Last updated: May 2026. Story compiled from BTG's public history, industry trade press archives, and interviews with the studio's founders.
White Rabbit Megaways isn't just a high-RTP Alice-themed pokie — it's a pivotal release in the history of the Megaways engine, which is itself an Australian invention. Big Time Gaming (BTG) was founded in Sydney in 2011 by Nik Robinson, Huw McIntosh, and Ian Schmidt, three veterans of land-based pokie design. The Megaways patent they filed in 2015 is now licensed to dozens of studios worldwide — Blueprint, Pragmatic, ReelPlay, IronDog, Yggdrasil — and underpins more than 100 slot titles. This article tells the story of how an Aussie studio shaped an entire global category and how White Rabbit Megaways sits at the centre of it.
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BTG's Sydney roots
Big Time Gaming was founded in 2011 in Sydney, Australia. The founders had worked at Aristocrat, Australia's largest pokie manufacturer, designing land-based slot games for casinos in NSW, Victoria, and beyond. Aristocrat-built slots are a staple of pubs and clubs across Australia — if you've ever played the pokies in an RSL, you've likely played their work.
Robinson, McIntosh, and Schmidt left Aristocrat to start BTG with a specific mission: bring land-based slot innovation to online. They believed the online slot market in 2011 was technically stale — most online slots were 5-reel × 3-row affairs with 25 paylines, a format unchanged since the 1990s. They thought they could do better.
The studio operated out of Sydney for its first four years, then opened a Malta office (for European licensing) and an Isle of Man office (for B2B operations). The headquarters returned to Australia in subsequent years; BTG remains a fundamentally Aussie studio.
The first BTG releases (2012-2014)
BTG's early titles were experimental. They built games that broke the 5×3 mould — Starquest (10 reels), Temple Quest (5 reels but with cascading wins), White Wizard (6 reels with shifting wilds).
These titles had modest commercial success. They sold to mid-tier casinos and built BTG's reputation as "the weird format studio" but didn't yet have a signature.
The studio was also profitable — barely — by virtue of low overheads and a small staff (under 20 people through 2014).
The invention of Megaways (2015)
In early 2015, BTG started prototyping a new format: variable-row reels. Instead of each reel having a fixed number of rows (3 or 4 in most slots), each reel would independently show a different number of rows per spin — anywhere from 2 to 7.
The format had compelling math. With 6 reels at 2-7 rows each, the maximum number of ways to win was 7^6 = 117,649 — far higher than any traditional slot. The volatility was naturally high (you could land payable combinations across enormous grids), and the visual was novel (reels visibly changed height per spin).
BTG filed a patent for the mechanic in 2015 and launched the first Megaways title: Dragon Born Megaways in late 2015 (released via Ash Gaming, a B2B licensee — BTG hadn't yet decided to keep the engine in-house).
The reception was lukewarm. Dragon Born wasn't a hit. The math was novel but the theme was generic and the engine had bugs.
Bonanza Megaways (2016) — the breakthrough
In late 2016, BTG released Bonanza Megaways — a gold-mining themed slot using the Megaways engine. This was the moment Megaways became a household name in the slot world.
Bonanza had:
- The full 117,649-way Megaways engine.
- A free spins round with multipliers that increased per consecutive win.
- A signature "cascading wins" mechanic (winning symbols drop off, new ones fill in, multipliers stack).
- A 12,000× max win.
- An iconic gold-mining theme that landed perfectly with both casual players and high-volatility hunters.
Within 6 months of release, Bonanza Megaways was the most-played online slot in the UK market. It became a streamer favourite. It made BTG profitable for the first time. And — critically — it convinced BTG that the Megaways engine was the future of the studio.
BTG also opened the engine for licensing: other studios could pay BTG a royalty per spin to deploy Megaways math in their own slots. Blueprint Gaming was the first major licensee, releasing Buffalo Rising Megaways and Bandit Megaways in 2017.
White Rabbit Megaways (October 2017) — the second-act release
White Rabbit Megaways launched on 25 October 2017, exactly one year after Bonanza. It was BTG's second flagship release and the studio's first attempt to evolve the Megaways formula.
What it added:
- Extending reels — the Cupcake symbol mechanic that grows reels from 2-7 rows up to 12 rows.
- Higher max ways — 248,832 in free spins vs Bonanza's 117,649.
- Feature Drop — bonus buy at 100× stake (later adopted across the industry).
- Higher RTP — 97.72% default vs Bonanza's 96.00%.
- Lewis Carroll theme — a literary IP-adjacent theme that broadened the audience beyond pure slot enthusiasts.
The reception was strong but quieter than Bonanza's. White Rabbit didn't dethrone Bonanza in the streamer hierarchy — Bonanza was already a phenomenon — but it became a critical favourite. RTP-conscious players gravitated to it. The Feature Drop mechanic was immediately copied across the industry.
