Live game shows in 4 lines
- A host spins a wheel or rolls dice in a studio, and you bet on where it lands before each round.
- Random multipliers and bonus games are added by software on top of the live result. That's where most of the big wins come from.
- On Mega Wheel, a bet without the multiplier would return only 57% to 81% of stakes. Rare multiplied wins lift that to about 96%.
- So game shows swing far more than roulette or baccarat, and usually cost more over time too.
What a live game show is
A live game show is a casino game played in a TV-style studio, streamed to your screen. A presenter runs each round: there's a short window to place bets, then the wheel spins or the dice roll, and everyone's bets settle on the same result.
The physical result is real, but the shows add software on top of it: random multipliers on some bets, boosters, and bonus rounds that run as animated mini-games. Those extras decide most of the big payouts. The game shows in the DragonBet live casino all come from one studio, Pragmatic Play Live.
Mega Wheel
Mega Wheel is a money wheel with 54 segments and nine numbers to bet on. If the wheel stops on your number, you win your stake back plus the number: £1 on 5 pays £5 profit. Before each spin, one number is picked at random as the Mega Lucky Number and given a multiplier of up to 500x.
Some numbers cover far more of the wheel than others. Here's every number, how often it comes up, and what a bet on it would return if there were no multiplier at all:
| Number | Segments | Pays | Chance | Return without multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 of 54 | 1 to 1 | 37.04% | 74.07% |
| 2 | 13 of 54 | 2 to 1 | 24.07% | 72.22% |
| 5 | 7 of 54 | 5 to 1 | 12.96% | 77.78% |
| 8 | 4 of 54 | 8 to 1 | 7.41% | 66.67% |
| 10 | 4 of 54 | 10 to 1 | 7.41% | 81.48% |
| 15 | 2 of 54 | 15 to 1 | 3.70% | 59.26% |
| 20 | 2 of 54 | 20 to 1 | 3.70% | 77.78% |
| 30 | 1 of 54 | 30 to 1 | 1.85% | 57.41% |
| 40 | 1 of 54 | 40 to 1 | 1.85% | 75.93% |
Each segment is equally likely to stop under the pointer, so a number's chance is its share of the 54 segments.
| Number | Chance | Share of spins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 37.0% | – |
| 2 | 24.1% | – |
| 5 | 13.0% | – |
| 8 | 7.4% | – |
| 10 | 7.4% | – |
| 15 | 3.7% | – |
| 20 | 3.7% | – |
| 30 | 1.9% | – |
| 40 | 1.9% | – |
Take a £1 bet on 1. It wins 20 times in 54 and pays £2 back each time, so on its own it returns 74.07% of what you stake. The published return to player for a bet on 1 is 96.51%. The difference, 22.44% of every stake, comes back only when the Mega Lucky Number lands on 1 with a big multiplier.
That's the shape of every game show. Most rounds return less than the headline figure, and the gap is paid out in rare, large wins. Over a short session, most players finish below the published return to player, and a few finish far above it.
The segment split above is as published in independent reviews of the game, and it adds up to the 54 segments Pragmatic Play states. Reviews give a slightly lower return to player for the other numbers; the game's help screen shows the figure for each bet.
Money Time
Money Time is a 54-segment wheel with number segments and four bonus games: Cash Roll, Coin Rush, Bank Heist and Money Time itself. Each round, a random booster lights up one bet spot with a multiplier of up to 50x.
- Cash Roll: six briefcases of prizes, with a dice roll deciding which one opens.
- Coin Rush: pick a coin from an 8 by 8 grid to reveal a prize.
- Bank Heist: drawn balls open deposit boxes holding prizes or multipliers.
- Money Time: pick one of three reels, which spins for a multiplier, with up to three respins.
Pragmatic Play gives a maximum win of 40,000x, but its game page doesn't state a return to player. Check the game's help screen for it before you play.
