One of the best things about the online casino industry is the broad choice of games a player has access to once they log on. Even the world’s biggest casino resorts can’t compete with the choice available at a top online platform, where you can often find 100s, if not 1000s, of unique titles. But just like every form of entertainment, there can be interesting trends in online casino. And few trends are as big as Megaways right now. 

Megaways, if you weren’t aware, is a relatively new genre of online slot. There are now 100s of titles under the Megaways banner, and they have become hugely popular with players. Indeed, many casinos will now have dedicated Megaways sections. You can find the games at top online casino sites in the state of New Jersey and just about every major online casino platform around the world. But what is Megaways? And how did the games become so popular? Let’s take a look with a brief history and explanation. 

BTG created the Megaways craze

Back in 2016, an Australian casino developer called Big Time Gaming (BTG) decided to release a new slot game called Dragon Born. The concept behind it was different than anything we had seen before. Instead of 10, 20, 25, or even 100 paylines, Dragon Born used a shifting reel set that could yield up to 117,649 paylines in a single spin. Obviously, you would not have to bet on each payline, as that would be unworkable. But the idea was simple – a volatile slot game that could potentially throw up big wins using all those active lines (BTG calls them Megaways). 

To be frank, Dragon Born was a modest success. You can still find it at online casinos today, but it was not what we would call a smash hit. BTG’s next release, Bonanza Megaways, was a massive hit, however. The mining-theme game exploded in popularity, and it seemed that players could not get enough of the high-octane slot that could offer more than 100K ways to win in a spin. 

An unprecedented licensing agreement 

But what happened next was unprecedented in the online casino industry. Online games developers are not shy in copying successful templates from rivals, but BTG had patented Megaways technology. So, it was approached by rival developers who asked whether they could build Megaways games under license from BTG. The Australian developer agreed, and pretty soon, we saw dozens of new Megaways games appear online. The likes of Pragmatic Play, Blueprint Gaming, SG Gaming, NetEnt, and several others, started releasing the games under license from BTG. 

While Megaways games have the same framework, the fact different developers took their own interpretation makes for a rich variety of gaming experiences. Blueprint Gaming, for example, has Megaways games based on the Rick and Morty cartoon, whereas NetEnt released one based on its iconic slot game, Gonzo’s Quest. Indeed, one thing that has seemed to impress players is that iGaming developers have revamped classic titles on the Megaways format. The likes of BarX, Twin Spin, and Rainbow Riches are all classic games that have been rejuvenated with Megaways versions. 

At last count, there are now over 300 official Megaways games on the market. And it seems that many more are arriving all the time. Are they worth playing? That’s the pertinent question. We would caution that the games are usually much more volatile than a typical slot game. The structure of the games means that huge payouts are possible – even for small bets like 10 cents – however that comes with a tag of extreme volatility. Like every casino game, you should budget accordingly and only play with what you can afford to lose.