Pragmatic Play · 2022

Boom City Review

Boom City is Pragmatic Play's most inventive live show to date — a 6×6 dice grid with three branching bonus rounds and a PowerUp feature that can push payouts to 20,000x. Stated RTP is 96.21% (some bet types are quoted at 96.43%), with a £0.10 minimum and £5,000 maximum.

Play Now
Rating 4.0
RTP RTP 93.49%–96.21%
Volatility High

Featured Casinos

Editor's Pick

Ladbrokes

4.9

25 Free Spins No Wagering

Wagering: 0x Max: Unlimited
Payout: Fast (1-2hrs)
950+ Games UKGC
Claim Bonus

T&Cs Apply. 18+ New players only.

Coral

4.5

£5 Free No Deposit

Wagering: 20x Max: £50
Payout: Fast (1-2hrs)
680+ Games UKGC
Claim Bonus

T&Cs Apply. 18+ New players only.

bet365

4.8

50 Free Spins

Wagering: 30x Max: £100
Payout: Fast (2-4hrs)
1200+ Games UKGC
Claim Bonus

T&Cs Apply. 18+ New players only.

Sky Vegas

4.6

20 Free Spins + £10 Bonus

Wagering: 35x Max: £100
Payout: Fast (2-4hrs)
1100+ Games UKGC
Claim Bonus

T&Cs Apply. 18+ New players only.

William Hill

4.7

30 Free Spins No Deposit

Wagering: 40x Max: £150
Payout: Standard (24hrs)
800+ Games UKGC
Claim Bonus

T&Cs Apply. 18+ New players only.

Paddy Power

4.6

100 Free Spins No Deposit

Wagering: 45x Max: £200
Payout: Standard (24hrs)
750+ Games UKGC
Claim Bonus

T&Cs Apply. 18+ New players only.

Betfair

4.5

40 Free Spins on Slots

Wagering: 35x Max: £100
Payout: Standard (24hrs)
900+ Games UKGC
Claim Bonus

T&Cs Apply. 18+ New players only.

888 Casino

4.5

88 Free Spins No Deposit

Wagering: 30x Max: £150
Payout: Fast (2-4hrs)
1500+ Games UKGC & MGA
Claim Bonus

T&Cs Apply. 18+ New players only.

How We Reviewed Boom City

Our review of Boom City is based on multiple hands-on sessions across desktop and mobile, at a range of stake levels and at different times of day to observe how the studio behaves under quiet and busy traffic. We tested across Wi-Fi and mobile data, sampled different hosts to gauge the dealer experience, and worked through every bonus round — Lucky Drop, Dice Battle, and Boom or Bust — to verify the mechanics described in Pragmatic Play's documentation against what actually happens on the table.

We also cross-checked the displayed RTP at multiple UK-licensed casinos, since operators can sometimes offer different RTP versions of the same title. Our process is documented in full on our review methodology page, which sets out the testing standards, conflict-of-interest policy, and editorial independence statement that govern every review we publish.

The Boom City Experience — What to Expect

Boom City is unlike any live game show on the UK market. Pragmatic Play swapped the familiar Wheel-of-Fortune format for two physical dice — one gold, one blue — rolled into a covered tray on a brightly lit stage. Behind the host, a 6×6 video wall displays 36 squares filled with multipliers, bonus icons, PowerUp tiles, and Bust squares. The blue die sets the row, the gold die sets the column, and the square at the intersection is the result of the round.

The studio leans into a neon, night-time cityscape aesthetic — think 1980s skyline panorama with energetic music between rounds. Hosts are presenter-style rather than croupier-style, keeping pace with banter and explanations of the bonus rounds. Sessions feel fast: betting windows are short, the dice roll is quick, and resolution is near-instant unless a bonus round triggers.

The live Boom City experience sits firmly in the entertainment-show bracket — high variance, dramatic payouts when bonus rounds hit, and quiet stretches of small multipliers and busts in between. If you've played Monopoly Live or Crazy Time before, the rhythm will feel familiar, even though the mechanic is brand new.

Boom City Stats, Results & History

Boom City Live Statistics

Most UK Boom City tables surface a live stats panel pulling the last 50–500 rounds. You can see the proportion of rounds that ended in a Bust square, the frequency of each multiplier tile, how often PowerUp activated, and how many of the three bonus rounds — Lucky Drop, Dice Battle, and Boom or Bust — have triggered recently.

