Play Demo
Some slots earn their place through complexity. Black Knight earned it through one feature done exceptionally well. Originally a land-based casino favourite from WMS back in 2011, this 5-reel, 10-payline slot built its reputation around expanding sticky wilds during free spins, a concept that was genuinely ahead of its time and has since been borrowed by countless competitors.
Light & Wonder remastered it for online play in 2019, and the demo still attracts players today despite visuals that show their age. The medieval jousting theme runs through every symbol on the reels, from chess-piece styled kings and jesters to crowns, sceptres, and the Black Knight wild himself standing guard beside the grid.
The RTP shifts depending on your bet level, reaching 96% at £2 or above and climbing to 97.75% in the Big Bet game. The series has expanded since the original, with Black Knight 2 offering 40 paylines and Mighty Black Knight introducing an expanding grid format, but this first entry remains the most widely played of the group.
The Black Knight wild symbol appears only on the three middle reels (2, 3, and 4). During standard play, it substitutes for all paying symbols. At bet levels of £2.00 or above, the wild also substitutes for the Bonus scatter symbol, which gives higher stakes a meaningful advantage beyond just the improved RTP. This distinction is worth knowing before you choose your bet level in the free play demo.
Landing 3, 4, or 5 Bonus scatter symbols anywhere on the reels triggers the free spins round. Three scatters award 7 free spins. Four scatters award 12 free spins. Five scatters award 12 free spins plus a jackpot of 500x your total bet. During free spins, any Black Knight wild that appears on reels 2, 3, or 4 expands to cover the entire reel and remains locked in place for every remaining spin. This sticky expanding wild system is the heart of the game. Landing even one early in the round gives you a full wild reel for the rest of your spins. Landing two or three creates enormous win potential across all 10 paylines for every subsequent spin. The Bonus scatter does not appear during free spins and the Black Knight wild does not substitute for it during the round.
The Big Bet costs 20x your standard bet and awards 5 linked spins. During these spins, any Black Knight wild symbol that lands becomes sticky for the remaining spins in the set, similar to the free spins behaviour but active during standard play. The Big Bet mode runs at an enhanced RTP of 97.75%, making it the highest-return option available. This is a deliberate design from the land-based casino era, where higher-stakes play was rewarded with better odds.
Black Knight uses a 5-reel, 3-row grid with 10 fixed paylines. Wins form from left to right across adjacent reels beginning from the leftmost reel, with only the highest win paid per combination.
Scatter wins from the Bonus symbol pay in any position and are added to payline wins. Bets start at £0.10, though some UK operators may cap the maximum lower than the game's native £500 limit. The RTP is 94% for bets below £2.00 and 96% for bets at £2.00 or above. The Big Bet option carries a 97.75% RTP. Volatility is high across all modes.
Values below reflect a £1.00 total bet. The paytable scales with your selected stake.
| Symbol | 5 on a Line | 4 on a Line | 3 on a Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| King | 500x | 50x | 10x |
| Queen | 200x | 25x | 5x |
| Jester | 100x | 20x | 5x |
| Crown | 75x | 15x | 3x |
| Orb | 50x | 10x | 2x |
| Map | 40x | 8x | 2x |
| Sceptre | 25x | 5x | 1x |
| Ring | 25x | 5x | 1x |
| Bonus (Scatter) | 500x | – | – |
Here is what we think: Black Knight is a slot that trades entirely on one idea, and that idea still works. The expanding sticky wilds during free spins create genuine tension from the moment the bonus triggers, and the potential to end up with three full wild reels across the middle of the grid makes every spin inside the round feel loaded with possibility. The surrounding package is dated, the feature set is minimal, and there is nothing here that will surprise anyone familiar with modern slots. But the Big Bet's 97.75% RTP remains one of the highest available in any online slot, and the core free spins system has aged better than the graphics around it. Ultimate Slots Rating: 7/10
The medieval theming is immediately apparent. The Black Knight himself stands beside the reels in full armour, and the symbols lean heavily into a royal court aesthetic with chess-piece styled icons including kings, queens, and jesters alongside crowns, orbs, and sceptres. The colour palette is rich with deep purples, blacks, and gold accents that give the grid a regal weight. It is clearly an older title, but the visual identity holds together better than many games of the same vintage.
Standard play is quiet. With only 10 paylines, wins during regular spins were infrequent in our session. The game clearly funnels its win potential into the free spins round, and the stretches between bonus triggers can feel long at high volatility. The atmosphere shifts noticeably when Bonus scatter symbols start appearing, with the sound design ramping up to signal that something is building. This transition is one of the better-executed tension moments in older slots.
The free spins round is where the reputation was built. Each time a Black Knight wild lands on reels 2, 3, or 4, it stretches to fill the entire column and locks in place for every remaining spin. The visual effect is immediate and satisfying, and the mathematical impact is substantial. A single sticky wild reel early in the round improves every subsequent spin across all 10 paylines.
Two sticky wilds transform the round. Three effectively guarantee significant returns as every combination involving those reels produces wins. The fact that this system was pioneered back in 2011 and is still being replicated by modern developers speaks to how well it works.
Our Big Bet experience cost 20x and returned close to the purchase price, which felt representative of an average outcome rather than an exceptional one. The 97.75% RTP suggests that over time the Big Bet mode gives back more than it takes. The sticky wilds during Big Bet spins function identically to the free spins version, making each of the five linked spins progressively more valuable if wilds appear.
The series has grown significantly since this original release. Black Knight 2 expanded to 40 paylines but reduced the max win. Mighty Black Knight introduced an expanding grid that can grow from 5×5 to 5×10 with up to 100 paylines through the Mighty Reels system. Each sequel added complexity, but the original’s simplicity is arguably its greatest strength. There are no multipliers, no cascading wins, no collection meters. Just wilds that expand and stick. For a demo session, that focus makes this one of the most immediately understandable slots you can load, with a review of each bonus round delivering clear visual feedback on exactly how well things are going.
The slot grid features basic graphics, but it’s fit for purpose.
The bonus round costs 20 bets, and all Black Knights symbols substitute for all other symbols, including the bonus.
Our result from the bonus round was satisfactory, returning roughly what we paid for the bet (we lost slightly).
