What makes The Hand of Midas different
The Hand of Midas is a 5-reel, 15-payline pokie by Pragmatic Play, released in 2020. It is based on the Greek myth of King Midas whose touch turns everything to gold. The central mechanic translates this story into gameplay: a golden Wild hand appears and transforms adjacent symbols into Wilds.
Golden Touch Wild
When the Hand of Midas Wild symbol lands, it activates the Golden Touch feature — transforming between 1 and 5 surrounding symbols into additional Wild symbols. The number of transformed symbols is random per trigger.
On a 15-payline game, multiple Wilds spreading from the Hand’s position can simultaneously cover several paylines, producing winning combinations across the full grid.
Free Spins (Midas Spins)
Three or more Golden Coin scatter symbols trigger 10 Midas Spins. During Midas Spins, the Golden Touch Wild’s transformation range increases — more surrounding symbols can be converted per Wild land than in the base game. Stacked Wild symbols also appear on all reels during Midas Spins, increasing Wild frequency.
Landing 3+ scatters during Midas Spins adds 10 more spins.
RTP and volatility
Pragmatic Play publishes 96.47% RTP. The Hand of Midas is high-volatility — the Golden Touch Wild’s variable transformation count means base game wins vary significantly from spin to spin. Midas Spins with stacked Wilds and enhanced transformation produce the largest wins.
What it costs per hour
At NZ$0.40 per spin and 400 spins per hour: NZ$160 wagered × 3.53% house edge = approximately NZ$5.60 expected loss per hour.
### Q: How many symbols can the Golden Touch transform in one trigger?
A: Between 1 and 5 adjacent symbols can be transformed to Wilds in a single Golden Touch activation. The number is random per trigger. In Midas Spins, the range may extend to cover more surrounding positions than in the base game.
### Q: Does the Wild transformation count as landing a Wild or replacing a symbol?
A: The transformed symbols become standard Wild symbols for the current spin’s evaluation. They substitute for all other symbols and contribute to any winning combination they complete, exactly as if Wild symbols had landed naturally in those positions.
### Q: How does The Hand of Midas compare to other Pragmatic Play mythology pokies?
A: Pragmatic Play has released several mythology-themed titles. The Hand of Midas is distinguished by the transformation Wild mechanic (unique to this title in the PP catalogue) rather than standard Wild scatter free spins. Its 15-payline structure sits between simpler 10-line games and wider 25/40-line designs.
Playing The Hand of Midas at NZ casinos
The Hand of Midas returns 96.47% over the long run — well above the 78% minimum return required at NZ land-based pokies venues. At the NZ$0.20 minimum bet, the 3.53% house edge produces an expected hourly loss of approximately NZ$2.82 at 400 spins. At the NZ$100 maximum bet that rises to approximately NZ$1,412. The 15-payline structure delivers more frequent base game wins than 10-payline alternatives, and the Golden Touch Wild’s variable transformation range means base game wins vary significantly in size from spin to spin.
High volatility is driven by the unpredictable nature of the Golden Touch Wild transformation. A single Wild landing and transforming one adjacent symbol produces a modest win enhancement; a Wild transforming five surrounding symbols on a 15-payline grid creates substantial Wild coverage across multiple paylines simultaneously. This random range — not knowing whether a Wild lands with one or five transformations — is the source of the game’s intra-session variance even before the Midas Spins round is reached. Free spins with stacked Wilds and enhanced transformation range amplify this further, producing the session’s largest outcomes when multiple transformation events overlap.
The 5,000x maximum win requires the Golden Touch Wild to transform maximum surrounding symbols during Midas Spins with stacked Wilds aligned optimally across the 15 paylines — a statistical edge case. At NZ$0.20 per spin it represents NZ$1,000; at NZ$100 it represents NZ$500,000. Expected hourly cost at the NZ$0.20 minimum is approximately NZ$2.82; at NZ$0.40 approximately NZ$5.65.
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Q: What is the RTP of The Hand of Midas?
A: The Hand of Midas has an RTP of 96.47%. This means for every NZ$100 wagered over many sessions, the game returns an average of NZ$96.47 to players and keeps NZ$3.53 as the house edge. At NZ$0.20 per spin and approximately 400 spins per hour, the expected hourly loss is approximately NZ$2.82. Check the in-game information panel at your specific casino to confirm the RTP setting in use — some casinos apply lower settings.
Q: Is The Hand of Midas available at NZ casinos?
A: Yes. The Hand of Midas by Pragmatic Play is available at reviewed NZ casinos on this site. Check individual casino reviews for the current game library — availability can change as operators update their game catalogues.
Q: What is the maximum win on The Hand of Midas?
A: The stated maximum win is 5,000x your stake. At NZ$0.20 per spin this would be NZ$1,000.00. Maximum win figures represent the theoretical ceiling under optimal conditions — they are statistical outliers that occur rarely across millions of spins, not typical session outcomes.