Despite gambling being outlawed in most states, India has a long history of local games that were likely created for this activity. Two that instantly spring to mind are Andar Bahar and Jhandi Munda (Crown and Anchor). While they are fun to play, most would agree that there’s little incentive to do so unless real money is involved.
This passion for gambling has come to the fore of late as more online casinos look to penetrate the country. While there are few verifiable statistics related to online gambling in India, it’s safe to say this is now a massive industry.
Something we do know is that Indian gamblers have a passion for live casino games. This could, in part, be because most of the population doesn’t have easy access to a physical casino, so this is the next best option.
Popular Live Money Games
Live money wheels – also known as wheel of fortune games – have proven to be a massive hit with desi players. These games use a live presenter/host who spins the wheel, which is often filled with regular wins, multipliers, and bonus features. Some of the top titles in this niche are:
- Monopoly Live
- Crazy Time
- Dream Catcher
- Funky Time
- Lightning Storm
- Spin A Win
- Adventures Beyond Wonderland
While each of these games bring something different for players to enjoy, the three Evolution titles are the most popular. This isn’t too surprising as Evolution is the undisputed king of the live casino niche. Its games are available at more casinos than any other supplier, and it has a reputation for being an innovator.
Evolution was the first supplier to introduce money wheels when it launched Dream Catcher in 2017. Since then, the craze has exploded, with both Monopoly Live and Crazy Time games, picking up multiple industry awards.
About Monopoly Live
Evolution’s Monopoly Live is a sensational live casino game that is wildly popular with players in India. The game is streamed live from a custom-designed studio that looks stunning (although it’s merely a green screen).
Based upon Evolution’s previous hit, Dream Catcher, the main game is the Monopoly Live money wheel. This has 54 sections, divided as follows:
- 22 sections with the number 1 – payout is 1:1
- 15 sections with the number 2 – payout is 2:1
- 7 sections with the number 5 – payout is 5:1
- 4 sections with the number 10 – payout is 10:1
- 2 sections are ‘CHANCE’
- 3 sections are ‘2 ROLLS’
- 1 section is ‘4 ROLLS’
Players can bet on any of the numbers (1, 2, 5, and 10) and 2 ROLLS and 4 ROLLS, which trigger the bonus game. It’s worth noting that a player must bet on the 2 or 4 ROLLS to participate in the bonus.
Essentially, this is how Evolution makes its money because the gambler cannot risk missing the bonus feature, so they usually cover both bets with every spin.
The CHANCE segments can give players a random cash prize or a multiplier (up to 10x) on the next spin. If a player gets a 10x CHANCE multiplier followed by another on the next spin, the multiplier is worth 100x.
The Monopoly Bonus Game
The bonus round is triggered when the money wheel stops on 2 ROLLS or 4 ROLLS. The animated Mr Monopoly character jumps out of his seat in the studio and takes players to a 3D virtual Monopoly board.
With Mr Monopoly standing on GO, multipliers are added to all the properties and train stations on the board. The value of the multipliers increases as they go around the board, so Park Lane and Mayfair are always the largest.
With the first round of multipliers added, several properties are boosted with houses and hotels, which increases the multipliers on these spaces. Finally, if the bonus round is triggered following a CHANCE with a multiplier, these values are added.
The dice are in an automated shaker. If any double is thrown, the players get a free go. Mr Monopoly strides around the board, stopping on the numbers of the throw, and the players win their bet size x the multiplier. Typically, 4 ROLLS or a hot streak of doubles are needed to get around to the mega multipliers. When Mr Monopoly gets back to GO, all the multipliers on the board are doubled.
There are YouTube videos with Mayfair having a 40,000x multiplier, which blows most video slots out of the water. This is most likely why Indian players enjoy this game so much.
