Tiara Slot by Merkur: Review, RTP, Moving Wild and Gamble

Tiara is a classic fruit slot from Merkur, the slot brand of Germany’s Gauselmann Group, with 5 reels, 3 rows and 10 fixed paylines. German databases list an RTP of 97.81%, stakes from EUR 0.10 to EUR 20 and a maximum win of EUR 3,000. Its one reel feature is the Tiara wild: it expands over its reel, triggers a free re-spin and walks one reel to the left on each re-spin. There are no free spins or scatters, but there are two Merkur-style gamble options, a card gamble and a ladder.

Merkur does not publish an online game sheet for Tiara, so every number below names the database it comes from, and the gaps are marked. We list no casino: we found no partner lobby that carries the game on 8 October 2026. Slots are for adults only, 18+.

Tiara at a glance

The old version of this page gave a release date of December 2018, a “bonus game” and a stake range of 0.01 to 1. None of these is supported by the sources, so they have been removed.

Merkur and the classic German slot style

Merkur games come from the arcade tradition of German amusement halls: short rules, fruit and sevens, and a gamble feature after almost every win. The online titles keep that look, and Tiara is a typical example. The reels carry Lucky 7s, watermelons, grapes, plums, oranges, cherries and lemons, with the jewelled tiara (sometimes described as a crown) as the special symbol. Wins are paid from left to right on 10 fixed lines, so every spin plays all ten lines.

How the Tiara wild works

The Tiara is an expanding wild. When it lands, it grows to cover its whole reel and substitutes for the fruit and seven symbols on all three positions. Its appearance also triggers a free re-spin, and on that re-spin the wild reel moves one position to the left. Online-Casino.at describes the symbol arriving on reel 5 and shifting left on four consecutive spins. In practice that means up to four free re-spins, each with a full wild reel, as the tiara walks from reel 5 to reel 1 and then disappears.

Why the position matters

Because wins pay from left to right, a wild reel helps most when it sits on the first reels. Sitting on reel 5, it can only complete a line that already runs across the first four reels. A wild reel 2 joins almost any pair that starts on reel 1 and continues on reel 3. Once it reaches reel 1 it starts every line, so any symbol that lands on reels 2 and 3 in a line position pays. The re-spin sequence therefore tends to become more valuable as the wild moves left, and the last re-spins are often the best ones.

Worked example

Suppose you play EUR 1 per spin (EUR 0.10 per line). A tiara lands on reel 5, giving a full wild reel there and a free re-spin. The next four spins cost you nothing and each carries a full wild reel, first on reel 4, then on 3, 2 and 1. That sequence is the game’s main source of bigger wins. How often a tiara appears, and the average value of a sequence, are not published by Merkur or by the databases, so we cannot give an expected value for it.

The gamble options

After a win, Tiara offers two ways to risk it, both described by Online-Slot.de:

• Card gamble: guess the colour of a hidden card. A correct guess doubles the win, a wrong one loses it, at 50:50.
• Ladder gamble: the classic Merkur risk ladder, where you try to stop a moving light on a higher step. It depends on timing and reaction, and each step up raises the prize.

Online-Slot.de gives EUR 140 as the limit for the gamble rounds, separate from the EUR 3,000 maximum slot win. On a fair 50:50 card guess, the gamble does not change the expected return; it only makes each result more extreme. If you want a budget to last, collect wins instead.

What 97.81% means

An RTP of 97.81% is high for a classic slot. It means that over a very large number of spins the game pays back on average EUR 97.81 of every EUR 100 staked, a house edge of 2.19%.

These are long-run averages. A single session can end far from them, and since Merkur does not publish a volatility rating, we cannot say how wide the swings usually are. Community trackers are no substitute: SlotTracker had only 69 recorded spins on Tiara when we checked, far too few to say anything about RTP or volatility. Treat any “tracked RTP” from such a small sample as noise.

