As we call it wraps on an eventful and turbulent 2022, it’s time to look back on some of the eventful moments that took place. While Live Casino India hosts all kinds of gamblers and bettors, there were some casino games that really stood out from the lot. So, we will give a short recap of some of the main events that took place in 2022 as well as give out the LCI Awards 2022 to the best live games of the year in different categories.
A Short Recap of 2022
At the beginning of the year, the world was still slowly recovering from the aftereffects of numerous Covid-19 lockdowns and businesses were slowly opening up again to full capacity. Online businesses thrived during this era, especially online gambling sites in India, leading to huge profit gains for casino operators and game providers alike. One such company, Evolution, launched a very ambitious development of The Great 88 Initiative. As part of this initiative, Evolution launched 88 new casino games in 2022 across all of its brand partners. But the most innovative games were the Evolution Gaming live casino games.
Another important moment in 2022, was of course the “nerve” of Pragmatic Live to try and think that they could rival Evolution Gaming. Having previously launched Sweet Bonanza Candy Land the previous year, to rival Crazy Time, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. So, this time around when they launched Boom City, anticipation was low. After all, we had already experienced the fall out of Evolution’s grid game: Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt Live. But low and behold, Boom City is a banger of a game. So, to see this aspiration and innovation from Pragmatic is very pleasing.
Lastly, we have to give a special mention to Playtech Live. It’s well known that many Indian online casinos do not offer their games. However, as one of the founders of the online gambling industry, they still produce some really good live games. In 2022, Playtech took it up a notch by launching a new live slot game based on their hit classic: Everybody’s Jackpot. Live slots are not new for Playtech, but adding a community jackpot for all players was something new in the live casino community and it was well-received by players.
What Will 2023 Bring?
As we look ahead to 2023, who knows what is in store for Indian gamblers? Three new emerging live studios have entered the market: Bombay Live, Skywind and Stakelogic. They too look to bring us some interesting live games with cool bonus features. But more importantly, what do Evolution have planned for 2023? Can they keep ahead of their competitors? Will Pragmatic continue to bring us new live game concepts not seen before? And will Ezugi finally tap into some Evolution magic with their games?
We can only imagine what the cards hold for us, but what we do know is what the best live games for 2022 were. Below you can find the LCI Awards 2022 for the best games and runners-up in 5 main categories. The results are based on player activity across our top online casinos and a survey we conducted among our members. If you would like to take part in our surveys, share feedback about live games and receive special casino and betting offers, then sign up for our newsletter below.
LCI Awards 2022 – Best Live Games
So let us dive into the winners and honourable mentions of the best 2022 online casino games. LCI Awards 2022 are split into 5 categories for best roulette, card, money wheel, new game and best live game. The results are based on a survey we ran for our community and player activity at our recommended casino sites.
LCI Awards 2022 – Best Roulette Game
Roulette is a staple casino game both online and in land-based casinos. In the online casino sphere, roulette has evolved and now the most popular live roulette games have added bonus features. And if you so choose you can still get the original roulette experience as well.
Winner: Lightning Roulette
Online casinos are offering excellent roulette gaming options today and Lightning Roulette is an absolute favourite among our members. So there is no surprise that Lightning Roulette is one of the most popular titles among online gamblers in India. In 2022, Evolution also released a follow-up called XXXtreme Lightning Roulette which is more volatile and potentially offers, much higher wins.
Runner Up: Gold Bar Roulette
Another spin off of Lightning Roulette, Gold Bar Roulette was also launched in 2022. What is unique about this game is that you collect gold bars for every winning number bet. The main differences between Gold Bar Roulette and Lightning Roulette is that you can accumulate your gold bars and decide when to use them. They each carry an 88x multiplier, so you can determine which numbers you want to receive an enhanced payout for, rather than having Evolution’s RNG decided for you. This new feature turned out to be very popular and is the main reason why XXXtreme Lightning Roulette or PowerUP Roulette didn’t finish in 2nd.
Other Nominees: XXXtreme Lightning Roulette, PowerUP Roulette, Mega Fire Blaze Roulette
LCI Awards 2022 – Best Card Game
It is not a casino if it does not have card games. Card games have always been popular and come in many shapes and forms. The versatility of a card deck makes it great. So many games can be played with just a deck of cards. From family holidays to sparkling neon casinos to smoky western saloons, there is always a card game. And in Indian heritage, card games have stood the test of time. So, let’s see what game was declared the best card game for 2022.
