Big Time Gaming Casinos and Games: RTP, Volatility and Megaways

Big Time Gaming casinos are online casinos that carry slots from Big Time Gaming (BTG), the Sydney studio that invented Megaways and made Bonanza, Extra Chilli and White Rabbit. BTG has been part of Evolution since 2021 and still releases games under its own brand. Below you will find a table of seven BTG classics with RTP, volatility, hit frequency and maximum payout from BTG’s own game pages, the steps to check which RTP version a casino is running, and why no casino is listed on this page for now.

BTG currently runs two sets of game pages, and for several titles they show different RTP figures. We list both, because the gap is the best illustration of why the number inside the game matters more than any table. All figures were read on 8 October 2026.

None of the casinos we currently list confirms Big Time Gaming games, so there is no casino list on this page for now. As far as we could verify on 19 October 2026, none of them names Big Time Gaming among its game studios. When one does, we will add it here and score it with the method on our how we rate casinos page; our editorial policy explains how commercial deals are kept apart from scores. Until then, compare the casinos we do list on our best online casinos page or read our casino reviews.

Who Big Time Gaming is today

Big Time Gaming was founded in 2011 by Nik Robinson, who had started New Tech Media back in 1996. BTG’s own history says New Tech Media was sold to News Corp and merged with Orbis to form OpenBet, the betting technology company. BTG began in Sydney and is still based there, at Suite 203, 50 Holt Street in Surry Hills.

In 2021 Evolution, the Stockholm-listed live casino group, bought BTG. The deal was worth up to 450 million euro: 220 million euro up front, the rest tied to BTG’s results in the following years. BTG now sits in the same group as NetEnt, Red Tiger and Nolimit City, and its games reach casinos through Evolution’s distribution.

A correction about Alderney

Our previous version of this page said BTG was licensed by the “Alderney Gambling Control Commission (Sydney, Australia)”, which mixed up two places. Alderney is one of the Channel Islands between England and France, and its gambling regulator sits there. BTG, by contrast, is headquartered in Sydney. Because we could not confirm a current Alderney licence in BTG’s name, we have removed the claim. The licence facts above come from BTG’s and Evolution’s own pages and the UK register.

What Big Time Gaming is known for: Megaways

Megaways is the idea that made BTG famous. On a classic slot, each reel always shows the same number of symbols, so the number of paylines is fixed. On a Megaways slot, each reel shows a random number of symbols on every spin, typically between two and seven. The ways to win are the product of the symbol counts on each reel: with six reels of seven symbols, that is 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 = 117,649 ways, the figure printed on BTG’s Bonanza page.

Bonanza, released in December 2016, was the game that took Megaways mainstream. It combined the random reel heights with cascading wins (BTG’s DuelReaction system lets reels cascade in both directions, according to the game page) and a free-spin round with an unlimited multiplier. Evolution says Megaways is now licensed to hundreds of developers. That is why you will find Megaways games from Red Tiger, from Quickspin (Big Bad Wolf Megaways) and from many others: the studio name on the game tells you who built it, the Megaways logo tells you whose engine it uses.

Not every BTG game is a Megaways title. Danger High Voltage and Lil Devil use a fixed 4,096-ways layout, and Donuts plays on a four-by-four grid with 2,401 ways. What they share is BTG’s appetite for big, swingy bonus rounds.

Megaways maths in practice

The 117,649 figure is a maximum, not the normal state of the game. On Bonanza, each of the six reels shows between two and seven symbols. The fewest possible ways is 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 64; the most is 117,649. Most spins land somewhere in the thousands. A spin with reel heights of 4, 5, 3, 6, 4 and 5 symbols, for instance, gives 4 x 5 x 3 x 6 x 4 x 5 = 7,200 ways.

More ways does not mean better odds of profit. A Megaways game is tuned so that the extra ways are paid for by lower symbol values and by the way the reels are weighted; the RTP stays around 96% whatever the reel heights do. What the mechanic changes is the texture of play: some spins look busy and return little, others line up a long run of symbols across all six reels.

The free-spin rounds are where BTG games earn their reputation. In Bonanza, the multiplier starts at one and rises by one with every cascade during free spins, with no upper limit, according to BTG’s game description. A run of cascades early in the bonus can therefore turn a modest round into a large one. That is also why the base game feels lean: much of the return is held back for the feature.

Other BTG mechanics worth knowing

BTG has built several systems on top of Megaways. DuelReaction, used in Bonanza, lets winning symbols drop away and new ones fall in from both directions, so a single spin can produce several wins in a row. Lil Devil introduced Heartstopper enhanced free spins, which BTG’s page describes as giving an already extremely volatile slot “different features” in the bonus round. Extra Chilli added a gamble wheel before free spins, letting players risk the spins they won for a chance at more.

