios covered elsewhere on this site — Novomatic's classic catalogue's lower RTP range and simpler feature sets are a genuine trade-off for its historical significance and straightforward design.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Novomatic founded, and by whom?

1980, in Austria, by Prof. Johann F. Graf, originally as a manufacturer of physical slot machines under the ADMIRAL brand.

Is Novomatic publicly listed or privately owned?

Privately held under founder Johann Graf — a genuinely different ownership structure from Playtech's public listing or Evolution's and Light & Wonder's group ownership of several other studios covered on this site.

What is Greentube?

Novomatic's online and interactive gaming division, established through an acquisition completed in 2010 — effectively the entity behind Novomatic's online slot titles for UK-licensed operators.

Why is Novomatic's RTP lower than other studios covered on this site?

Its classic catalogue's design traces back to physical arcade-machine origins, typically running a simpler ten-line architecture and RTP in the 95% to 95.7% range — meaningfully lower than the roughly 96%+ norm common across many online-native studios.

What is Novomatic's most historically significant title?

Book of Ra, released in 2005 — the title that originated the entire "Book of" expanding-symbol slot format, later followed and licensed across a wide range of other studios covered in this site's Best "Book of" Slots guide.

What is the card gamble feature on Novomatic's classic titles?

A double-or-nothing mechanic letting players wager a win on guessing a playing card's colour — a feature inherited directly from the physical arcade-machine tradition Novomatic's classic titles originated in.

How big is Novomatic's business overall?

Reporting roughly €3.6 billion in revenue in 2025 across operations in around 50 countries and exports to more than 130 states, making it one of the largest gaming technology companies in the world.

Does Novomatic still make physical slot machines?

Yes — Novomatic's core historical business, manufacturing and operating physical gaming machines and arcade cabinets, continues to operate at large scale, entirely separate from the online titles covered in this guide. This land-based-first origin is unique among the studios covered on this site.

Are Book of Dead and Book of Ra the same game?

No — they're separate titles from separate studios that share the same underlying mechanic. Book of Ra (Novomatic, 2005) originated the "Book of" format; Book of Dead (Play'n GO, 2016) is one of the many later titles built on that same template, covered together in this site's Best "Book of" Slots guide.

This guide is for informational purposes. RTP, volatility, and feature figures are as reported across multiple third-party sources and may vary slightly by platform configuration — always check the individual game's information screen for current, exact figures before playing. 18+ only. UKGC-licensed operators only. Gambling problem? BeGambleAware.org | National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133. Information correct as of October 2026.