Big Time Gaming Big Time Gaming (BTG)
A slot provider founded in Sydney, Australia in 2011, and the company that created Megaways. It scored hits like Bonanza and Extra Chilli, and was acquired by Evolution in 2021 for up to 450 million euros.
| English | Big Time Gaming (BTG) |
|---|---|
| Classification | Providers |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Nik Robinson (CEO) |
| Headquarters | Surry Hills, Sydney, Australia |
| Signature invention | Megaways (US patent, trademark) |
| First Megaways game | Dragon Born (late 2015) |
| Signature titles | Bonanza (2016), Extra Chilli (2018), White Rabbit |
| Parent company | Evolution (acquired 2021) |
| Deal value | €220 million upfront + up to €230 million |
| Revenue (2020) | €33 million (EBITDA €29 million) |
| Follow-up mechanics | Megaclusters, Megaquads, Megaphase |
| Megaways licensees | 50+ developers |
Overview
Big Time Gaming (BTG) is a slot developer founded in 2011 by Nik Robinson in Surry Hills, Sydney, Australia. It is the company behind Megaways, one of the most influential mechanics in slot history. It has released relatively few games of its own, but it changed the direction of the whole industry.
BTG’s business has two branches. One is its own slots, such as Bonanza and Extra Chilli. The other is a licensing business that lends the Megaways engine and trademark to other providers. In 2021, it was acquired by live casino company Evolution.
History
Megaways
Megaways is BTG’s patented mechanic in which the reel height changes on every spin, expanding the ways to win up to 117,649. BTG calls it the “random reel modifier system” and protects it with US patents and trademarks. You can find the details of how it works in the Megaways entry.
Licensing business
BTG licenses the Megaways engine and trademark to other providers, and licensed companies add “Megaways” to their game titles. Starting in 2018 with Blueprint Gaming, Storm Gaming, and Red Tiger, more than 50 developers have been licensed, including iSoftBet, Microgaming, IGT, and Pragmatic Play. There were 200 Megaways games as of 2021, and there are now more than 500. Pragmatic Play’s The Dog House Megaways and 5 Lions Megaways were also made under this license.
Trademarks
In the US, BTG has registered trademarks such as MEGAPAYS, MEGACLUSTERS, MEGAQUADS, STAR CLUSTERS, and TERAWAYS, in addition to MEGAWAYS (filed in 2019).
Top slots
| Games | Release | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Dragon Born | Late 2015 | First Megaways game |
| Bonanza | 2016.12 | The flagship Megaways game, top horizontal reel, unlimited free spins multiplier, 96% RTP, max 26,000x |
| Extra Chilli | 2018 | Bonus buy “Feature Drop” (50x), free spins gamble wheel, RTP 96.41% |
| White Rabbit | – | Up to 248,832 ways |
| Star Clusters | 2020 | First Megaclusters game |
| Slot Vegas Megaquads | 2020.09 | First Megaquads game |
| Gold Megaways | 2021.08 | Free spins up to 1,000,000 ways |
Bonanza
The mining-themed Bonanza is the game that introduced Megaways to the world. A horizontal reel above reels 2 to 5 adds symbols, and winning symbols disappear in a “reaction” (cascade) chain. In free spins, the multiplier goes up by +1 with each cascade and does not reset until the round ends.
Extra Chilli
With a Mexican chili theme, it added a “Feature Drop” that lets you pay a set amount to jump straight into free spins. With bonus buy, the RTP is 96.82%, higher than the base game (96.41%).
Follow-up mechanics
| Name | Details |
|---|---|
| Mega Clusters | Winning symbols split into 4, growing the grid from 4×4 up to 16×16 |
| Megaquads | 4 sets of 256-way reels, 16,777,216 combinations |
| Megaphase | A tiered progressive jackpot made with Relax Gaming, first applied to Bonanza |
| Megadozer · Megapot | BTG brand introduced by Evolution |
Evolution acquisition
On April 12, 2021, Evolution announced its acquisition of BTG. The deal was €220 million upfront (€80 million in cash and €140 million in Evolution shares) plus up to €230 million in performance-linked payments, for a total of up to €450 million. At that time, BTG’s 2020 revenue was €33 million and its EBITDA was €29 million. BTG is now a slot brand of Evolution, alongside NetEnt, Red Tiger, and Nolimit City.
Headquarters
Headquartered in Surry Hills, Sydney, Australia.
