Published September 24, 2026
Picture a long building in Riga. Rows of small sets, each with a camera, a dealer, a wheel or a shoe of cards, and a screen showing the chat. That is roughly where Evolution started, and it is still the model: real people, real equipment, streamed to your phone while it is minus twenty outside.
From one studio to a group that owns other studios
Evolution was founded in 2006 in Sweden and is listed in Stockholm. For its first decade it did one thing, live dealer tables, and grew by building more studios in more countries. Then it started buying. Ezugi in 2018, NetEnt and its sister studio Red Tiger in 2020, Big Time Gaming in 2021, Nolimit City in 2022.
That matters to you in one practical way. The NetEnt and Nolimit City slots in a lobby now belong to the same group as its live tables, even though each studio keeps its own name and its own style.
Two products under one logo
Evolution's catalogue splits cleanly in two, and they suit different players.
- Classic tables with a twist. Roulette, blackjack, baccarat and poker variants, usually with a side feature. Lightning Roulette (2018) is the template: a normal European wheel, plus random numbers struck by lightning with multipliers up to 500×.
- Game shows. A presenter, a big wheel, bonus rounds with their own sets. Crazy Time (2020) is the best known; Monopoly Live and Funky Time follow the same idea. These play more like a slot with a host than like a table game.
The maths, table by table
| Game | What sets the odds | Published RTP |
|---|---|---|
| Lightning Roulette | Straight-up wins pay 29 to 1 instead of 35 to 1; the lightning multipliers make up the difference | 97.30% |
| Crazy Time | Which segment you back: numbers or one of the four bonus games | about 94% to 96%, by segment |
| Live blackjack | Your own decisions; basic strategy matters more than the table | above 99% with correct strategy |
Look at the Crazy Time row. The return depends on what you bet on, and the gap between the best and worst spot is more than a point and a half. The rules screen at the table lists each one. Read it once and you will stop spreading chips over every segment.
What an hour at a live table costs
Live games are slow compared with slots, and that is their hidden virtue. A roulette round takes about a minute once bets close, the wheel spins and the result is shown. Call it 60 rounds an hour.
Put $1 on a single number each round in Lightning Roulette. At 97.30%, the expected cost is 2.7 cents a round, or about $1.60 for the hour. The same $1 on a 96% slot, at 500 spins an hour, costs around $20. The live table is not a better bet per dollar; it simply spends your dollars more slowly. If your aim is a long evening on a $50 budget, that pace is worth more than any bonus feature.
The exception is the game show. Crazy Time rounds last longer than a roulette spin, but players tend to cover several segments at once, so the stake per round creeps up without anyone deciding it should.
Why the lobby shows the same game twice
Evolution also makes First Person versions of its live titles: the same rules drawn by a random number generator instead of a dealer. They look alike in a lobby, but they run faster and there is nobody to wait for. Check the label before you sit down, especially if you chose live play for its slower pace.
What the studio doesn't show you
Table limits are set by each casino, not by Evolution, so the same roulette can start at $0.20 in one lobby and $1 in another. The studio also doesn't publish how many tables a particular casino carries. For that you have to count, which is exactly what we did below.
Live casino tables at the five casinos we cover
Evolution is not named on any lobby count below, and we won't claim its tables are at any site on a given day. These are the live table totals we counted in September 2026.
Cas2Bet
519 live tables, including 156 live blackjack tables, against 213 at each of the others. If live play is your main reason to sign up, start here.
100% matchPromo code CAS100
CasinoWinner
213 live tables and a 300% first-deposit match; you'll find roulette and game-show formats like these in its live section.
300% matchPromo code WIN300
YourWin24
Its 213 live tables share an account with a sportsbook, handy on a night when you want the game and a table on the same balance.
250% matchPromo code YOUR250
CasinoPurple
213 live tables, the same live lobby as ZeSlots, with a 100% match that keeps the first deposit modest.
100% matchPromo code PURPLE100
ZeSlots
Identical live lobby to CasinoPurple, 213 tables, with a 250% match for players who would rather start with a bigger balance.
250% matchPromo code ZESLOTS250
Frequently asked questions
Is Evolution a Canadian company?
No. Evolution was founded in 2006 in Sweden and is listed on the Stockholm exchange. Its tables are streamed from studios in several countries.
What is the RTP of Lightning Roulette?
Evolution publishes 97.30%, the same as standard European roulette, because straight-up wins pay 29 to 1 to fund the lightning multipliers.
Why does Crazy Time have more than one RTP?
Each segment on the wheel has its own return. Evolution lists them in the rules, ranging from about 94% to about 96% depending on what you back.
Does Evolution own NetEnt?
Yes, since 2020. It also owns Red Tiger, Big Time Gaming, Ezugi and Nolimit City.
Are First Person games live?
No. First Person titles use the same rules as the live versions, but the result comes from a random number generator rather than a dealer.