This is another highly innovative release from the ever impressive software developer Evolution Gaming who have been responsible for creating and developing some of the most popular casino games in the iGaming industry.
Mega Ball is another impressive new release, having been launched in early 2020 and is a combination of a bingo-style game and a 51 bouncing ball, mechanical lottery game which is drawn live for each player to see.
An exclusive product, this is broadcast from a highly distinctive and visually attractive studio, where the purpose built and tailor made draw machine is the main centrepiece. A highly exciting and fast-paced game, it is also particularly easy to play. Let’s take a more detailed look into what the game involves and the different mechanics.
Guide To Playing Mega Ball
The first thing to understand is that this game is played with 200 cards as well as a machine that draws balls automatically. Every 5×5 card has 24 numbers on it which have been displayed in a random order, leaving a free square in the centre, which is already considered to be a ‘marked’ square.
In similar fashion to how different lotteries and also bingo work, players win if they are able to get a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line of five squares, with 12 lines being available to be won on every card.
Mechanics of the Game
The best way to explain how the game actually works is to take you through a guide that is easy to understand, step by step so we have covered the main ones as bullet points below:
- The first thing that you need to do in order to enter is to purchase the cards that you want to play with according to the value that meets your preferred choice.
- You will be able to easily see every card that you have bought on your screen and can zoom in and out to focus on a desired card at your wish, while you can also change your numbers on a card as long as the betting round is open. Simply select ‘Refresh Numbers to action this.
- When the betting round closes, you will find that the game really begins and as such, 20 of the 51 numbers are then drawn from the machine, in true lottery style. Should any of your numbers come out, a badge is then placed over that particular number on the relevant card. If you get a line, this means that your winnings will update automatically on the screen.
- What you will find is that, because this is live it means that your progress cleverly updates automatically and your cards change position on the screen according to how well they are doing.
- Based on this, you will also be able to see your progress which is illustrated more clearly by the fact that your potential winnings are updated if a special ball comes out of the machine.
What is the Mega Ball Bonus Round?
- Once all of the 20 balls have been drawn in the initial phase, this progresses onto a bonus round. The easiest way of thinking about this is that it is similar to the bonus balls that you get in the main lottery draws, which essentially boost your winnings considerably. As a result, this means that these balls have multiplier values attached to them which are anywhere between 5x and 100x. In order to determine the potential value of the Mega Ball, one ball is drawn to start the proceedings.
- Should the Mega Ball complete any of your lines on any of your cards, then your overall payout for that card is predetermined and multiplied by the number of your Mega Ball.
- Alternatively, the Mega Ball will be regarded as a normal number (meaning no multiplier will be attached to it), if it does not complete any of your lines.
- Should there be more than one Mega Ball that is included on any of your lines that subsequently win, the payout that you go on to receive will be multiplied by your number that has the highest value.
How Do You Win?
When this has been completed, your results will have been updated automatically and you will be able to see how your cards have performed during the course of the game and your winnings are updated in line with this.
How Payouts Are Decided According To The Odds?
| Number of Lines | Payout |
|---|---|
| 6+ lines | 9,999 – 999,999 : 1 |
| 5 lines | 999 – 99,999 : 1 |
| 4 lines | 249 – 24,999 : 1 |
| 3 lines | 49 – 4,999 : 1 |
| 2 lines | 4 – 499 : 1 |
| 1 line | 1x (push) – 99 : 1 |
Just like in a lottery draw, where you are able to see how much you can win for any amount of numbers that are successfully matched on your ticket, this also applies to Mega Ball and you can see this above.
In terms of Return To Player (RTP), which is a formula that is used in every online gambling game and determines the percentage of what you will get back as a player based on a certain amount of plays, this is also associated with Mega Ball.
For this game, the RTP percentage is 95.40 percent and is based on one card, while the RTP typically averages at 95.05 percent – 95.40 percent. It is worth noting though, that the industry standard for games in the online gambling industry is usually between 92 percent and 98 percent.
Advantages Of Mega Ball Compared To Other Games
One of the best things about Mega Ball, especially when comparing it to other products in the industry such as slots or table games, is that very little thinking is required, because, just like playing the lottery, anything can happen.
This means that it is essentially really easy to understand and your progress updates automatically. Compared to slots and traditional casino games, which can take quite a long time to learn, Mega Ball is as straightforward as it can be which is great if you are a complete newbie.
That is one of the great things about Evolution Gaming products; they do not overcomplicate anything and arguably, what is most clever is that the game itself does all of the hard work for you. It does not require you to work out your progress or try and find if any of the balls drawn match your cards; this is updated as the game progresses.
Final Thoughts about Mega Ball
What Evolution Gaming has brought to the industry is a very fresh and innovative twist to lottery and bingo which is easy to understand and exciting.
For those who are looking for a game that does not take any learning and which they can play at any time for the chance to win a substantial amount with little stakes, Mega Ball is perfect.