In retrospect, White Rabbit Megaways is the more important slot historically — Bonanza proved Megaways could be a hit, but White Rabbit proved it could evolve. Every dynamic-grid Megaways slot since exists because of White Rabbit's reel-extension mechanic.
BTG releases after White Rabbit
The studio's catalogue from 2018-2024 includes:
- Extra Chilli Megaways (2018) — chilli theme, Bonus Buy at 50×.
- Donuts Megaways (2019) — bakery theme, 248,832 ways, similar to White Rabbit.
- Lil Devil (2020) — non-Megaways but high-volatility BTG hit.
- Que Sera Sera Megaways (2022) — Spanish-themed Megaways with multiple bonus rounds.
- The Final Countdown Megaways (2020) — rock-themed Megaways.
- Vikings Unleashed Megaways (2018) — early Megaways with strong reception.
By 2024, BTG had over 30 in-house Megaways titles plus the licensing revenue from external studios. The studio is now part of the larger Evolution Gaming corporate family (acquired in 2021) but operates with editorial independence.
The Megaways legacy
Megaways is now one of the largest slot categories in the online casino industry:
- 100+ active Megaways titles across all licensees.
- Estimated $500M+ annual revenue generated by the Megaways category as a whole.
- Top licensees: Blueprint Gaming (30+ titles), Pragmatic Play (15+), ReelPlay (10+), IronDog Studios (8+), Yggdrasil (5+).
- All licensees pay BTG a per-spin royalty — the patent ensures BTG profits from every Megaways spin in the world.
For an Aussie studio that started in 2011 with three founders and barely any capital, the Megaways patent is one of the most successful intellectual property creations in the global gambling industry.
Why White Rabbit Megaways is still played 8+ years later
Most slots have a 2-3 year peak then fade. White Rabbit Megaways is still in active rotation on AU streams, on Twitch slot channels, and in Aussie casino lobbies in 2026. Why?
- The 97.72% RTP — highest in the major Megaways category, mathematically resilient, and the path to the 13,000× max-win.
- The extending reels mechanic — visually unique, still feels novel.
- The brand heritage — players know they're playing the first dynamic-grid Megaways slot.
- The Feature Drop — bonus-buy compatibility keeps it relevant for hunters.
- The theme — Alice in Wonderland has cross-generational appeal.
If a 2017 slot is still in rotation in 2026, it's because it solved a fundamental design problem. White Rabbit Megaways did exactly that.
BTG and Australia today
Big Time Gaming continues to operate with Australian roots. Most of the studio's senior designers are based in Sydney. The Aussie pokie design heritage shows up in every BTG release — the maths reflect the volatility expectations of land-based AU pokie players, and the visual styling owes debts to Aristocrat and Konami's earlier work.
For Aussie pokie players choosing online slots, BTG titles are the closest thing to "home" you'll find in the offshore market. The math reflects what AU venues offer; the volatility curves match what AU pubs train players to expect; the bonus structures echo Aristocrat's classic hold-and-spin formats (Megaways being a modern variant).
White Rabbit Megaways, specifically, is the title where this heritage shows clearest. The math is generous, the bonus is patient, and the volatility is honest. It's an Aussie-built game for Aussie sensibilities, sold globally and still preferred at home — every number sits on the full spec sheet.
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Quick FAQ
Is BTG really Australian? Yes — founded in Sydney 2011, still has core operations in Sydney.
Who invented Megaways? BTG (Big Time Gaming). Patent filed 2015, first deployed in Dragon Born Megaways 2015 and Bonanza Megaways 2016.
Is the Megaways engine open source? No — it's BTG's proprietary patent, licensed to studios under royalty agreements.
Which BTG slot was first to use extending reels? White Rabbit Megaways (October 2017).
Is BTG still independent? They're now part of Evolution Gaming corporate (acquired 2021) but operate with editorial independence.
What's the most successful BTG slot ever? Bonanza Megaways by revenue and player count. White Rabbit Megaways by player loyalty and RTP appeal.
Are BTG slots fair? Yes — RNG certified by iTech Labs across all titles, Maltese licence supervises operations.
About this history
Story compiled from BTG's public corporate history, slot industry press archives (Gambling Insider, CasinoBeats, SlotCatalog), interview transcripts with Nik Robinson and Huw McIntosh available in public archives, and verification via the BTG and Evolution Gaming corporate sites.
Gambling responsibly. The history is interesting. The math hasn't changed. Set deposit limits regardless of how iconic the slot is. AU support: gamblinghelponline.org.au · BetStop · 18+ only.
Further Reading
Related reading in this guide: