Evolution is bringing new live dealer games to the Pennsylvania online casino market, with Crazy Coin Flip scheduled for a May 7 launch and the enormously popular Crazy Time game show to follow later this summer. Crazy Time is currently in the midst of the regulatory approval process, but Evolution has told Bonus that a firm launch date should be coming soon.
Evolution (Evolution AB (publ) 4,61 -2,12%) has long dominated the US live dealer casino space, and staples like blackjack and roulette remain its most popular titles here. Internationally, however, unique game show-style products have proven to be the company’s biggest success stories. Differentiation from other live dealer products is also increasingly crucial as Evolution now faces competition from Playtech and Authentic Gaming.
Jacob Claesson, Evolution’s North American CEO, told Bonus:
When we launched Crazy Time in New Jersey last year, we knew we were ushering in a new generation of Live Dealer games here in the U.S. The response from both operators and players has been overwhelmingly positive. We are now preparing to launch Crazy Time in Pennsylvania with the ambition to launch the game this summer – followed by Michigan, and we couldn’t be more excited. The anticipation is high, and we are confident that players in Pennsylvania and Michigan will love the world’s #1 game show.
Crazy Time received approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on March 23. However, the new rules require a 30-day public comment period before coming into effect. Theoretically, that means Evolution would be authorized to launch before the end of April, but the need to build a custom studio for the game makes an immediate launch impossible.
‘Crazy’ New Games at PA Online Casinos
So, what are these new games coming to Pennsylvania online casinos?
Crazy Coin Flip, which will launch first, is what you might call a ‘live dealer enhanced’ slot title. The base game is a slot machine with a bonus round that the player can win if three Scatter symbols appear on the reels. It’s in the final stage of this bonus round that the live dealer aspect comes into play—what bet multiplier the player will receive hinges on the live-streaming flip of a coin.
Crazy Time is a more complicated game. It combines the usual Big Wheel used for live dealer game shows with a slot machine that spins above the wheel. The Top Slot generates a bet multiplier and a spot on the wheel. When the multiplier and the targeted spot line up, player winnings are multiplied. That can also apply to winnings in the game’s various bonus rounds.
It’s in those bonus rounds that Crazy Time most resembles televised game shows. There are multiple mini-games that players can win, such as a shooting gallery called Cash Hunt, a Pachinko game with a bouncing puck, or, of course, the eponymous Crazy Time Bonus Round, which offers the chance for the biggest winnings of all.
Bonus covered both games in more detail previously when they launched at New Jersey online casinos:
Other Products Coming Soon to Pennsylvania
The same edition of the Pennsylvania Bulletin announcing the pending approval of Crazy Time also authorizes several other new online casino game variations.
Many of these are table game side bets from Galaxy Gaming. Galaxy has a US partnership with Evolution to provide its side bets as options in the latter’s live dealer games. You may see some of them in RNG form and at retail casinos, too.
Perhaps the best-known of these is the 21+3 side bet in blackjack. This was already available in Pennsylvania, but online casinos will now be authorized to include a 21+3 progressive jackpot rather than fixed prizes only. Royal Match 21, Blazing 7’s, and King’s Bounty are likewise receiving new paytable options.
More excitingly, Galaxy Gaming is receiving approval to offer Roulette Up. This is already available in other states as a standalone RNG (non-live dealer) product. The base game is identical to American Roulette but with an optional side bet spanning multiple spins.
The goal with the Roulette Up side bet is to create a streak of spins where each number is higher than the last. There are two versions of the bet, with the highest payout being for an eight-spin streak. That nets a 399-1 payout on the more conservative bet or triggers the progressive jackpot with the more aggressive option.
Bonus also covered Roulette Up in detail when it launched, including an assessment of the game’s odds and RTP:
Finally, new side bets for Ultimate Texas Hold’em (SHFL Entertainment) and Criss-Cross Poker (PlayAGS) have also been authorized for use in Pennsylvania pending public comment.
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