Sweet Bonanza CandyLand
Sweet Bonanza CandyLand is a money wheel themed on the Sweet Bonanza slot, with six betting positions plus Sugar Bomb segments. A Sugar Bomb adds a random multiplier of up to 10x and a free respin of the wheel.
- Sweet Spins: 10 free spins of a live version of the slot.
- Candy Drop: balls drop through a peg board collecting multipliers, up to 1,000x.
- Bubble Surprise: a quick bonus that can award a multiplier or lead into one of the other two bonus games.
An optional Sugar Bomb Booster doubles any Sugar Bomb multiplier, and it costs extra on top of your bet. Published figures put the game's return to player anywhere from about 91.6% to 96.8% depending on the bet and the booster, so this is one to read the help screen on.
Snakes & Ladders Live
Snakes & Ladders Live is played with four special dice instead of a wheel. Two or more Diamond or Star symbols pay a multiplier, up to 20x. Enough of the other two symbols start a bonus: a Snakes and Ladders board, where the climb can be helped or set back, or a Snake Totem bonus with prizes by level. Pragmatic Play gives a maximum win of 10,000x.
What game shows cost compared with table games
The game shows here return around 96% of stakes over time, by the published figures. That means about £3 to £4 lost for every £100 staked, against £2.70 on single-zero roulette and £1.06 on the Banker bet in baccarat. Paid boosters and the less-favoured bets can cost more.
The bigger difference is the swing. Because so much of the return arrives in rare multiplied wins, a run of game-show rounds usually costs more than the average while you're playing, and the occasional big win doesn't come round on any schedule. Set your budget for the session before you start, and treat it as the price of the show.
Results boards and "due" numbers
Game show lobbies often show the last 100 results and how long it's been since each bonus landed. Every spin and every roll is independent. A bonus that hasn't appeared for a while is no more likely on the next round, and a number that's just come up is no less likely.
Before you play
Each show's bet limits are on its lobby tile, and the full rules, payouts and return to player are in the help screen inside the game. Read them before your first round: the boosters and side bets are where game shows differ most.
Game show questions
What is the RTP of Mega Wheel?
The published figure for a bet on 1 is 96.51%. Without any multiplier, that bet returns 74.07%: it wins 20 times in 54 and pays £2 back. The difference, about 22.44% of every stake, comes back only when the Mega Lucky Number lands on 1 with a big multiplier.
What is the Mega Lucky Number?
Before each Mega Wheel spin, one of the 9 numbers is picked at random and given a multiplier of up to 500x. If the wheel stops on that number, bets on it pay the multiplied amount. The big Mega Wheel wins come from it, and it's why most rounds return less than the headline figure.
Which Mega Wheel bet costs least?
Published reviews give the bet on 1 the highest return to player, 96.51%, and slightly lower figures for the other numbers. Without multipliers the numbers return between 57% and 81% of stakes, and the ones that return least, 30 and 15, depend most on rare multiplied wins. The help screen lists every bet's figure.
How much do game shows cost compared with roulette?
By the published figures, the game shows here return around 96% of stakes, about £3 to £4 lost per £100 staked, and paid boosters and the less-favoured bets can cost more. Single-zero roulette costs £2.70 per £100 and the Banker bet in baccarat £1.06. Game shows also swing far more.
Are live game show results random?
The wheel spin or dice roll happens live on camera, and the game's software draws the multipliers and bonus games at random on top of it. Each round is independent of the last: a bonus that hasn't landed for a while is no more likely next time, and a number that has just come up is no less likely.
Sources and checks
- Pragmatic Play, Mega Wheel
- Pragmatic Play, Money Time
- Pragmatic Play, Sweet Bonanza CandyLand
- Pragmatic Play, launch of Snakes & Ladders Live
- OLBG, Mega Wheel: the 54 segments and the RTP of each bet
- Casinos.com, Mega Wheel
- Live Casino Comparer, Mega Wheel statistics
The rules, payouts and quoted figures were last checked against these sources on . Every other number on this page is worked out from those rules, as how we check the numbers explains. If you spot a mistake, our corrections page says how to report it.