Innovation is the lifeblood of every industry.

Trying new things, experimenting with existing formulas, offering something different to the player. Books, music, movies and games all do this to stay relevant! Nobody has learned this lesson better than Evolution Gaming. After all, they built their entire company on innovation!

As such, it should come as no surprise to you to hear that the developers are not sitting on their laurels. We already knew as much when Evolution revealed twelve new titles at the ICE London 2020 event! We have seen many exciting announcements come forward. More variants of popular casino games, and a promise of some fantastic new titles!

One of these new entries that caught our eye was a game called Mega Ball. Just the premise of it sounded like a great time. A mixture of lottery and bingo that has the potential to net you a mouth-watering jackpot? Sign us right up! We have been waiting patiently for a release date. Now, it is finally time to play!

The Basics of Mega Ball

How does this brand new game work? It can seem a bit intimidating at first, but it is very easy to learn. Before the round starts, you will be asked to purchase cards. You can buy up to 200 cards. Each card has a 5×5 grid, which contains twenty-four randomly arranged unique numbers. There is an empty cell in the centre, which is considered a free square.

The end goal is to form a line of five squares. Horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines are all valid for creating wins! One card can contain up to twelve wins.

While that covers the lottery aspect, it begs the question. Where does the bingo comparison come in? Well, that is where the Ball drawing machine comes into play! There are 51 numbered balls in the machine, and they are drawn randomly into the tube on the side. The drawn number flashes on the screen and is captured in the bottom right corner. You can also see it marked on your card.

Twenty numbered balls will be drawn using the machine, one by one. A host is present at all times but does not interact with the device in any way. Instead, the machine does everything automatically. The dealer is just there to entertain! Above your card, you can see how much you can potentially win under the best possible circumstances.

After twenty balls are drawn, this release starts the Mega Ball bonus. At the start of the bonus, the RNG-operated software randomly picks a multiplier. This multiplier ranges from 5x to 100x. After this, the machine draws the twenty-first number! If the Mega Ball number completes any line in your card, the payout on that card is multiplied! Otherwise, the Mega Ball is treated like any other ball, and will not increase the payout.

Payouts and RTP

How much you win on every round depends on how many lines you complete and the drawn multiplier.

  • One line: 1:1 (push) – 99:1
  • Two lines: 4:1 – 499:1
  • Three lines: 49:1 – 4,999:1
  • Four lines: 249:1 – 24,999:1
  • Five lines: 999:1 – 99,999:1
  • Six lines: 9,999:1 – 999,999:1

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No, your eyes are not deceiving you. You can win up to €500,000 in a single round! It requires insane luck, but it is possible. Your RTP will vary depending on how many cards you play. The RTP ranges between 95.05% and 95.40%. It just confirms what we already knew; this is a game meant for casual audiences.

Table limits may be different depending on where you play. For the time being, the current bet limit appears to be €0.10 minimum and €100 maximum. While you can definitely win more than €500,000, Evolution artificially limits the maximum win.

Mega Ball Strategy: Is It Possible?

We spent a fair amount of time playing the game. We tried playing with fewer cards and more cards. We tried tracking specific numbers that seem to come up often and tried playing it completely random. We experimented with all sorts of strategies and tactics in hopes of improving our odds.

Despite our best efforts, it is impossible to create a strategy that works. Much like roulette, you cannot control what happens during the round. You are working with two layers of randomness. First, what numbers will appear on the card. Second, what numbers are drawn from the machine!

Tracking frequent numbers means little unless you are willing to keep buying cards. The obvious problem with that is that it quickly eats into your budget. Sure, buying them in bulk lowers the price, but it still adds up over time. Our advice? Do not try to “beat” this game, because it is impossible. Buy a few cards every round, lean back, and hope you get lucky with a big multiplier!

Closing Thoughts

Mega Ball is not a game you should play if you are looking for strategy and careful playing. Like all previous game show titles by Evolution Gaming, it is more about the experience that it offers.

The promise of a massive jackpot will bring many players to the table. However, it is not a game where strategies work. Instead, you should focus more on the spectacle. The way the balls come in one after the other. The lead up to the multiplier and the Mega Ball being revealed. All of these are vital to the experience Evolution Gaming offer in this release.

Now and then, you will be treated to a fantastic prize. Will it be frequent? Most likely not, but you never know with Lady Luck! In the meantime, focus on chatting with the dealer and other players. Playing it alone without interacting with everyone else is the wrong way to approach Mega Ball.

At the end of the day, that tells you everything you need to know. If you are a hardcore player looking for careful strategizing, this is not the game for you. However, if you are on the hunt for a casual and social experience with the occasional big win? Then you will have a blast playing this Evolution Gaming release!