Winner: Super Andar Bahar
Andar Bahar is popular all across India. The first live games provider to offer a live Andar Bahar version was Ezugi. So when Evolution acquired Ezugi a few years back, it was only a matter of time before they dipped their feet into Indian games. Super Andar Bahar was launched in 2022 and offered a new twist to the classic live games from Ezugi. Evolution decided to add random win multipliers to the side bets, up to 4,000x! This new feature on a typical double-or-nothing game, added much more appeal for Indian gamblers. And it showed in the polls too when choosing their best card game for the LCI Awards 2022.
Runner Up: No Commission Baccarat
Baccarat is also a classic game and it is hard to beat a classic. No Commission Baccarat is very popular because the house’s 5% commission is removed. Therefore, both Banker and Player payouts are the same. Baccarat in general is more popular in India than Blackjack. So, if you have an opportunity to play one of your favourite card games with a smaller house advantage, then you will definitely go for No Commission Baccarat.
Other Nominees: 32 Cards, Live Blackjack, Teen Patti Live
LCI Awards 2022 – Best Money Wheel Game
Money wheel games have been around for quite some time. Even in carnivals, kids love to spin the wheel to win prizes. However, money wheel games at online casinos are a big thing. Augmented reality, colourful settings and outrageous bonus features make these games addictive. So, let’s see which money wheel games were the winners and losers.
Winner: Crazy Time
No surprises here, Crazy Time is still the undisputed money wheel game. Crazy Time is a true crowd favourite at online casinos. Why? The reasons for this are plenty. A game show type of game with great payout potential that caters to multiple age groups and audiences. Great bonus games and fun game mechanics add a lot of entertainment value. Although several other game developers have made similar versions of Crazy Time, it still is considered the best by many. You can also read a testimonial of two massive wins that some of our members had on this game.
Runner Up: Monopoly Live
There is no shortage of Evolution titles on our 2022 top list, and this title has been around for a few years now. Monopoly is a popular board game and Evolution Gaming carried it over successfully into a live game format with Monopoly Live. There is something with going around the classic Monopoly board in 3D that just feels awesome. Adding some win multipliers to your payout while watching Mr Monopoly move around in augmented reality is a bonus, pun intended!
Other Nominees: Spin A Win, Adventures Beyond Wonderland, Sweet Bonanza Candy Land
LCI Awards 2022 – Best New Game
There were many new live casino games launched in 2022. Some were classic table games and others were new live game show-type games. We’ve already seen that Evolution Gaming games are the most popular among Indian gamblers. But in 2022, Pragmatic Live managed to pip Evolution and Playtech to the line and take home the award for the best new game.
Winner: Boom City
Boom City at first glance looked like another boring live grid game. After the slow-paced experience with Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt, we weren’t expecting much from another grid game. However, Pragmatic decided to add their new PowerUP bonus feature to this game and the results were very impressive. This special feature gives players the opportunity to level up each time, offering much bigger wins. The 6X6 grid game plays out much faster than Evolution’s grid game and there is a potential to win up to 20,000x your bet in one the different bonus game features. In our Boom City game review, we even mentioned that this could be Pragmatic’s main threat to Crazy Time’s reign.
Runner Up: Monopoly Big Baller
And of course, since Monopoly Live is so popular everyone wants to play this 2022 follow-up title in the Monopoly series from Evolution Gaming. Monopoly Big Baller is more like a bingo game, and Indian players like bingo games it seems. You bet on your chance and community cards to get bingo lines. The balls are drawn with a bingo ball machine. All in glorious augmented reality with great presenters.
Other Nominees: XXXtreme Lightning Roulette, Everybody’s Jackpot Live, PowerUP Roulette
LCI Awards 2022 – Best Live Casino Game
Finally, we come to the creme de la creme of the LCI Awards 2022, where we give out the award for the best live casino game of 2022. This award encompasses all the different live game genres. Furthermore, we surveyed 10,000 members for their opinion on what their best game was for 2022. Out of all the nominations and votes these are the top 5 games and you can see which game took home the prize for 2022.
So as you can see the winner of the best live casino game in 2022 is Crazy Time with Lightning Roulette finishing in a close 2nd. Both games are extremely popular in India and it is hard to see how they will not be at the top of our lists in years to come. Rounding out the top 5 games were Monopoly Live, Super Sic Bo and newcomer Boom City.