Live casino game shows, or entertainment games as some call them, are a new phenomenon emerging in recent years. This new genre of games has taken Live Casinos by storm and brought the spotlight from Roulette, Baccarat and Blackjack.
Games such as Dream Catcher, Crazy Time and Adventures Beyond Wonderland are highly sought after as they bring an entirely different dimension to gambling online with a live dealer. Here, the dealer becomes the live show presenter!
There are four types of live casino game shows to speak of:
These games’ dynamics are very different from traditional table games such as Blackjack, Roulette and Baccarat. Live game shows promise entertainment, significant, unpredictable wins, and a playing experience like nothing you’ve seen before.
All the major live casino software providers (Evolution, Playtech, Pragmatic Play) have horses in this race. In this article, we’ll explore each game separately, identify similarities between them, and in the end, you’ll know exactly which one you want to play.
But first, let’s briefly mention the best casinos where you can play.
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The first wheel of fortune game with multiplier segments, which boost wins by 2x or 7x. Big wins are possible with consecutive multipliers and a 40x! It has been done.
Playtech Spin A Win is similar to Dream Catcher but with additional side bets and a great alternative if you like more edge to your game. You can play side bets without the main bet.
Pragmatic Play’s twist on Dream Catcher and Spin A Win. In this version, one number is chosen to receive a multiplier for that spin. Wins can be boosted by 500x.
A big wheel game with a special Monopoly bonus round triggered by landing on the 2 or 4 Rolls Bonus segments. The Chance boosts wins or pays cash prizes.
A Big Wheel game with four separate bonus rounds. Multipliers can boost the payouts of the Coin Flip, Pachinko, Cash Hunt and Crazy Time Bonus rounds. Bet small for some big wins.
4 bonus rounds take centre stage in this Big Wheel game—lots of opportunities for good wins. Watch out for the caterpillar giving random multipliers.
Based on the popular TV Series, you’re given a total prize fund to try and keep while navigating through 3 drop rounds. You keep what’s left!
A bingo-type game where you buy multiple cards. Get wins for completed lines. The mega ball at the end can boost wins by up to 100x! A great game to turn over your bankroll.
A classic gambling game that uses a bouncing ball machine to make selections. Do you gamble and climb the ladder for bigger wins, take half and gamble the rest, or take your winnings?
Another game of Deal or No Deal, this time from Playtech. While the main game is similar to Evolution, the twist is the bingo side bet, which gives some great payouts.
Based on the iconic TV series Deal or No Deal, the objective is to find the best prize in one of the briefcases. Deal and take the win or gamble with No Deal.
This is basically like a slot bonus round, but you make your selections up front and watch the game unfold as prize drops, and multipliers add to your wins.
An entertainment game from Pragmatic Play, with three bonus rounds. A maximum multiplier of 20,000x is possible with payouts capped at £$€500,000. The RTP ranges from 91.59 to 96.83%.
Crazy Coin Flip is an RNG slot game with the Coin Flip bonus round taken from Crazy Time. Qualify with the slot, boost the multipliers and flip for some of the biggest wins you’ll experience. The RTP is 96.05%.
Boom City Live is a multi-bonus round live entertainment game that uses two dice rolls to determine the results. The giant game grid has numbers and bonus squares. Where the two dice results intersect is the winning tile. Max Payout is 20,000x.
Everybody’s Jackpot Live Slot is an exciting community slot game with four bonus rounds and two progressive jackpots. Play with one bet per spin, with the game result on the slot determining whether it’s a payout for a line or entry into one of the bonus rounds.
MR. MONOPOLY returns in the bingo-style game, where you win by completing lines on bingo cards. Entry into the three or five rolls bonus rounds needs the cards completed before MR.MONOPOLY takes you on a journey around the board for big multiplier wins.
The Greatest Cards SHow is a live entertainment gameshow from Playtech. It uses a horizontally mounted wheel with the contents of a fifty-two-card deck of playing cards. Three RNG bonus rounds can deliver multiplier wins up to 5000x. The game’s presentation is excellent, although the bonus rounds could be better.
