Live Bingo: A Comprehensive Game Comparison

Mega Ball – Evolution

Mega Ball – from Evolution – is the most bingo-like game out of the three.

The aim of the game involves purchasing bingo cards, from one up to 200 if you’re feeling lucky. However, as Evolution loves to do, they’ve also added a multiplier mechanic into the game. I’ll cover this in the “how to play” section below.

How To Play

To begin playing Mega Ball, you will need to purchase bingo cards. Each card contains exactly 24 numbers and a blank “wild” space. This is automatically filled in as a winning space. The card comes in a 5X5 layout, with 12 playable lines on each card.
First, you must choose the value you want to pay for the card. The minimum bet is 0.10 credits, and the maximum is 100 per card, and you can change the value of the cards right up till betting time closes. If you’re not satisfied with the numbers on the cards, there can be changed too by hitting the refresh button.

Once the betting time has ended, the presenter draws 20 balls from the Mega Ball machine containing 51 balls. As the balls are drawn, they are compared to the numbers on your card and automatically marked off if they match.

As the balls are drawn, your bingo cards are sorted according to which ones will likely complete a line first. They are moved to the left-hand side of your screen to be more visible. Once all the balls are out, a special Mega Ball Bonus Round begins. Two Bonus Mega Balls can appear, boosting your cards’ potential payouts thanks to the randomly-drawn multiplier.

If the Mega Ball number completes one of the lines on your card, the total payout for that card multiplies by the multiplier drawn. A second Mega Ball can sometimes be triggered. If this also completes a line, only the highest of the two multipliers is used to boost the payouts.

Winning cards are automatically paid. Mega Ball is relatively easy to understand and fun to play. However, you’re very reliant on multipliers giving you a decent payout when you win.

RTPs and Payouts

Mega Ball can produce some very big wins. You’ll need multiple lines on a single card to hit massive wins. The minimum payout for winning one line is 1:1, while the max is 99:1. For two winning lines, the minimum win is 4:1, while the max win is 499:1.

Three and four winning lines have a minimum and maximum win of 49:1/ 4,999:1 and 249:1/ 24,999:1, respectively. If you win with five lines, the minimum payout is 999:1, and the max is 99,999:1.

Winning six or more lines on your card awards a minimum payout of 9,999:1, and the maximum win reaches a whopping 999,999:1. However, the maximum win is capped at $500,000 – or currency equivalent.

When Evolution mentions the RTP for Mega Ball, they’re talking about the return to the player for one card in play. The expected RTP is 95.40%, but the range goes from 95.05% to 95.40%. The game doesn’t boast the highest RTP in the world, but the payout potential can be massive.

You can walk away with monster hits if you win with four or more lines and hit a multiplier.

However, I’ve played Mega Ball a lot – and big wins are very difficult to get. As I mentioned, you’re also entirely reliant on the multipliers; with them, wins are worth more.

Strategy

As I often say, strategies look good on paper. However, in reality, they often fail to work as expected. When it comes to Mega Ball, I’m doubtful any strategies will help. There are several reasons why I’ve come to this conclusion. Firstly, most Mega Ball strategies assume you are playing against other people. In reality, you’re not. You have no say regarding the numbers on the card.

All of the cards and numbers are auto-generated. You cannot influence the numbers or the order they are positioned on the card. Therefore, strategies relying on the probability of the last numbers drawn will not be relevant as you cannot choose your numbers.

However, you can try to follow a couple of basic strategies. For example, the more cards you buy, the higher your chances of winning. You can make just 12 lines with a single card. If you were to buy 20 cards, you’d have 240 possible winning combinations. So the more cards you play, the greater your chance of hitting a winning line.

Monopoly Big Baller – Evolution

Monopoly Big Baller by Evolution is a bingo-inspired live entertainment game. It’s a cross between Monopoly Live and Mega Ball. The game uses a riverboat theme. The primary game mechanic is a bingo machine with an animated RNG Monopoly Bonus Round.

The game is bingo, played with four cards. Every card contains 25 numbers in a 5X5 format. You’re allowed to bet on bingo cards, with unique free spaces and multipliers increasing the value of payouts. I’ll explain how it all works below.

How To Play

Once the betting round begins, you’ll have 12 seconds to select the quantity and type (Chance or Free Space) of bingo cards you want to play. Now is also the time to play the bonus round cards. You can play one or both – the choice is entirely yours. Once you’ve selected how much you’d like to bet, click your mouse cursor on the cards you’d like to bet on.

A random number generator populates the bingo cards and the three and five-roll bonus cards with numbers. As the betting round closes, Mr Monopoly pulls a lever to trigger populate the cards with multipliers and free spaces.

The bingo machine then starts rotating. Sixty balls bounce around inside the machine. As every ball comes out, the corresponding numbers on your card are automatically dabbed with a red dot. Dabs happen in real time so that you can see the progress of your cards filling up. Once 20 balls have been drawn, any winning lines you’ve formed light up and pay accordingly. If there are active multipliers, these will be applied to your total win amount.

Multipliers and Free Spaces

Three types of “Chance” multipliers can appear when playing Monopoly Big Baller.

The “standard” multiplier is worth between 10X and 20X and is assigned to a specific number. If any of your winning lines contain this number, all wins on that card multiply by that multiplier.

The second type of multiplier is the “line” multiplier which can be worth between 20X and 50X. If a line with an active multiplier wins, it receives the payout of that multiplier.

Finally, there are the “global” multipliers. Global multipliers can be 2X or 3X, which multiplies wins on that card. It also multiplies other multipliers on that card – so you can see how wins start to stack up here.

There are also free spaces on the cards. For example, Mr Monopoly can appear randomly before the balls come out. He applies these free spaces to your bingo cards. These free spaces act as drawn numbers, meaning you need fewer numbers on that card to form a winning line.

Bonus Rounds

Like most live entertainment casino games, Monopoly Big Baller’s primary win potential lies within the bonus round. If you’ve ever played Evolution’s Monopoly LIVE, you’ll recognise this bonus – it’s almost identical. However, the “rolls” mechanic is different.

Once the bonus round triggers, you go to a giant MONOPOLY board. You’ll see properties, “Go To Jail”, “Free Parking”, and “Community Chest” spaces. There are also “Income” and “Super Tax” squares. Random multipliers assign themselves to these spaces. These multipliers increase when random houses and hotels land on them.

Mr Monopoly begins the round on the “GO” square, moving forward several spaces as determined by the roll of two dice.

If the “3 Rolls Bonus” triggers, you get three rolls, while the “5 Rolls Bonus” awards five rolls.

Besides that, the bonus round works identically to the bonus round in Monopoly LIVE.

RTPs and Payouts

Monopoly Big Baller’s payouts are straightforward.

Rather than placing bets on an individual line, you put them instead on a card. The actual payouts vary, as active multipliers can boost line payouts.

However, there are some limits to be aware of. When placing individual line payouts, the minimum payout is 2X your bet.

The maximum payout on the “Free Card” space is 39:1, and the maximum on the “Chance” card is 199:1.

With many live dealer games, giving a specific RTP is hard, as there are multiple bet options.

However, the optimal RTP for Monopoly Big Baller is 96.10%.

Strategy

Monopoly Big Baller is about making winning lines and triggering the bonuses and features. The latter is vital to unlocking the game’s primary win potential.

You can select the mix between Chance and Free Space cards for the four cards. You can choose all four cards to be the same type or mix and match. If you play all four cards, I’d suggest doing two and two to ensure you get the best of both worlds.

I prefer the free space cards because, in theory, it’s a faster route to complete lines. You can’t win anything without completing lines. Therefore, a sensible approach is to play three Free Space Cards and one Chance Card.

When it comes to bonus cards, it is possible to play the game without betting on the bonus cards.

While this may allow you to play longer, it significantly reduces your win potential. I can’t stress this enough; when you play Monopoly Big Baller, you should play BOTH bonus cards.

The bonus rounds are the game’s core, where you’ll find the most winning potential.

I’d also advise playing Monopoly Big Baller at a stake you’re comfortable with.

Live Deal Or No Deal: The Big Draw – Playtech

Live Deal Or No Deal: The Big Draw is a live casino game from Playtech.

It combines bingo and the popular TV show Deal or No Deal. While the TV show’s Deal Or No Deal bonus is present, the game offers much more.

You’ll need to purchase tickets for the “Big Draw”, which takes place before the particular bonus round begins.

A bingo machine selects random numbered balls. These numbers reduce the number of briefcases and prizes by matching them with the corresponding numbered briefcases.

Live Deal Or No Deal has several phases.

Firstly, you must qualify for the main Deal, or No Deal offer, achieved once seven of the numbered briefcases leave the game. This is because briefcases disappear when the numbers on the briefcases match those the bingo machine spits out. The Banker will then make you an offer.

The Banker calculates the offer using the value of the remaining prizes. You can then accept the offer or continue with the mystery prize in your briefcase. I explain how it all works below.

How To Play: The Initial Phases

There are five phases to Live Deal Or No Deal.