These stats are useful for understanding how volatile the recent table has been, but they are not predictive. Each dice roll is an independent physical event verified by camera and sensor; no past result has any effect on what the dice do next. A bonus drought across the last 200 rounds doesn't make the next round more likely to deliver one. Use the live stats to inform stake decisions and bankroll pacing, not to chase patterns.

Boom City Results & Recent History

The results panel on most UK casinos shows a scrolling list of recent outcomes with the multiplier paid (or "Bust") attached to each. Pragmatic Play also exposes a personal bet history within the game interface, so you can review your own session round-by-round — a useful feature for tracking how a session is going without trying to keep score in your head.

Boom City launched in July 2022 from Pragmatic Play's Bucharest studio and quickly became one of the most-talked-about Pragmatic Live releases, sitting alongside Sweet Bonanza CandyLand and the Mega-branded table portfolio in the provider's growing game-show lineup.

The Live Studio & Dealer Experience

Boom City as a Live Show

Boom City is a deliberately theatrical production. The set is built around the 6×6 video wall, with the dice tray taking centre stage and the host moving between camera angles as bonus rounds trigger. Lighting shifts colour between rounds, sound design is punchy without being grating, and the studio has clearly been engineered for vertical mobile framing as well as widescreen desktop play.

Compared to the carnival energy of Crazy Time or the cartoon flourish of Monopoly Live, Boom City feels more like a modern game-show set — closer to a TV studio than a circus tent. That tone suits players who want spectacle without it tipping into overwhelm.

Dealer Performance & Chat

Hosts on Boom City are trained presenters rather than traditional croupiers. The job is to keep pace, announce results, explain bonus rounds as they trigger, and respond to players via the live chat panel. In our sessions, host energy held up well across longer stretches — important on a game show where the host carries most of the atmosphere.

Chat is moderated and works the way it does on other Pragmatic Live shows: type a message, the host can read and respond to selected ones, and there is a separate channel for live support if you need help with the interface or a payout query.

Stream, Atmosphere & Equipment

The Boom City stream runs at low latency through Pragmatic Play's streaming infrastructure, with multi-camera coverage and overlay graphics layered over the studio shot. Two physical dice and the dice-shaker mechanism are the equipment that drives every result; everything else — the grid, the multipliers, the bonus rounds — is rendered as overlay on top of the live feed. That hybrid of physical and digital randomness is genuinely novel in the live show space.

How to Play Boom City Live

Rules of Boom City

Boom City is built around a 6×6 grid of 36 squares. Each square is identified by a row (1–6) and a column (1–6), corresponding to the values on the blue and gold dice. The squares contain a mix of multiplier tiles (1x, 2x, 5x), PowerUp tiles, Bust squares, and the three bonus-round entry tiles for Lucky Drop, Dice Battle, and Boom or Bust.

You place chips directly on individual squares — or on multiple squares — during the 10-second betting window. When the dice roll, the gold die selects the column and the blue die selects the row. The intersection is the winning square, and any chips you have placed on that square are paid out at the value shown.

How the Live Round Works

A round opens with the betting window. You browse the grid, pick the squares you want to back, and confirm your stake before the host calls time. The dice are then rolled into the shaker tray, the result is read by camera and sensor, and the winning square is highlighted on the grid.

If the result is a multiplier or PowerUp tile, the round resolves at the table. If it is one of the bonus tiles — Lucky Drop, Dice Battle, or Boom or Bust — you (and any other player who bet that tile) are taken into the corresponding bonus round on a separate stage. If the result is a Bust square, bets placed only on multiplier and bonus tiles are lost for that round.

Betting Limits, Seat Availability & Bet Behind

Boom City has no seats — every round is open to unlimited players. There's no waiting list, no bet-behind queue, and no need to reserve a position; you simply join the table and bet within the next 10-second window. Betting limits at UK-licensed sites typically run from £0.10 up to £5,000 per round, with most operators capping the maximum lower for retail compliance and affordability reasons. Always check the displayed limits at your chosen casino, as caps vary between operators.

Special Features & Their Impact on Odds

Four special features distinguish Boom City from a simple dice game. The PowerUp tile, when landed, distributes a multiplier across the squares of one column (between 2x and 5x), turns Bust squares into 1x prizes, and triggers an extra dice roll resolved against the boosted grid. Lucky Drop is a column-pick bonus where the dice roll six times and each match against your chosen column increases the multiplier. Dice Battle pits the two dice against each other, with both sides paying — the winning side at a higher multiplier, the losing side at a minimum. Boom or Bust is a ladder-style round with rising multipliers and a safety value that locks in a minimum payout as you climb. The bonus rounds — not the base game — are where the headline 20,000x wins live.

How to Play Boom City Well

Making Better Decisions at the Table

Boom City rewards thinking about coverage rather than chasing one square. Spreading a small stake across multiple tiles — typically a mix of multiplier squares and the three bonus tiles — keeps you in more rounds and gives you exposure to the bonus games where the real payouts live. The hard part is knowing when to take the cash-out offers inside Boom or Bust: the jumps between rows can be small, so a 17x cash-out can feel weak after climbing several rungs, but pushing on means accepting that the next square may be a Bust.

Common Mistakes New Players Make

The most common mistake is over-staking single multiplier squares because they feel safer than bonus tiles. Statistically, every square has the same chance of being hit on any given roll — there's no "safer" position on the grid. The other common slip is ignoring stake size relative to bankroll. Boom City is high-volatility; bonus rounds are rare and base-game multipliers are small. A stake plan that survives a long bust streak is far more important than picking the "right" tile.

Boom City Odds — Can the House Be Beaten?

RTP: Live Version vs Standard Version

Boom City is a live-only title — there is no standalone software or demo version that mirrors the table. The RTP figure published by Pragmatic Play for the overall game is 96.21%, with some bet-specific quotes from the provider's documentation reaching 96.43%. Both figures sit firmly in the normal range for live game shows. UK operators are permitted to surface a specific RTP variant within the limits Pragmatic Play offers, so it's worth checking the figure displayed inside the game info panel at your chosen casino before staking up.

Full Odds, RTP & House Edge Breakdown

At a published RTP of 96.21%, the theoretical house edge on Boom City is 3.79%. That is competitive against other game-show titles (Monopoly Live and Crazy Time sit in a similar band) and slightly higher than the headline RTP of European Roulette or Blackjack. Volatility is rated high — the maximum win is 20,000x the base stake, capped at £500,000, but reaching that requires a chain of PowerUp activations into a bonus round. Realistic per-round outcomes cluster heavily around 1x–5x multipliers and Bust results, with bonus rounds delivering most of the meaningful upside.

What These Odds Mean for UK Players

For a UK player, the practical takeaway is simple: Boom City is built for entertainment, not for grinding out value. The RTP is fair for the format, but the variance is high enough that you should treat any session as paid-for entertainment. Deposit limits and reality checks (both mandatory at UKGC-licensed sites) are useful tools to keep session length and stake size aligned with what you actually want to spend.

Boom City Bonuses & Promotions at UK Casinos

Welcome Offers That Include Boom City

Most UK live casino welcome offers are slot-weighted and exclude live tables from wagering contribution entirely. A small number of operators run live-casino-specific welcome bonuses — usually cashback on first-week live losses, or a small bonus credit that can be staked on live tables. Always read the qualifying-games list before depositing for a live show like Boom City. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org. Verify terms before claiming.

Live Casino Cashback & Reload Bonuses

Cashback is the most common live-casino promotion in the UK and typically the most useful for Boom City players. Offers pay back a percentage of net losses across qualifying live games over a defined window, usually 24 hours or a week. Reload bonuses for live casino do exist but tend to be smaller than slot reloads and come with stricter wagering. Check whether Boom City is named in the qualifying list — game shows are sometimes excluded even when blackjack and roulette are included. T&Cs apply.

Wagering Contribution: Does Boom City Count?

Wagering contribution for Boom City varies by operator. Live game shows commonly contribute either 0% or 10% to bonus wagering requirements, which is a meaningful disadvantage compared to slots at 100%. Some operators exclude live casino entirely from welcome bonuses. The contribution rate is always listed in the bonus T&Cs — if you can't find it in the offer page, check the casino's general wagering-contribution table before depositing.

How Withdrawals Work After a Live Session

Withdrawals from a Boom City session work the same way as any other live casino payout at a UK-licensed site. You request the withdrawal in the cashier, the operator runs verification and any required affordability checks, and the funds are released through your chosen banking method. E-wallets typically clear within 24 hours; card and bank transfers can take 1–5 working days. If you haven't completed KYC, the first withdrawal will trigger document verification, which is the most common cause of delay on a first cash-out.

