Dragon Jackpot Roulette: a normal wheel with an optional pot

The table

Playtech, released in 2018. European wheel, 37 pockets, 35:1 on a straight-up, 2.70% house edge on every standard bet. Racetrack with neighbours view, rebet, double-and-spin, a 10 to 15 second betting window on the RNG version. Minimums reported from 10p on inside bets; some operators set £1. Maximums reported around £50 on a single number and £10,000 across the table, operator-dependent.

With the jackpot toggle off, that is the whole game, and it is a perfectly good one.

The toggle

Switch the Dragon Jackpot on and two things happen. A reported 1% of each wager is deducted as a contribution to the progressive pots. And every spin carries a small, stake-weighted chance of a random trigger that takes you to the bonus.

The bonus

A ten-segment dragon wheel spins. Match three of the same colour symbol and you win that colour's pot: Green, Blue, Red or Gold, smallest to largest. Reported ranges run from about £60 for a freshly seeded Green up to £60,000 and more for Gold, with the Gold pot seeded at €20,000 or higher at some operators. The pots are shown on screen and grow until won.

What the toggle costs

With the jackpot on, each £1 bet is effectively 99p of roulette at 2.70% and 1p into the pool. Over 100 spins at £5 that is £5 into the pots on top of the £13.50 expected loss at the wheel. Your share of the pool return depends on how often the trigger fires, which the provider does not publish, and on the pool sizes when it does. For the great majority of players in any given month, the £5 is simply a cost.

The RTP confusion

You will see 97.30%, 98.30%, "97.02% to 98.30%" and lower figures quoted for this game. The reliable one is 97.30% on the standard bets with the jackpot off, because that is what a single-zero wheel with standard payouts returns. Anything above 97.30% is counting the jackpot contribution as a return, which is only true for whoever wins the pot. The side bet's own return is not disclosed.

Compared with Age of the Gods

Dragon Jackpot's great advantage is that the pot is optional and the wheel is standard. Age of the Gods' RNG versions build the jackpot into a 38th pocket, so you pay for it on every spin whether you want to or not. If you want a jackpot roulette table, this is the one where you can decide spin by spin whether to be in the draw.

A reasonable way to play it

Toggle off for the session, standard bets at your normal stake. Toggle on for a defined stretch, say 50 spins at a small stake, when a pot is large and you want to be in it, knowing the cost is 1% of those stakes. Then off again. The table does not mind.