Are branded roulette games worse value?

Often, not always. A licence costs the provider money and it is usually recovered through a reduced payout, an extra pocket or a side bet. Some themed tables are standard roulette with a different skin and cost nothing extra. The paytable tells you which.

What is the difference between a themed table and a multiplier table?

A multiplier table changes the payout structure with random boosts. A themed table may do that, or may add a separate bonus, or may only change the graphics. Themed tables need reading one at a time.

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Branded roulette tables: where the theme sits and who pays for it

Casino lobbies now carry roulette tables named after television shows, slot franchises, film genres and the studios' own house brands. The wheel underneath is usually one of three things, and the name on the tile tells you nothing about which. This page is a method for finding out in about two minutes.

The three kinds of themed table

Skin only. Standard single-zero roulette with new graphics, sounds and a branded dealer set. Payouts unchanged, 97.30%. The theme is free. First Person Roulette is the clearest example: an Evolution look on standard odds.

Theme with a side bet. Standard base table plus an optional branded bet that triggers a bonus. Dragon Jackpot Roulette's opt-in pot works this way. The base is 97.30% with the bet off; the side bet has its own, usually higher, edge.

Theme built into the base. An extra pocket, a reduced straight-up or a mandatory contribution funds the bonus on every spin. Age of the Gods' RNG tables with their 38th pocket, and every multiplier table's 29:1, are this kind. The theme costs on every spin whether or not you care about it.

The two-minute read

Open the help screen and find:

Pocket count. 37 is standard. 38 is either American or a bonus pocket; either way it costs you.
Straight-up payout. 35:1 is standard. 29:1 or lower funds something.
Bonus entry. A pocket (built in) or a bet (opt in)?
Stated RTP. 97.30% means skin only. Lower means the theme is in the base. A base figure plus a separate side-bet figure means opt in.
Provider and version. So you can find the same table elsewhere if the limits here do not suit.

Why providers do it

A licence is a marketing cost and a bonus round is a development cost; both are recovered from play. Built-in funding is the simplest way to do that, which is why so many themed tables take a few points off the base return. Opt-in structures are more honest and less common.

When the theme is worth paying for

When you would play the bonus as a separate game anyway and the cost is small at your stake. A 1% side bet at £1 a spin is 1p a spin, which is a cheap ticket to a show you like. A 38th pocket at £5 a spin is about 13p a spin extra, forever, with no choice in the matter. One of those is entertainment; the other is a tax.

The rule

Read the paytable before the theme. If the base is standard and the extra is optional, the theme is free to ignore and cheap to try. If the base has been changed to pay for the theme, decide whether the show is worth a worse wheel. Usually the plain table with the same provider's dealer is one tile away.

Frequently asked

Are branded roulette games worse value?: Often, not always. A licence costs the provider money and it is usually recovered through a reduced payout, an extra pocket or a side bet. Some themed tables are standard roulette with a different skin and cost nothing extra. The paytable tells you which.
What is the difference between a themed table and a multiplier table?: A multiplier table changes the payout structure with random boosts. A themed table may do that, or may add a separate bonus, or may only change the graphics. Themed tables need reading one at a time.