1. The first stage is purchasing your tickets. The price you pay for your ticket will determine the value range of the cash prizes. The higher the cost of the ticket, the higher the value of the prizes. I have a detailed table showing you how this works on my main Live Deal or No Deal Review page. Check it out here.
2. Once you’ve purchased your tickets, you can boost one or several prizes during the “Prize Boost” phase. You pay a small amount to increase the value and choose a briefcase. The briefcase will open to reveal the boosted amount. For example, if you purchased a £2 ticket, the “boost fee” is £0.20. The possible values of the prize boost are £1, £2, £6, £10, and £20. Before the main game round begins, you can boost as many times as you like. However, I’d exercise caution here, as it can get expensive quickly.
3. The Deal or No Deal Side Bet Phase is an optional bet. Select it when purchasing your tickets. This game is almost identical to a standard bingo game, and it’s played with 3X3 bingo cards. The game’s objective is to complete winning lines on the cards. The more winning lines you form, the higher the cash prizes you’ll win. The maximum award comes from winning on six lines. This side bet requires you to place a per-card bet equal to or higher than the value of the ticket price you paid to enter the main game. For example, you can purchase four, eight, 12, or 20 cards. Once the main game begins, only the first 20 balls drawn count towards the side bet. The payouts for the side bet vary depending on the number of winning lines you manage to complete. For example, a one-line win awards 2:1, while a six-line win pays 1000:1.
4. The Main Deal or No Deal Big Draw is the core of Live Deal or No Deal, and it begins once you have your 16 briefcases. Fifteen briefcases display numbers, while the 16th is your case and is put to one side. Next, the bingo machine draws 20 balls from a total of 60, and if any of your numbered briefcases match the number of one of the balls drawn, that briefcase will open up. The prize inside displays and disappears from the main prize wall. To qualify for the main Deal or No Deal, you need seven briefcases open out of the 15. If you have seven cases open once the 20 balls are out, you can choose to Deal. If you don’t have seven cases open, you can either end the game or purchase five additional balls.
   Purchasing additional balls can be helpful, but you must consider several factors; how many briefcases you need to qualify, how much these five extra balls will cost you, and whether the remaining prizes are worth it.
5. The Final Phase: Deal or No Deal Offer – Once the additional five balls are out, the Banker will make you an offer if you have qualified. If you haven’t, you can, once again, purchase five additional balls. Once the Banker has made you an offer, you can deal; this means you take the Banker’s offer.

You can choose No Deal; this results in you taking the mystery prize in your briefcase. If 35 balls are out, you can also “swap” your briefcase for a new, mystery one. Finally, you can also buy another five balls – but this is a precarious option and can get incredibly expensive.

RTPs and Payouts

The RTP of the main Live Deal Or No Deal Draw is 95.28%. If you play the side bet, this RTP increases slightly to 95.38%. If I’m honest, both are low – especially when you compare them against the RTPs offered on other live dealer games.

Above, I briefly covered the payouts for the side bet. I’ll show you the full breakdown of them below:

• One-Line Win: 2:1
• Two-Line Win: 5:1
• Three-Line Win: 20:1
• Four-Line Win: 50:1
• Five-Line Win: 200:1
• Six-Line Win: 1000:1

The payouts for the main game are much harder to calculate due to the number of variables involved. The payouts all depend on your playing style, the cost of your tickets, the prize boosts, and the risk you’re willing to take.

Strategy

In my experience playing Deal or No Deal: The Big Draw, it is essential to remember this is a gambling game with a relatively small chance of consistently making a profit.

Nonetheless, you can follow a sensible strategy which I’ll outline below.

When purchasing game tickets, bet an amount that allows buying more balls up to 10 times the initial ticket value.

Boosting briefcase prizes is generally only recommended if you have a substantial bankroll or low bets come into play.

Always accept the Banker’s offer if it exceeds the total amount staked. You should bank a win and play again.

While the side bet can occasionally provide decent returns, don’t overplay it.

Assessing remaining prize amounts is crucial when deciding whether to buy extra balls, as there is no point if the Banker’s offer won’t recoup your investment.

Taking the Banker’s offer would be best as it is the only guaranteed win. Avoid relying on picking a box with a high value or switching boxes for better prizes. These are gambles that can lead to losses. Each briefcase opened results in a lost prize.

Finally, chasing multipliers is only worthwhile if larger prizes remain; otherwise, recovering the initial stake may prove challenging.

However, when the 25x multiplier appears, only one award is left, so simple math will reveal whether it was worth it.

Comparing The Games: How They Stack Up?

Having played Mega Ball, Monopoly Big Baller, and Live Deal Or No Deal: The Big Draw, I can now share my thoughts on these games, focusing mainly on the payouts, RTPs and the entertainment factor.

Mega Ball’s RTP ranging from 95.05% to 95.40%, offers a decent return and significant payout potential. However, big wins are rare, and players rely heavily on multipliers to get the more impressive wins. On the other hand, the gameplay is relatively simple, and the multiplier mechanic adds a layer of excitement.

Monopoly Big Baller’s optimal RTP is 96.10%, higher than Mega Ball. The game mixes bingo and the iconic board game Monopoly, creating an engaging gaming experience. The core win potential lies within the bonus rounds, and playing both bonus cards is essential to maximising potential returns. The variety of cards and the option to mix and match them adds an extra layer of strategy to the game.

Live Deal Or No Deal: The Big Draw has an RTP of approximately 95.28%. The main attraction of this game is the multiple stages, optional side bets, and unique gameplay elements, providing a complex and thrilling gaming experience.

In summary, if you’re looking for the highest RTP and an enjoyable mix of bingo and Monopoly, Monopoly Big Baller is the best choice.

Mega Ball offers a more direct experience with a lower RTP but still provides decent payout potential.

Live Deal Or No Deal: The Big Draw is more complex, with unique gameplay and an RTP comparable to Mega Ball, making it an attractive option for those seeking variety.

Ultimately, the choice depends on your preferences.