Maya: MONOPOLY Money is the latest in a run of MONOPOLY slots from BTG that goes back to MONOPOLY MegawaysTM in 2019. How far do you think the studio can take the brand?
Nik: I think we’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible with the MONOPOLY brand. MONOPOLY gives a designer a lot to work with, and people understand most of it before they’ve placed a bet. Everyone knows what a Title Deed is and what can happen when you draw a Chance card, so you don’t have to spend the first ten spins explaining yourself.
Each of our MONOPOLY games has started from a different part of the board. In MONOPOLY MegawaysTM, Mr. Monopoly walked round a track under the reels every time you won. Rush Hour handed that job to the four tokens and moved them with dice rolls. MONOPOLY Money starts from the Title Deeds and what they’re worth, so most of the game is about building up Mr. Monopoly’s value.
Maya: Which parts of the original board game have made it into MONOPOLY Money, and how did you rework them for the reels?
Nik: Title Deeds act as Bonus Symbols, and so do both kinds of Card, Chance and Community Chest. Land six or more Bonus Symbols anywhere to trigger Hold and Spin.
Mr. Monopoly then collects Title Deeds, but only ones worth the same as or less than his current value. We took that rule more or less straight from the board game, where you can’t buy a property you can’t afford. His value has to grow before the bigger Title Deeds come within reach.
The Cards are held until the round ends. Community Chest pays a Bonus Prize of up to 2,500x stake. Chance turns into either a Credit Prize, which goes onto his value, or a Restart.
The Restart screen actually reads “Advance to Go”. It clears the reels and starts the round again, and he keeps everything he’s built. We wanted colour sets in there too, so a Title Deed in all eight colours lands the MONOPOLY Bonus, also worth up to 2,500x stake.
Maya: For players who’ve tried BTG’s earlier MONOPOLY games, what’s new this time?
Nik: One of the biggest differences is the role Mr. Monopoly plays. In MONOPOLY MegawaysTM and MONOPOLY Deluxe, he moved around the board as players won.
In MONOPOLY Money, we’ve shifted the focus to building his value during Hold and Spin, allowing him to collect increasingly valuable Title Deeds.
The Money Bags introduce another exciting twist. In MONOPOLY MegapotsTM, the respins reset to three whenever new symbols landed, which is how most Hold and Spin games work.
In MONOPOLY Money, Mr. Monopoly starts with three Money Bags, losing one for every spin without a new Card and regaining one for each Card collected, up to a maximum of three. This creates an exciting dynamic where a round can come close to ending before building momentum again, one Money Bag at a time.
Maya: Mr. Monopoly sticks around for the whole of the Free Spins. What does he do once that round starts?
Nik: Mr. Monopoly starts Free Spins with a random value of up to 15x stake, which continues to grow throughout the entire round. Players are awarded 12 Free Spins for three or more Scatters, plus two for each additional Scatter.
Every Title Deed he collects increases the Megaways™ Win Multiplier by one, and that has no upper limit. Five or more Cards landing together will set off Hold and Spin within Free Spins, giving Mr. Monopoly another opportunity to collect Title Deeds and build his value even further.
Any value accumulated during these features carries over into the remaining Free Spins, with his total value paid out once the final spin is complete.
Maya: MONOPOLY is about as recognisable as brands get. What’s the hardest part of keeping each new title fresh without losing what makes it MONOPOLY?
Nik: Players come to it already knowing the rules. That’s a head start, but it also means you can’t be careless with any of it.
If a feature does something with a Title Deed or a Chance card that doesn’t fit how the board game works, people notice straight away, even when the maths underneath is sound. A new theme doesn’t box you in like that.
The other part is not repeating ourselves. Anyone who’s played our earlier MONOPOLY games will spot it quickly if the next one is the same idea with different artwork, so the first job on each new title is finding a way into the brand we haven’t used yet. For MONOPOLY Money, that was the Title Deeds.
Maya: BTG has put out several MONOPOLY slots this year. Who is MONOPOLY Money aimed at, and how is it different to play from the others?
Nik: It’s for players who like Hold and Spin and don’t mind waiting for it. MONOPOLY Money is very high volatility, on six Megaways™ reels with up to 117,649 ways to win and a maximum exposure of 29,700x stake. Rush Hour, by comparison, is a 4×4 game with 256 ways, so there’s not much overlap in how the two feel.
Anyone who’d rather go straight to a feature can use BTG’s Bonus Buy, which costs 60x stake for Hold and Spin or 90x stake for 12 Free Spins. BTG’s Power Play suits people who want more happening without buying a feature outright. It costs 8x stake, guarantees at least 10,000 Megaways™ on every spin and makes Max Megaways™ and both bonus features turn up more often.
About Big Time Gaming
Established in 2011 and later acquired by Evolution Gaming in 2021, Big Time Gaming is a studio that has truly transformed the casino landscape.
All of the games in their portfolio combine cutting-edge innovation and polished designs with immediate accessibility for players, credited with smash-hit titles like Bonanza Megaways, Danger! High Voltage, and MONOPOLY Megaways.
The Australia-based team are most known for creating the now-legendary Megaways mechanic, a dynamic reel configuration system offering up to 117,649 ways to win. They’ve since licensed it to numerous creators all over the world, propelling them to stardom.
Find out more about BTG on their dedicated provider page, which includes all of our published slot reviews, available demos, and FAQs.
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