Earlier in its history BTG also made TapCards, a range of mobile scratch-card games based on its slot themes. They were listed on the old version of this page; they are no longer a meaningful part of BTG’s catalogue, so we have left them out of the games table.

The common thread is that BTG designs around the bonus round. When you choose a BTG game, read the feature description in the help screen first: it tells you how the multiplier grows, whether free spins can be retriggered, and whether the game has a gamble option you may want to avoid.

How Megaways licensing works

Megaways is a patented, trademarked mechanic, and BTG licenses it to other studios for a fee. Evolution’s brand page says it is now licensed to hundreds of developers worldwide. For players, the result is a large family of games that share an engine but not a maths model: a Red Tiger Megaways game and a Quickspin Megaways game can feel quite different even though both carry the Megaways logo.

Two examples help. Red Tiger’s Gonzo’s Quest Megaways lists 95.77% RTP and a maximum payout of 20,972x on Red Tiger’s page, while Quickspin’s Big Bad Wolf Megaways comes in 96%, 94% and 90% versions. Neither is a BTG game, and their figures should be checked on their own studio’s pages, which our Quickspin and Red Tiger pages do.

Playing BTG games on mobile

BTG’s game pages list every title in our table as available on mobile and desktop, built in HTML5, and Bonanza is offered in 22 languages. In practice that means BTG games run in the phone’s browser at almost any casino that carries them; no app is needed. The maths does not change between devices, so the RTP and volatility in our table apply on a phone just as on a laptop. Turn off any “quick spin” option in the casino’s settings if you want a slower pace; under UK rules that option is not allowed at all.

Notable Big Time Gaming games: RTP and volatility

The first RTP column comes from BTG’s main game pages, the second from the newer BTG game pages, which also publish a volatility score, hit frequency and maximum payout. A higher volatility score means a swingier game.

Two things stand out. First, the RTP figures differ for five of the seven games, by up to 0.55 points on Danger High Voltage. BTG does not explain the difference on the pages, but the most likely reason is that each game exists in several maths configurations, sometimes with features such as bonus buy counted separately. The practical lesson is the same either way: do not assume the casino runs the top figure.

Second, the volatility scores cluster high. Even the “calmest” game here, Extra Chilli at 6.9, is a high-volatility slot by most standards, and Donuts and Lil Devil score above 9. BTG games are built for big bonus rounds, not for slow, steady sessions.

Why the RTP version matters at a BTG casino

Suppose you play 1,000 spins of Bonanza at 1 euro. At 96.11% the expected cost is about 39 euro; at 96.00% it is 40 euro. That gap is small. Now compare a reduced configuration of the kind many studios offer, for example around 94%: the expected cost rises to about 60 euro on the same play. Over a month of regular play, the RTP setting can matter more than any welcome bonus.

Because BTG games are so volatile, the RTP also tells you less about a single session than it does on a calm game. A session on Lil Devil can end far above or far below the average. The RTP is a long-run figure measured over millions of spins; it is useful for comparing versions, not for predicting tonight.

How to check a Big Time Gaming game’s RTP at a casino

1. Open the game at the casino; demo mode works where it is offered.
2. Open the menu and choose the game rules or help screen.
3. Scroll to the section on return to player. BTG states the theoretical RTP, and many recent games state a separate figure for the feature buy.
4. Compare it with both columns in our table. If the casino’s number is below both, it is running a reduced version.
5. For bonus buys, read the buy price and its RTP. Buying the feature does not make it better value unless that figure is at least as high as the base game’s.

If the casino does not show the RTP at all, play somewhere that does. A licensed casino has no reason to hide it.

Bonus buys, Feature Drop and the UK rules

Most BTG games on the newer game pages list “Feature buy-in: Yes”. Buying the bonus skips the base game and starts the free spins at once, usually for 50x to 100x the stake or more, depending on the game. It compresses the swings of a whole session into one purchase, which is exactly why regulators are cautious about it.

In Great Britain, the Gambling Commission’s game design rules have applied since 31 October 2021: no autoplay, no turbo or slam-stop features, and at least 2.5 seconds per game cycle. Bonus buys are generally not offered at UK-licensed casinos. Outside Great Britain, rules vary by licence, and many casinos switch feature buys off while a bonus is active. Read the bonus terms before you press the button.

BTG games and casino bonuses

Volatile slots and wagering requirements are an awkward match. Take a hypothetical first-deposit offer: deposit 100 euro, get 100 euro of bonus, then wager 25 times deposit plus bonus, which is 5,000 euro of stakes, with a 5 euro maximum bet while the bonus is active. On a game returning 96.11% the expected loss across those 5,000 euro is about 195 euro, almost double the bonus. On a high-volatility BTG game the result spreads widely around that average, so many players will bust the balance before finishing, and a few will finish well ahead.