Integrity & Trust: Is Boom City Fair?

Is the Stream Actually Live?

Yes. Boom City streams from Pragmatic Play's studio in Bucharest, Romania, with a live presenter, physical dice, and on-table sensors. The dice roll is visible on camera, and the result is verified by both the camera feed and the in-tray sensor before the multiplier is paid. There is no pre-recorded footage — each round is generated in real time and broadcast with low latency to all connected players.

How Cards & Equipment Are Managed

Boom City doesn't use cards. The equipment that matters is the dice, the shaker tray, and the sensor system that reads the dice result. Pragmatic Play follows live-dealer studio protocols for dice — they are inspected on rotation, swapped when worn, and the entire dice handling process is on camera. The grid overlay, multipliers, and bonus-round entries are layered on top of the live feed through Pragmatic Play's RNG-verified back-end.

Software Provider & Regulatory Audits (UKGC)

Pragmatic Play Live is licensed and audited under the same testing regime as other major live providers. UK players access Boom City only through UKGC-licensed casinos, and the UKGC requires both the operator and the game provider to undergo independent testing and to publish audited RTP figures. Boom City has been live in the UK market since 2022 with no notable integrity issues reported.

Mobile Performance & Connectivity

Boom City on iOS and Android

Boom City is built in HTML5 and runs natively in mobile browsers on iOS and Android, as well as inside the dedicated apps of UK operators that ship one. The interface adapts to portrait and landscape, keeping the grid, betting controls, and bonus-round panels on screen at all times. We tested on mid-range Android handsets and recent iPhones — both delivered smooth video and responsive bet placement, though older devices may struggle with the live stream at full quality.

Streaming on 4G/5G & Disconnection Policy

4G is the realistic minimum for Boom City; 5G or Wi-Fi gives a noticeably cleaner stream and more headroom for the betting window. If you disconnect mid-round, any bets you placed before the betting window closed are honoured, and any winnings are credited to your balance regardless of whether you reconnect in time to see the result. If you disconnect inside a bonus round, Pragmatic Play's standard procedure is to auto-play any required decisions on a default route, with the outcome credited to your account.

Similar Live Games to Boom City

How Boom City Compares to Crazy Time

Crazy Time from Evolution is the most successful live game show on the market and the obvious benchmark for any new entry in the category. Both games share the same broad pitch — a presenter-led live show with multiple bonus rounds and dramatic top-end multipliers. The key difference is mechanical: Crazy Time runs on a giant Money Wheel with a Top Slot multiplier overlay, while Boom City runs on a 6×6 grid driven by two physical dice. Crazy Time has four bonus rounds (Coin Flip, Pachinko, Cash Hunt, Crazy Time) versus Boom City's three (Lucky Drop, Dice Battle, Boom or Bust). RTP sits in a similar band; Crazy Time runs a slightly higher published figure of 96.08% on the main wheel, with bonus-specific RTPs higher.

Boom City vs Monopoly Live: Key Differences

Monopoly Live, also from Evolution, is the closest comparator in terms of pace and tone. Both are vibrant, game-show-style live productions with bonus rounds as the main attraction. Monopoly Live uses a Money Wheel feeding into the augmented-reality Monopoly board for the 2 Rolls and 4 Rolls bonuses, while Boom City uses a grid and dice from the start. Monopoly Live's published RTP is 96.23% on the most common bet — almost identical to Boom City's 96.21%. The biggest practical difference is structure: Monopoly Live has a clear two-stage payoff (wheel into board), whereas Boom City offers three different bonus rounds with quite different mechanics, giving more variety per session.

Which Live Game Show Is Right for You?

If you want the highest-energy production and the broadest bonus variety, Crazy Time is still the category leader. If you want a calmer, more structured experience with a recognisable theme, Monopoly Live is the safer pick. Boom City fits between them — more inventive than Monopoly Live, calmer than Crazy Time, and the only one of the three built on a dice mechanic.

If game shows aren't quite your speed and you prefer a table-game experience with proper hand-by-hand decisions, take a look at our Teen Patti review — it's a card-based live game with a very different rhythm and a strategic side that game shows don't try to offer.

