On a lobby tile, “Megaways” reads like a category, the way “cluster pays” does. It isn’t. It’s the name of a specific mechanic with an owner, and the owner licenses it out. The label shows up in Ontario lobbies too, since reviews of at least one regulated operator describe a dedicated Megaways category. I wanted to know what that arrangement actually settles about a game, and what it leaves to whoever built the title.
What the name covers
Big Time Gaming (BTG) created Megaways. Its own materials describe it as a random reel modifier. The number of symbols showing on each reel changes from spin to spin, so the number of ways to win changes with it. In the standard six-reel version, each reel can show anywhere from two to seven symbols. Seven on all six reels gives the figure everyone quotes, 117,649 (seven to the sixth power). “Up to” is doing real work in that sentence, because a given spin can show far fewer ways.
Who owns it, and who rents it
According to BetMGM’s own explainer, BTG began licensing the mechanic to other studios in 2018. BTG itself now calls it one of the most widely licensed mechanics in iGaming. Studios reported to have released Megaways titles include Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Red Tiger, Blueprint Gaming and Light & Wonder.
Then the ownership gets interesting. Evolution agreed to buy BTG in April 2021 and completed the deal later that year. The price was €220 million up front plus an earn-out of up to €230 million. Evolution had already bought NetEnt and Red Tiger in 2020. So some of the studios renting the mechanic now share a parent with the studio that owns it.
I couldn’t find the licence terms published anywhere. I also haven’t seen anything saying whether that shared parentage changes them. I’m mentioning it because it’s odd, not because I can show it matters.
What the licence doesn’t settle
Start with the ways ceiling. BTG’s own pages for Gold Megaways and Wheel of Fortune Megaways list 117,649 ways in the base game and up to 1,000,000 in the free spins. BetMGM’s explainer puts White Rabbit Megaways at up to 248,832. Pragmatic Play’s Madame Destiny Megaways is published at 200,704 on the pages I checked. It’s the same name with different ceilings.
RTP and volatility vary the same way:
- BTG lists Gold Megaways at 96.42% and describes Wheel of Fortune Megaways as high volatility.
- For Madame Destiny Megaways, most of the third-party pages I checked say 96.56%. Some say 96.67%, usually tied to the ante bet or the feature buy. A couple list lower figures.
- White Rabbit Megaways is 97.24% in BetMGM’s explainer and 97.77% in another Canadian listing.
None of those pages says why the figures differ, and I’m not going to guess.
So what does the name tell you?
It tells you about the reel system and gives you a family resemblance. RTP, volatility, features, the ways ceiling and bet options are set title by title, and sometimes mode by mode. The figure that matters is the one in the game’s own information screen at the operator you’re actually using. A number from a lobby tile or a listing page doesn’t carry the same weight.
A big ways number also describes how wins are counted. It doesn’t tell you how often a game pays, what it returns over time, or anything about the next spin.
The licensing arrangement is more interesting to me than most of the games. It’s a mechanic rented to rivals, some of whom now share a parent with the landlord. The reels are the same idea, and what each studio builds around them is its own.
Slots are entertainment, not income, and no amount of research or experience changes the math underneath the game. The Responsible Gambling page has more on that, along with support options in Ontario if you ever want them.