Despite online gambling being outlawed in some 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 money is involved. Furthermore, Indians are looking for online entertainment value and therefore money wheel games have become very popular.
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. According to LivecasinoIndia.com, 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 Wheel Games
Live money wheel games – also known as wheel of fortune games – have proven to be a massive hit with desi players. These games use a live gameshow 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 – Evolution
- Crazy Time – Evolution
- Dream Catcher – Evolution
- Mega Wheel – Pragmatic Play
- Sweet Bonanza CandyLand – Pragmatic Play
- Spin A Win – Playtech Live
- Adventures Beyond Wonderland – Playtech Live
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. Furthermore, 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 picking up multiple industry awards. Consequently, they are also 2 of the most played live games in India.
About Monopoly Live
One of the most popular children’s board games is Monopoly. So, Evolution Gaming licensed the rights to incorporate this classic boardgame into their hit game Monopoly Live. It is a sensational live casino game that is wildly popular with players in India. Based upon Evolution’s previous hit, Dream Catcher, the main game is the Monopoly Live money wheel.
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.
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. Mr. Monopoly then stands on GO, and multipliers are added to all the properties and train stations on the board. Win multiplier values increase as you go around the board, like the original game. So, Park Lane and Mayfair are always the most valuable.
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.
2 dice appear in an automated shaker. If any doubles are thrown, then players get an extra roll. Mr. Monopoly strides around the board, stopping on the numbers of the roll, and 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.
You can even find YouTube videos online showing Mayfair Street having a 40,000x multiplier, which blows most video slots out of the water. This is most likely why Indian players enjoy betting on Monopoly so much.