If you want to clear wagering, a BTG game is rarely the efficient choice; a lower-volatility slot that counts 100% towards wagering usually is. If you want a shot at a big bonus round with bonus money, accept that the most likely outcome is losing it. Either way, check whether the casino lets the game count towards wagering at all, and whether feature buys are blocked while the bonus is active. Our guides to welcome bonuses and free spins explain the rules that usually apply.

How we chose and checked these games

We picked the seven games that defined BTG’s catalogue between 2016 and 2019 and are still widely offered: the original Megaways titles, the fixed-ways hits and Donuts. For each one we read the main BTG game page and the newer BTG game page on 8 October 2026 and copied the figures exactly as shown, including release dates. Where the two pages disagree, we show both rather than choosing one. We did not use review sites or casino lobbies for any figure in the table.

Choosing a BTG slot for your budget

All seven games in our table are volatile, so budget planning matters more than usual. Some practical guidance based on BTG’s own figures:

• A first BTG game: Bonanza or Extra Chilli. Both are Megaways classics with a hit frequency around 38%, which means a win of some size on roughly three spins in eight.
• Higher hit rate: Danger High Voltage (41.88%) wins slightly more often than the others, though its volatility score of 7.0 is still high.
• For experienced players: Donuts (9.4) and Lil Devil (9.3). Long dry spells are normal, and Lil Devil’s 100,504x maximum is a ceiling very few players will ever approach.

Hit frequency counts any win, including returns smaller than the stake, so a 38% hit rate does not mean you are ahead on three spins in eight. On Megaways games many of those wins are small cascades worth a fraction of the bet. The number is still useful for comparing games from the same studio, because BTG measures it the same way on every page.

Lower the stake rather than chasing the feature. A smaller bet per spin gives the bonus round more chances to arrive before the budget runs out, without changing the RTP.

BTG and its sister studios at Evolution

Inside the Evolution group, BTG is the mechanics specialist. NetEnt brings classics such as Starburst and Gonzo’s Quest, Red Tiger brings daily jackpots and a high release rate, and Nolimit City brings extreme-volatility games. Evolution itself focuses on live dealer tables; our page on Evolution Gaming covers the group. For a wider comparison of studios, see the gaming software hub, and for the basics of reels, ways and RTP, our slots guide.

UK players

Only operators licensed by the UK Gambling Commission may offer gambling to people in Great Britain (Gambling Act 2005), and GAMSTOP self-exclusion only covers UKGC-licensed sites. The casinos we currently list are licensed in Anjouan, their terms bar UK residents, and they are not aimed at players in Great Britain. To play BTG games in the UK, choose a UKGC-licensed casino and check it on the Commission’s public register. No casino on our list accepts players from the United States.

Play safely

18+ only, or the higher local age where one applies. High-volatility slots like these can lose a budget fast, so set a deposit limit before you start, take breaks with the reality-check tool, and stop when the money set aside for the session is gone. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133 (GamCare) and BeGambleAware.org. Our responsible gambling guide lists self-exclusion schemes by country.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns Big Time Gaming?

Big Time Gaming has been part of Evolution AB since 2021. Evolution agreed a deal worth up to 450 million euro, with 220 million euro paid up front and the rest depending on future results. BTG still designs and releases games under its own name from Sydney.

Where is Big Time Gaming based?

In Sydney, Australia. BTG lists its office at Suite 203, 50 Holt Street, Surry Hills, NSW 2010. Older pages on this site wrongly placed the Alderney Gambling Control Commission in Sydney; that regulator is in Alderney, in the Channel Islands.

What is Megaways?

Megaways is BTG’s patented reel system. Each reel shows a random number of symbols on every spin, so the number of ways to win changes from spin to spin, up to 117,649 on a six-reel game with seven symbols per reel. BTG licenses the mechanic to other studios, which is why Megaways games exist from many providers.

What is the RTP of Bonanza?

It depends on the version. BTG’s main game page lists Bonanza at 96.00%, while the newer Big Time Gaming game page lists 96.11% with a 26,000x maximum payout. Casinos choose which version to run, so read the RTP line in the game rules.

Which Big Time Gaming slot is the most volatile?

On BTG’s newer game pages, Donuts has the highest volatility score of the classics in our table (9.4), just ahead of Lil Devil (9.3). Lil Devil also has the biggest maximum payout, 100,504 times the bet.

Is Megaways only made by Big Time Gaming?

No. BTG invented and owns the Megaways mechanic, but it licenses it to other studios, and Evolution says hundreds of developers now use it. A Megaways game from another studio has its own maths, so check that studio’s RTP figure rather than BTG’s.

Can I buy the bonus in Big Time Gaming slots?

Most recent BTG games list a feature buy option, but whether you see it depends on the casino and the market. Bonus buys are generally not offered at UK-licensed casinos, and bonus terms often ban them while bonus money is active.