Monopoly Big Baller Live Review

Evolution Gaming has upped the ante from its mega-successful Monopoly Live game with Monopoly Big Baller Live. This time, we’re on a 1920s-style riverboat voyage on the river that surrounds the city in the original live game. Mr Monopoly is back to guide the 3D action, and there are bonus cards, multipliers, and free spaces to help you pass Go! So, let’s dive in. 

Place your bets, from 0.10 coins to 2,000, betting on as many of the four cards and two bonus cards as you like. The bonus cards are three-roll and five-roll cards, respectively. You can also choose to bet different amounts on different cards. Once all the bets have been placed, the host will oversee 20 numbered balls being drawn from the machine. If the balls match any numbers on your card, you’ll see them automatically marked off.

Just like in regular bingo, marking off a line will see you win a prize. This is made easier as some numbers on the cards are eliminated at the start of each round. Some of the numbers on the cards also have multipliers added randomly, and there are golden lines, as described below. Naturally, to win the big prizes, you’ll need to trigger the 3D bonus round.

Just before the game starts, Mr Monopoly will pull a lever to add free spaces to the cards, including the bonus cards. If you get lucky, these spaces could mean you can fill a line with only one or two numbers being drawn. 

Some lines may also be highlighted in gold before the round begins. If you manage to complete the highlighted line, you will receive a multiplier of up to 100x, which will be applied to your total stake on the card.

Last but not least in the main game, some of the numbers on the card may have multiplier values assigned to them. For every number with a multiplier that you mark off, the corresponding multiplier will be saved, until the round finishes. Once all 20 balls have been drawn, the multipliers will be added together and applied to your total payout, if one has been awarded.

Filling all the numbers on the bonus cards will earn you three or five rows of the dice, depending on which card you’ve bet on. The bonus round is played on a high-definition 3D Monopoly board. Mr Monopoly helps you out by raising multipliers at random on the board. You roll a pair of dice to determine how many steps Mr Monopoly can take, and he collects the corresponding prizes for you as he goes along. 

At the end of the round, the multipliers are added up and multiplied by your initial bet on the bonus card. The prizes are paid out immediately, and a new game begins. If a double is rolled, you will be awarded an extra roll, helping you speed up your progress around the board. You also need to follow the rules of Monopoly, such as trying to avoid the Jail square. However, if you pass Go, all of the property values will be doubled.

If you are looking for an attractive and engaging game, this is it. The backdrop to the draw is a 1920s-style riverboat that is sailing around the river that surrounds Monopoly city. The real-life presenters are dressed in their finest sailor outfits, as is the virtual reality Mr Monopoly. 

The bonus round takes place on the iconic board, complete with hotels, GO Jail and the other squares you expect. As with the first game, all of the imagery is approved by Monopoly makers Hasbro, ensuring you feel like you’re setting foot inside a lifesized games board.

Allowing players who have not bet on those cards to watch the bonus round action as spectators is a nice touch.

Monopoly Big Baller Live is a hybrid of Monopoly Live and Mega Ball and is likely to be just as, if not more, successful than these titles. The game takes the best of the original Monopoly Live and improves it, upping the rolls of the dice to three or five instead of two or four,  with the potential for unlocking more and adding double the multipliers. Hasbro’s iconic designs remain, and the riverboat location makes the game feel like a true successor to the original. We think you’ll love it.