Most innovations in slot game design are incremental. A new bonus trigger, a rearranged reel layout, and a reskinned progressive jackpot. Every decade or so, a mechanic emerges that is genuinely structural, that changes what is mathematically possible in a slot and, by extension, changes player expectations about what high-variance content should feel like.
Big Time Gaming’s Megaways is the last decade’s structural innovation. The question for operators is no longer whether to have Megaways in their lobby; it is how much, which titles, and how to communicate the mechanic to players who have heard the name but may not understand what it actually does.
This review approaches BTG from an operator’s perspective: what the Megaways patent means commercially, which titles drive the most operator GGR, how licensing works for the dozens of studios that have built on the mechanic, and how to position a Megaways-heavy lobby section coherently.
Big Time Gaming and the Megaways Patent
Big Time Gaming is an Australian studio, founded in 2011, that spent its first several years building competent but not particularly distinctive slots. The inflection point was the development of Megaways, a reel modifier mechanic that was first deployed in 2016 in the title Dragon Born and then refined and popularised in Bonanza (2016) and later in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Megaways (2018), the branded title that brought the mechanic to mass awareness.
What Megaways does
In a standard slot, the number of paylines or ways to win is fixed. A 5×3 reel layout gives 243 ways. Megaways modifies this by randomising the number of symbols that appear on each reel on every spin. A six-reel Megaways game can display anywhere from 2 to 7 symbols per reel simultaneously, generating up to 117,649 ways to win on any given spin. The number of active ways changes dynamically with each spin, creating an outcome space that is orders of magnitude larger than fixed-reel equivalents.
The patent and its commercial implications
BTG holds a patent on the Megaways mechanic. Studios that want to build Megaways titles, and dozens have, must license the mechanic from BTG. The royalty structure has not been publicly disclosed, but licensing fees represent a significant and growing revenue stream for BTG, to the point where BTG’s licensing business is arguably as important as its direct game development business.
The Evolution acquisition
Big Time Gaming was acquired by Evolution in 2021. The acquisition brought BTG’s catalogue and, critically, the Megaways patent into the Evolution group. Operators evaluating BTG’s commercial trajectory should note that patent licensing decisions are now made within a corporate context that includes Evolution’s broader B2B interests.
For operators building game portfolios that include multiple Megaways providers, understanding how game providers integrate with platforms is essential context, see how casino game providers integrate with platforms for the technical framework.
How Megaways Changes Volatility
The mathematical relationship between Megaways and volatility is the most important thing for operators to understand when positioning these titles in their lobby.
Why Megaways games are typically high-volatility
When the number of ways to win varies from spin to spin, the distribution of outcomes becomes highly asymmetric. Low-way-count spins (where each reel shows 2 symbols) produce very few wins. High-way-count spins (where all reels show maximum symbols) create potential for very large simultaneous wins across hundreds of thousands of ways. This asymmetry, frequent small or zero-return spins punctuated by occasional very large wins, is the mathematical definition of high volatility.
Player segment implications
Megaways titles attract experienced players with higher risk tolerance and higher average bet sizes. The mechanic does not perform well as an acquisition tool for new players, who typically find the variance frustrating before they’ve developed the session-length patience that high-volatility games require. Operators who have tested Megaways placement in onboarding lobby flows versus experienced-player lobby sections consistently find better GGR performance in the experienced-player context.
Cascade/avalanche interactions
The majority of Megaways titles include a cascade (also called avalanche or tumble) mechanic, winning symbols are removed and replaced by new symbols from above. Each cascade has the potential to generate a new Megaways spin configuration, multiplying the win potential from a single paid spin across multiple consecutive cascades. This mechanic is the source of the very large single-spin GGR outcomes that make Megaways titles disproportionately represented in jackpot-equivalent win events.
Top Megaways Slot Titles
BTG’s proprietary Megaways titles
| Title | RTP | Volatility | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonanza Megaways | 96.00% | Very High | Scatter Pays + Free Spins |
| Extra Chilli Megaways | 96.21% | Very High | Free Spins with Gamble |
| White Rabbit Megaways | 97.72% | Very High | Extending Reels |
| Danger! High Voltage | 95.67% | Very High | Electro Wilds |
| Primal Megaways | 95.96% | Very High | Walking Wilds + Multiplier |
| Slot Vegas Megaquads | 96.07% | Very High | 4-Grid Simultaneous Play |
Information gain for operators, White Rabbit’s RTP
White Rabbit Megaways carries an RTP of 97.72%, an outlier in any slot catalogue. This is not a data error. White Rabbit uses an expanding reel mechanic that can extend each reel to 12 symbols, and the game’s base return is mathematically aligned to its extreme win potential. Operators in markets where RTP transparency is mandatory should be aware that White Rabbit will stand out in any RTP-sorted game listing, which can be a player acquisition signal if surfaced deliberately.
Licensed Megaways titles (third-party studios)
The Megaways mechanic has been licensed to a large number of studios, including Pragmatic Play, Red Tiger, Blueprint Gaming, Iron Dog Studio, and others. From an operator’s perspective, this means a Megaways lobby section can be populated with titles from multiple content relationships, a practical diversity advantage over mechanic-specific catalogues that are limited to a single studio.
Licensing the Megaways Mechanic
For operators who want to understand the full Megaways catalogue rather than just BTG’s proprietary titles, the licensing structure matters.