Availability in 2026

Tiara is an older title and is hard to find. Online-Slot.de lists it as a desktop game and says it is no longer offered in Germany. Our partner casinos do not list Merkur among their studios, so we could not find it in their lobbies on 8 October 2026, and we name no casino on this page. If you do find the game, check the operator’s licence on the regulator’s register before depositing; our safe casinos guide explains how.

For context: in Germany, online slots may only be offered under the Glücksspielstaatsvertrag 2021 by operators on the GGL whitelist, with a basic maximum stake of EUR 1 per spin. Since 1 July 2026 the GGL allows a tiered higher maximum of up to EUR 5 under strict conditions, and autoplay and jackpots are banned for German-licensed slots.

How to try the Tiara demo

1. Find a slot site or casino that still shows the Merkur demo. Demo credits have no cash value.
2. Set the stake you would really use, so the results mean something.
3. Watch for the tiara and follow it across the reels: note on which re-spin the bigger wins come.
4. Try the card and ladder gamble only with demo credits to see how quickly they can empty a balance.
5. Decide afterwards whether a feature-light classic suits you.

In Great Britain, licensed casinos have had to verify age before allowing free-to-play games since 7 May 2019.

Who Tiara suits

• Suits: players who like classic German fruit machines, simple rules and a gamble after wins.
• Suits: anyone who values a high listed RTP over big multipliers.
• Not for: players who want free spins, scatters, cascades or a bonus game; Tiara has none.
• Not for: mobile-only players, if the desktop-only listing on Online-Slot.de is still correct.

Similar slots

If Tiara’s style appeals, Novomatic’s classic fruit games, such as Sizzling Hot Deluxe, are the closest widely available relatives; our Novomatic studio page covers them. For walking or expanding wilds in a more modern package, browse the free slots hub, and our slots guide explains how fruit machines became today’s video slots. The gaming software overview compares the studios.

Real-money play: UK and US players

Only operators licensed by the UK Gambling Commission may offer gambling to people in Great Britain (Gambling Act 2005), and GAMSTOP self-exclusion covers UKGC-licensed sites only. At UK-licensed casinos, online slots follow extra rules: since 31 October 2021 a spin must last at least 2.5 seconds and autoplay and turbo features are banned, since 9 April 2025 the maximum stake is GBP 5 per spin, and since 21 May 2025 it is GBP 2 for players aged 18 to 24. None of our partner casinos accepts players from the United States.

Play safely

Slots are for adults only: 18+ (higher in some countries). They are fast, which makes it easy to spend more than planned, so set a deposit and time limit before you start, take breaks and never chase losses. If gambling stops being fun, contact the National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare, on 0808 8020 133 in Great Britain, or Gambling Therapy (gamblingtherapy.org) for free support in other countries. Our responsible gambling page lists the tools and helplines.

Frequently asked questions

Who makes the Tiara slot?

Tiara is a Merkur game. Merkur is the slot brand of the German Gauselmann Group, best known for its arcade machines in Germany and its online versions of the same classic style.

What is the RTP of Tiara?

Online-Slot.de, a German slot database, lists 97.81%. Merkur does not publish a game sheet for Tiara that we could find, and we found no other RTP versions documented.

Does Tiara have free spins?

No. There are no scatter symbols, no free spins and no bonus game. The only feature on the reels is the expanding Tiara wild, which gives free re-spins while it moves one position to the left each time.

What is the maximum win on Tiara?

Online-Slot.de gives a maximum win of EUR 3,000, which is 150 times the EUR 20 maximum stake.

How does the Tiara wild work?

The Tiara symbol expands to fill its reel and triggers a free re-spin. On each re-spin it moves one reel to the left. Online-Casino.at describes it landing on reel 5 and moving on four consecutive spins, which takes it across to reel 1.

Can I play Tiara for free?

Some casinos and slot sites show a demo, but availability is patchy: Online-Slot.de lists the game as a desktop title and says it is no longer offered in Germany. In Great Britain, licensed casinos must verify your age before you can open their free-to-play games.