Funky Time is a live game show from Evolution that uses a 64 Segment Digiwheel to select prize and bonus segments. There are two types of instant win segments paying 1:1 and 25:1 and segments for 4 Bonus rounds, where wins are capped at £$€500,000. If you like Crazy Time, you’ll love this 70’s themed game.
Snakes & Ladders Live is based on the board game we used to play as children. You bet on the outcome of four rolled dice. Options include instant wins and two Bonus rounds. The main feature is the Snakes & Ladders Board, filled with snakes, ladders, multipliers, Power-ups and Safe zones. Work your way up the board to collect bigger multipliers. The Snake Totum is a race to the top. Rolling a six gives you an extra go! The top payout is 10,000x!
There’s been a bit of a debate about what constitutes a live game show. The lines are a little blurred. You could argue any online live game with a host/presenter is a game show.
However, I take a different view; in my mind, there are three types of Live Games.
This article is about the games that fall into category three, Entertainment Game Shows.
Let’s take a look at all the game show live games
I’ll break them down into categories to make them easier to digest and compare.
The Big Wheel used to drive the game is shared between these games.
The most straightforward are Dream Catcher, Spin A Win and Mega Wheel.
Dream Catcher is the original Entertainment game by Evolution and is responsible for starting the new genre of live casino game shows.
The Dream Catcher wheel has 54 segments with 2x and 7x Multiplier segments that can further boost wins. The standard max payout on the wheel is 40x.
The objective is to bet on a numbered segment where you think the wheel will stop.
Playtech launched Spin A Win shortly after Dream Catcher was released.
This wheel has 51 segments, with one 2x and one 7x. The side bets that can be played alongside or independently of the main wheel spin differ in Spin a Win.
Wins and payouts are similar to Dream Catcher, but the side bets add that extra twist, which can be fun to play.
The Mega Wheel from Pragmatic Play came along after Dream Catcher and Spin A Win.
It’s a 54 Segment wheel, but the multipliers are chosen before each spin using a Random Number generator.
The maximum multiplier is 500x, which puts Mega Wheel in a different league from its rivals. Also different is multipliers are active for every spin, making payouts more likely.
Monopoly Dream Catcher is the second generation Wheel of Fortune game.
This game uses a big wheel like Dream Catcher, with Chance and Bonus Round Segments replacing the multipliers.
Landing on a bonus segment initiates the bonus round, where you roll a die to move around a virtual Monopoly board, collecting multipliers.
Some big wins occur in this game.
Make sure you check out my strategy for playing Monopoly Live.
Crazy Time is arguably the most liked and hated Big Wheel game of them all.
In addition to the numbered segments on the wheel, Crazy Time has four Bonus rounds. Cash Hunt, Pachinko and Crazy Time Bonus rounds all promise wins of multipliers. The question is, “how high will they go”?
A further multiplier can boost these wins, leading to 1000’s x wins.
You’ll love or hate Crazy Time. I’m in the love camp.
Adventures Beyond Wonderland is the same sort of game as Crazy Time.
Notable differences include the theme based on Alice in Wonderland and the four bonus rounds.
There is a real mix, from Dice games to another wheel used solely to deliver multiplier wins. Watch out for the caterpillar, affectionately known as Wilber, who gives out free multipliers when the mood dictates.
Not quite as volatile as Crazy Time, so worth playing if you like a regular return on your bankroll.
The Money Drop Live is a big wheel game, but with a twist. Every Spin of the wheel delivers a multiplier win at the start of the game.
Your objective is to try and keep hold of the prize fund for as long as possible. Whatever money remains at the end of the game is yours to keep.
All you have to do is survive the three drop rounds. You have to place your money on up to 4 platforms. Three of them drop, losing whatever money was on them.
It’s a case of how brave you are. Will you risk all for the big prize or spread the risk to take something home?
A very clever game that really challenges risk vs reward.
Pragmatic Play has entered the live casino game show category with Sweet Bonanza Candyland. This is a Slot inspired game, using a big wheel as the main game mechanic.
The wheel has fifty-four segments, five of which are bonus round segments when landed on initiate a bonus round.
Unlike other entertainment games, all the bonus rounds are RNG, with player choice playing a small role in the Candy Drop. Sweet Spins is a slot based on the popular Sweet Bonanza, while the Sugar Bomb drops multipliers on the wheel.
The game has a max multiplier of 20,000x and payouts are capped at half a million £$€ depending on the currency you’re playing in.
The Greatest Cards Show is a first in this entertainment category. Rather than the wheel mounted vertically, Playtech has boldly decided to lay it horizontally.
The game has three RNG Bonus rounds, but the main difference is how the wheel is laid out. Rather than a random selection of numbers on the wheel, the contents of a pack of playing cards are used. They are ordered in sequential number order, which suits section betting.
The highest multiplier comes in the Light Show Game round, which can pay 500x. The Spot Light Game has a maximum multiplier of 2000x.
Evolution brings 70’s Disco to live entertainment gameshow. Flares, Mirrors Balls and a dash of 70’s music frame this big wheel game.
A 64 Segment Digiwheel is used to select instant wins and 4 Bonus rounds that see players crossing their fingers for big multiplier wins.
Players get to choose their starting positions in two bonus rounds, while the rest use RNG to deliver the results with the help of a bingo ball machine in the Stayin’ Alive round.
Wins are capped at £$€500,000, and some bonus rounds limit the multipliers to 10,000. This game has lots of potentials and will be as volatile as Crazy Time.
Live Mega Ball is the first live Bingo type game from Evolution. It is possible to purchase up to 400 cards for each game round. The objective is to get multiple winning lines on a card. The more lines, the greater the payout.
The unique feature of the game is the Mega ball at the end. A multiplier value of up to 100x is allocated to the final ball.
Should this last ball complete a line on your card, it will multiply the win by that number.
Watch out for the extra Mega ball that can sometimes appear to boost wins even more!
Cash or Crash live comprises a prize ladder that you have to climb. The higher you go, the larger the multiplier payout you receive.
A bouncing ball machine decides whether you advance up the ladder, crash and lose your money, or get a free life and a boosted payout. You decide whether to take the money and run, take half and gamble half, or risk all on the next ball.
Will it be green so you can proceed, or will it be red to see you dead?
A simple yet compelling game from Evolution.
Deal or No Deal The Big Draw is based on the Deal or No Deal TV series. Sixteen briefcases each contain a monetary prize, determined by the amount you paid to enter the game.
A bingo machine draws numbered balls. You’ll enter the qualification process if the number matches one of your briefcases.
Six matched briefcases are needed before the Banker can make an offer. Do you take the offer or gamble for a bigger prize?
An excellent Bingo side bet adds some more excitement to the game.
Monopoly Big Baller is a bingo-inspired game, coupled with the MR.MONOPOLY bonus rounds are made famous in Monopoly Dream catcher.
There are four main cards and two bonus cards to play – much less than Mega Ball. Each card can benefit from free spaces and multipliers, which keeps the excitement going while you wait for the bonus rounds.
The RTP is 96.10%, which is similar to a good slot.
An RNG engine drives this type of entertainment gameshow.
The game is a live game – there is a live host/presenter, but all aspects of the game, excluding the player choice, are driven by a Randon Generator Engine (RNG). The results are determined by a computer, not by a human being or live-action.
I would compare these games to Slots – they have similar RTPs and, in my opinion, are about as fun!
The Evolution Deal or No Deal is played slightly different from the Playtech Version. There is a qualification process to enter the game by gambling on a wheel, trying to get segments to line up. Win, and you enter the game. At this point, it’s possible to top up the value of individual briefcases before the game starts.
An RNG engine allocates numbers to the briefcases which correspond with the prize amounts.
As the briefcases are opened, the Banker makes you a cash offer for your briefcase. You can either accept the offer by dealing or reject the offer to see more briefcases opened and perhaps get a better offer from the Banker.
Gonzos Treasure Hunt is a fusion of Live Dealer and Slots. In reality, it’s all computer-generated, from the images you see on screen to the game mechanics and presentation.
The only live part of the game is the players’ picks after betting time has closed. A computer generates the outcome. You sit, watch and see if you’ve won. There is no skill in this game. It’s all luck.
I think you should avoid Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt as it’s not very good.
Crazy Coin Flip bring the world of RNG Slots and live casino together in this unique game that delivers multiplier layouts on the flip of a coin. The coin flip looks familiar because it’s taken from the famous Crazy Time bonus round.
The aim is to build up multiplier values on the Red and Blue sides of the coin. The final flip reveals your result.
You must qualify for the final flip by getting three scatters on the five-reel slot. Once you’ve done that, spin the following reels to boost the multipliers.
Scatter multipliers boost the final payouts. If you have one of these, go for it in the boost round to get the maximum you can.
The RTP is 96.05%, and the payouts have been capped at £$€500,000, as the possibility for the multipliers is endless.
Everybody’s Jackpot Live Slot is an excellent addition to Playtech’s range of live slots. Using the famous Everybody’s jackpot slot, with its two progressive Jackpots, is a clever idea. The addition of four bonus rounds, with a potential payout of 6740x on The Block, is inspired.
All players play the same spins on the slot, getting payouts for completed lines.
You need three scatters to enter a randomly picked bonus round. Most of the bonus rounds rely on player participation to help determine a more personal outcome for each player.
One Jackpot triggers daily, while the other triggers after the total reach a certain amount. Both pay 50% to one player, while everyone else gets a share of the remaining 50%.
These are game shows where the main game mechanic is dice. A presenter will roll dice to determine a result acted on during the game.
The game is live, with a presenter, and the dice determine all results. The game may use an RNG engine for some aspects – usually the bonus rounds, where multipliers and prizes get randomly applied.
Boom City Live is the first game show to use two dice to determine the game results.
The game has a big grid, randomly covered in Numbers and Bonus squares.
Two dice get rolled, one for the vertical axis and the other for the horizontal axis. Where the two intersect is the winning square.
If it’s a number square, the payout equals the value of the number. If the result is a bonus round, a bonus round initiates.
Powe Up squares can boost the multipliers and payouts.
Snakes & Ladders uses the familiar Dice we first saw in Boom City Live.
As you expect from the name, this game has a large Snakes & Ladders board used for one of the two bonus rounds. The second is the Snake Totum.
To get entry into the Bonus rounds or for a chance to get instant wins, you bet on the outcome of four rolled Dice. If more than two symbols match, you win.
You rely on Power Up, safe zones and rolling sixes to get the best possible win, which give more rolls and shoot you up the Board and Totum.
Snakes are to be avoided at all costs!
I think the best live casino game show is the one you like to play the most. It’s all down to personal choice.
It’s essential to consider the entertainment value of the game:
The best overall Entertainment Game show I would recommend is Evolution Crazy Time.
I think this game delivers on multiple levels.
You can play conservatively, and using a strategy can turn your money over for a long time while you watch others busting out chasing the big wins.
Equally, you can play high stakes on just the wheel and walk away with a profit – forget the bonus rounds.
Or play just the bonus rounds – you’ll lose lots but hope to make it back up with a big win or two.
A lower volatility alternative would be Playtech’s Adventures Beyond Wonderland, which has the same game mechanic, but fewer big-win opportunities.
Pragmatic Play’s Mega Wheel will do the trick if you prefer something more straightforward.
The theoretical returns to players (RTPs) of live game shows vary not only between games, but a particular game may have a range of RTPs for different bet types.
You’ll learn more by clicking each game as I explain the RTPs, bet types and playing strategies.