Studio licensing
A studio that licenses Megaways from BTG gains the right to use the randomised reel height mechanic in its own game titles. The resulting game is published under the studio’s brand (e.g., Pragmatic Play’s Gates of Olympus is not a Megaways title, but Wolf Gold Megaways is a Pragmatic-developed Megaways game). The studio pays BTG a royalty per title or per GGR.
Operator implications
When an operator acquires a Pragmatic Play Megaways title, they are commercially engaged with Pragmatic, not with BTG. The Megaways royalty is a cost embedded in Pragmatic’s commercial structure. Operators do not negotiate separately for Megaways access, it is acquired through the studio relationships they already have.
Choosing games within the Megaways catalogue
For operators building a Megaways lobby section, the practical guidance is: acquire BTG’s flagship proprietary titles (Bonanza, Extra Chilli, White Rabbit) as anchors, and supplement with Megaways-licensed titles from studios already in your portfolio. This approach maximises Megaways catalogue depth at minimal additional integration overhead. The Gamingsoft Game API provides access to BTG’s catalogue alongside all major Megaways-licensed studio titles through a single integration.
Player Appeal and Engagement Data
BTG’s flagships consistently appear in operator GGR analysis as over-indexed contributors relative to their position in the lobby. The mechanism is player advocacy: Megaways titles are among the most shared game experiences in social and community gaming contexts. Players who have experienced a significant Megaways win share the experience through streaming content, community forum posts, and direct peer recommendation at higher rates than standard slot titles.
This word-of-mouth effect has compounding value for operators who stock the titles that are most likely to generate these shareable win events. Bonanza remains one of the most-searched slot titles globally, years after its release, which means it functions as a player acquisition entry point as well as an engagement and GGR driver for operators who maintain game pages with accurate RTP and mechanic information.
For operators building a complete picture of how their game selection decisions affect overall platform performance, the framework for choosing the right game provider in 2024 provides structural guidance on evaluation criteria.
Operator Revenue Considerations
Bonus buy economics: The majority of BTG’s catalogue supports a bonus buy feature (where permitted by regulation). Bonus buy generates disproportionate revenue contribution per title, players purchasing direct feature access are typically higher-stakes players making a deliberate engagement decision rather than casual players. Operators in jurisdictions where bonus buy is permitted should confirm activation with their integration partner.
RTP configuration: BTG offers configurable RTP on several titles, enabling operators in relevant jurisdictions to adjust return settings for margin management. This should be handled carefully, RTP configuration decisions should be documented and consistent with regulatory disclosure requirements.
Portfolio positioning: BTG fits as a specialist high-variance anchor provider. The recommended portfolio structure: carry BTG’s top five to six titles as lobby anchors for experienced players, and access Megaways-licensed titles from other studios in your existing portfolio for catalogue breadth.
Access BTG’s full catalogue through Gamingsoft Connect alongside all major Megaways-licensed providers in a single integration, including Relax Gaming’s Powered By platform , which includes several Megaways-compatible titles.
BTG for Your Game Portfolio
Strong fit for:
- Operators whose lobby strategy targets experienced, high-variance players who actively seek large single-spin win events
- Operators building dedicated “high variance” or “Megaways” lobby sections as a player acquisition and differentiation tool
- Any operator who wants the foundational Megaways titles (Bonanza, Extra Chilli, White Rabbit) as lobby anchors, these titles have embedded player demand that competitors cannot replicate
- Operators who need a comprehensive Megaways catalogue using multiple studios’ licensed implementations alongside BTG’s proprietary titles
Evaluate alternatives first if:
- Your lobby targets new player acquisition, Megaways volatility is a poor fit for conversion-focused lobby design
- Your market is primarily Asian, BTG’s catalogue has limited cultural resonance with Southeast Asian player demographics compared with Asian-native providers
- You want a studio with high game release frequency, BTG’s release cadence is modest compared with Pragmatic Play or PG Soft
For a full comparison of slot providers across quality, volume, and market fit dimensions, see the 10 best slot providers in 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Megaways mechanic?
Megaways is a patented slot mechanic developed by Big Time Gaming. It randomises the number of symbols displayed on each reel with every spin, generating up to 117,649 ways to win in a standard six-reel implementation. The variable reel height creates extremely high volatility with the potential for very large single-spin wins.
Who owns the Megaways patent?
Big Time Gaming holds the Megaways patent. BTG was acquired by Evolution in 2021, meaning the patent is now an asset within the Evolution group. Studios that want to develop Megaways titles must license the mechanic from BTG.
Can operators access Megaways titles from multiple studios through a single integration?
Yes. Through aggregator platforms like Gamingsoft Connect, operators can access both BTG’s proprietary Megaways titles and Megaways-licensed titles from other studios (Pragmatic Play, Red Tiger, Blueprint) through a single API connection.
What is Big Time Gaming’s best-performing slot?
Bonanza Megaways is BTG’s most recognised and widely distributed title, and consistently one of the highest-searched slot game titles globally. Extra Chilli Megaways and White Rabbit Megaways are also strong performers, with White Rabbit notable for its 97.72% RTP.
Is Megaways suitable for all player types?
No. Megaways’ mathematical structure — high variance, frequent zero-return spins, very large peak wins — is specifically suited to experienced players with higher risk tolerance and bet stakes. The mechanic is not recommended as an acquisition tool for new or casual players.
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