Big Time Gaming has long been known as a studio that breaks the rules and comes up with something nobody expects. The software provider has developed one of the most popular video slot mechanics ever – Megaways. This special feature was liked by players so much that other game studios, such as Pragmatic Play, started implementing it into their releases under the Big Time Gaming license.
Ever since 2015, when Megaways premiered, Big Time Gaming has continued its innovative streak, releasing interesting slot mechanics. Megapays is one of those features that’s elevating the player’s experience.
Megaways Online Slot – The Predecessor to Megapays
Before Megaways, slots used to have the same number of symbols on each reel (3-5), which makes for very limited ways to win. Normal online slot games used to have hundreds of paylines at best. But the Megaways mechanic randomizes the number of symbols on the reels, creating endless possibilities in any given spin.
Megaways slots offer up to 100,000+ ways to win; reaching up to 586,971 in Holy Diver. Games with Megaways feature are also accompanied by Cascading reels, which makes the winning symbols disappear to make room for others to slide down the reel. Players have been in love with Megaways slots because they make the game more dynamic and create more room for players to land bigger wins.
What Is A Megapays Slot?
The most innovative people don’t spend all day admiring past success but move forward, looking for the next big thing. And that’s exactly what Big Time Gaming did!
Megapays inherits all the qualities that make its predecessor so famous. For example, in Bonanza Megapays, the game still has the same theme and graphics, 117,649 ways to win, free spins, and Cascading feature as its Megaways edition. However, this time, Big Time Gaming added a new progressive jackpot feature into the game. There are 4 tiers of progressive Jackpots, starting at a certain seed:
- Mini Jackpot: €100 seed
- Midi Jackpot: €1500 seed
- Major Jackpot: €20,000 seed
- Mega Jackpot: €300,000 seed
Each time a bet is made, the jackpots slowly increase in value. There is no pattern in how these jackpots pay out so a Mini Jackpot can be won several times before a Major is won. The bonus funds count towards the overall winnings, combined with prizes in the base game in bonus spins.
The Megapays jackpot bonus round can be triggered completely randomly at any time in the base game. Then, different to most other slots, you don’t spin a wheel to determine the jackpot prize. Instead, Megapays slots choose one symbol to be the Megapays symbol and each time it appears, it’s added to the jackpot meter. When the symbol stops appearing, the round is over and you tally up all the Megapays symbols to see which jackpot you get:
- 4 Megapays symbols = Mini Jackpot
- 8 Megapays symbols = Midi Jackpot
- 12 Megapays symbols = Major Jackpot
- 15 Megapays symbols = Mega Jackpot
Why Is Megapays Slot So Innovative?
By now, Megaways slots are nothing new and neither are progressive jackpot slots. Megapays is also not the first one to combine the two. However, innovation doesn’t always have to mean creating a new mechanic. While most developers are shying away from jackpot slots, Big Time Gaming goes against the trend by bringing the chance to win millions of dollars into some of their most classic Megaways titles.
Players now don’t have to choose between jackpots and their favorite games such as Bonanza and Who Want To Be A Millionaire anymore. What’s more, the 2 Megapays slots so far have an RTP of 96+% whereas most progressive jackpot slots’ RTP is below 95%. Therefore, Megapays brings much higher value to the players.
The boldness of these Big Time Gaming releases might just create a revival for the jackpot slot trend. Who knows, other studios may follow suit and add a jackpot option to their beloved casino games.