If you look at the RTP, the best game show to play is Cash or Crash, which has the highest RTP. But this comes at a cost. The game is very straightforward and can return a profit by continually cashing out when in profit. Of course, no one plays like that, so the RTP will be much lower because of how people will play this game.
Good games to play are Crazy Time and Adventures Beyond Wonderland. If you pay these sensibly, you’ll get a long playtime or return a profit. If you chase big wins, you’ll lose. These games are excellent for building anticipation and swiping your legs from underneath you., leaving you swearing at the screen. In my experience, this is truer of Crazy Time than Adventures Beyond Wonderland.
Money Drop Live has excellent potential, but you need the boosters in play to increase the safe zones to stand a chance of getting a decent win. It is pure genius to allow players to determine the risk they want to take on the game. It’s a game for all player types.
This new breed of games was born out of the desire to attract more players to live casino games.
To somehow find a way to bring some of the excitement of slots into a live game. Another critical component was to make the games entertaining and immersive to try and attract an audience that would otherwise shy away from playing the more traditional table games.
The first of these live dealer entertainment games to be created was by Evolution, who has been pioneering the way forward in this new category. The game Dream Catcher looks like a familiar wheel of fortune game, but with a twist. Evolution added Multiplier segments to the wheel to boost the possible wins. Playtech followed suit with their version, Spin A Win, and the rest is history.
The next significant advancement was the addition of Bonus rounds to these games. Evolution created Monopoly Live, and this was a game-changer. This game has a recognisable brand, but more importantly, augmented reality takes the player on a journey into a virtual world to play the bonus round. The opportunities for huge wins are limitless, with many over 1000’s of stake value.
At this point, games consisted of a Big Wheel, multipliers, augmented reality and some known game branding.
Game development went four ways:
The live casino providers have been trying to outdo each other with varying degrees of success.
Not all games released have remained popular after the initial surge to play them.
One of the issues is player engagement and involvement. For a game to succeed, there must be a gambling element and decisions required by the player. Games that need just a wager to be made and then watch the game unfold are not that popular in the long term, regardless of the payout you can get.
The one exception to that is Crazy Time from Evolution. It is by far the best online game show. The number of players amounts to 1000’s in a session, and the payouts have been mega.
I was a little sceptical when the first of the game shows appeared. I didn’t see how a game like Dream Catcher could deliver the same highs that a good slot gives.
In some ways, I’m right because Monopoly Dream Catcher gave us a bonus round that offers massive highs and lows.
This game was a turning point, as Evolution supplemented it with slots-type technology. The mix is delightful, with players able to anticipate massive wins for a small bet and still benefit from a “live” experience.
The games that have followed have been both experimental and groundbreaking. Crazy Time seems to have hit the peak, but with more games being developed off the back of TV series and famous board games, I’m sure there is a lot more to come.
Unfortunately, you cannot play live Casino Game shows for free. However, it’s possible to watch the games, and it’s also possible to play for as little as 0.10 a spin.
A Live Casino Gameshow is a relatively new concept in online live gambling. Games have been created to provide more entertainment, be it through elaborate studios, hosts dressed in costumes or live betting games we’ve never seen before. The minimum stakes are generally very low, with the potential for big wins being huge.
Only three Live Casino Providers currently produce live games classified as Game Shows. Evolution leads the way, followed by Playtech and, finally, Pragmatic Play.
The house edge varies between games. The lowest edge sits with Evolution Cash or Crash at 0.41%, while the worse is Playtech Deal or No Deal at 4.72%. Click here for a complete list of Game Show RTPs.
The Live Entertainment Shows are Dream Catcher, Monopoly Dream Catcher, Spin A Win, Crazy Time, Adventures beyond Wonderland, Cash or Crash, Mega Ball, Deal or No Deal, Deal Or No Deal The Big Draw, Mega Wheel, Money Drop, Crazy Coin Flip and Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt.
There are playing strategies you can adopt to make your bankroll last longer, but no strategies guarantee you’ll win. This is gambling, with a house edge already factored in. The only people to win consistently will be the casinos providing the games.
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