Game RTP Min Bet Max Bet Multiplier Potential Volatility Best For
Boom City 96.21% £0.10 £5,000 20,000x High Fans of live game shows
Crazy Time 96.08% £0.10 £2,500 25,000x High Social players
Monopoly Live 96.23% £0.10 £2,500 10,000x Medium-High Casual players

The Pros & Cons of Boom City

Pros

  • Genuinely original mechanic — the dice-and-grid format isn't borrowed from another live show.
  • Three distinct bonus rounds with different decision points and pacing.
  • RTP of 96.21% is competitive for the game-show category.
  • Unlimited seats and a fast 10-second betting window keep rounds moving.
  • Strong mobile build with portrait and landscape modes.

Cons

  • Very high variance — long bust streaks are common, and most rounds resolve at low multipliers.
  • 10-second betting window is tight for new players still learning the grid; it takes several sessions before reading the board feels comfortable.
  • Game-show contribution to bonus wagering is usually 0–10% at UK casinos, limiting bonus utility.
  • The 20,000x headline payout requires a stacked sequence of PowerUps into a deep bonus run — rare enough that it's better treated as a theoretical ceiling than a realistic target.
  • Single host language (English at most UK tables), which limits the social atmosphere if you're used to multi-language live tables.

Responsible Gambling

Boom City is fun, fast, and high-variance — a combination that makes it easy to lose track of session length and stake size. UK-licensed casinos are required by the UKGC to offer deposit limits, loss limits, session reminders (reality checks), and affordability checks. Set these before you start playing, not after. If you find yourself chasing losses, extending sessions beyond what you planned, or staking more than you can comfortably afford, step away.

Free, confidential support is available through GamCare and BeGambleAware. If you want to take a longer break, the UK's national self-exclusion scheme allows you to block access to all licensed online operators in one step. You can find more guidance on tools, support, and self-exclusion on our responsible gambling hub.

Our Verdict: Is Boom City Worth the Spin?

Boom City earns 4 out of 5. It does something genuinely new in a category that had been getting repetitive — pulling away from wheels and into a dice-and-grid format that gives the host more to work with and the player more decision points. The three bonus rounds are well-designed, the studio production is strong, and the mobile build is among the best in Pragmatic Live's portfolio.

The catch is the variance. Long stretches of small multipliers and Bust results are part of the game by design, and the headline 20,000x payout is a ceiling, not an expectation. If you go in treating Boom City as a high-energy entertainment show with the occasional big bonus run, it delivers. If you go in expecting steady returns, it won't. For casual players, fans of live game shows, and anyone curious about Pragmatic Live's most ambitious release to date, it's well worth a session.

Frequently Asked Questions

Boom City is fair. The game is operated by Pragmatic Play Live from a licensed studio in Bucharest and is offered to UK players only through UKGC-licensed casinos. Both the operator and the game provider are subject to independent testing, and the dice roll that drives every round is a physical event verified on camera and by in-tray sensors. There is no evidence — and no plausible mechanism — for the outcome to be manipulated round-to-round.

The published overall RTP for Boom City is 96.21%, with some bet-specific quotes from Pragmatic Play documentation reaching 96.43%. That puts it in the normal range for live game shows and slightly below standard table games like blackjack or European roulette. UK casinos are permitted to display a specific RTP variant within the range offered by Pragmatic Play, so check the figure shown inside the game's info panel before you start a session.

No. Boom City is a live dealer game show, which means every round is hosted by a real presenter in a streaming studio with physical equipment. Pragmatic Play, like every other live provider, does not offer a demo or free-play version of live tables — the staffing and streaming costs make it impractical. To try Boom City, you'll need to deposit at a UK-licensed casino that carries the title and stake real money on each round.

If you disconnect after placing bets but before the dice roll, your bets stand and any winnings are credited to your account balance automatically — you don't need to be connected to receive the payout. If you disconnect inside a bonus round, Pragmatic Play's auto-play procedure resolves any required decisions on a default route and the outcome is credited to your balance. You can review the result in your bet history once you reconnect.

The minimum bet on Boom City is typically £0.10 per chip at UK casinos, which is the lowest stake Pragmatic Play allows on the title. You can place that minimum on a single square or spread it across multiple squares — there is no minimum total stake per round beyond a single chip. Maximum bets vary by operator but commonly run up to £5,000 per round, with some UK sites capping the maximum lower for affordability reasons.

Ciarán McEneaney
Written by

Ciarán McEneaney

Live Casino Specialist

A decade reviewing live casino products across UKGC-regulated platforms, with a focus on game show mechanics, table limits and studio quality.

About the Author