Busted or Bailed Live is a Playtech live casino game released in late 2024 that offers simple gameplay inspired by the new trend of Crash-style betting games. Although it’s not strictly a true live dealer game since all of the results are determined by RNG, it features a live broadcast of a presenter and is available in Playtech’s live casino lobby. Like most games of this kind, Busted or Bailed is very simple and offers players a choice between three betting options that pay dynamic odds based on a police car chase.
Games like Busted or Bailed are fairly niche – you either love them or you hate them. Many live casino fans are disappointed that these are RNG games, but it’s hard to deny that they can be quite creative and often offer high RTP. In this case, two of the three bets have up to 99% RTP, which is quite impressive.
This review of Busted or Bailed offers an overview of how the game works, how to play it, and the best online casinos to do so. We’ll also discuss details such as payouts, house edge, playing strategies, and more, allowing you to get right into the game and start playing.
Game Specifications | |
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Game name | Busted or Bailed Live |
Game provider | Playtech |
Game type | Game Shows |
Streaming from | |
RTP | 99% |
Bet range | €0.10 - €100 |
Max win | 10x |
Side bets | No |
Supported platforms |
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Supported OS |
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Languages |
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Live casino crash games are a relatively new breed of game shows that have been spreading throughout live casinos in the past few years. They’re a bit of a “hybrid” product since crash games are strictly run by RNG, which means they’re not truly live. The “live” components are mostly social or visual. For example, you can use a live chat to communicate with other players, and there is a presenter commenting on the action as it unfolds. This kind of setup was first seen in Evolution’s Stock Market, which carved out its own little niche in the industry, and it seems Playtech took a very similar direction.
Busted or Bailed Live is a crash game that’s made to look like a police chase. Specifically, it looks like a live news report that’s following an active chase of the sort you only ever see in the US. Some even say that the graphics were inspired by the real-world events preceding the arrest of O.J. Simpson in 1994. Whatever the case, it’s certainly a creative way of framing a crash-style game, even though some may find it in poor taste.
Anyway, players are meant to bet on whether the chase will result in an arrest or an escape – in other words, a Bust or a Bail, with the third option of a Crash also available. The bets pay depending on the distance between the police car and the suspect, and the goal is to predict which position will pay more.
Every round begins with a 10-second betting period. You place bets by selecting the sie of your stake and clicking on one of the three betting positions:
Note that you can only bet on Busted or Bailed – you can’t predict both at the same time. In contrast, you can combine a Crashed bet with any of the other two options.
After the betting period ends, the car chase begins. In the beginning, both cars are assigned a multiplier value. Typically, both start at around 1x.
The cars will then speed down the highway for ten seconds while the presenter comments on the action. As this happens, you’ll notice that the multipliers above the two cars are changing.
The closer the police car gets to the suspect, the higher its multiplier will be. This multiplier represents the potential payout of the Busted bet.
On the flip side, the multiplier above the suspect’s car grows as the distance between the vehicles increases. This multiplier is the potential payout of the Bailed bet.
If at any point one of the two multipliers reaches 2x, the other multiplier is set to 0. Multipliers can grow up to 5x at most.
Payouts are awarded based on the assigned multipliers at the exact moment the chase ends. For instance, if the chase ends while the Bailed multiplier is at 0.2x and the Busted multiplier is at 1.8x, all active bets win a payout based on the corresponding multiplier. Note that the original stake is not returned, which means all multipliers under 1x are technically losing bets.
Crashes may randomly occur during any round. If this happens, all players with a Crashed bet receive a 10x bet, while all Busted and Bailed bets lose.
Once the round ends, the betting period for the next round begins immediately.
As a gambling game, Busted or Bailed is completely based on luck. There is no real way to know how the results will end.
However, there are some points to consider when it comes to betting on Busted or Bailed. First of all, the Busted and Bailed bets have a significantly higher RTP than the Crashed bet: 99% compared to 95%. As such, we recommend only ever playing Busted or Bailed. These two wagers will statistically lose very little in the long run thanks to their low house edge.
That said, Crashes are coded to occur every now and then. It’s rare to see them more than once in 10 or 20 rounds, but we suspect Crashes are the reason this game has a house edge at all. With that in mind, predicting a Crash may be a viable option if you notice that there hasn’t been one in a while. Although such an approach hinges on the Gambler’s Fallacy, it’s the only way to get a payout that’s higher than even money in Busted or Baile because the two dynamic multipliers very rarely go over 2x.
Beyond that, the game is simple and lacks the “cashout” button that can be seen in most Crash-style games. In other words, there isn’t much room for strategy in Busted or Bailed other than careful money management.
Pros | Cons |
✅ Unique concept of a variation on Crash-style games ✅ Dynamic payouts with degrees of success (and failure) ✅ Professional and charismatic presenters ✅ Low minimum bet at just $0.1 ✅ More betting options than most similar games ✅ Busted and Bailed bets have very high RTP (99%) ✅ High availability at popular casinos ✅ Live chat for easier in-game communication ✅ Well-implemented car chase theme |
❌ Fully run by RNG ❌ Repetitive gameplay with no real depth ❌Not a true live casino game – only the presenter is actually live ❌Low RTP for the Crashed bet ❌Tipster mode is useless in practice |
As per the game’s rules, the Busted and Bailed bets can both pay anywhere between 0x and 2x. This means that these bets have “degrees” of success as well as failure.
In practice, this means that most bets are not a full loss or a complete win. If your bet multiplier is between 0 and 1x, you lose money. However, you’ll only lose a portion of your total stake in most cases. Similarly, most winning bets do not pay the maximum 21 but somewhere between 1x and 5x. In most cases, even the higher multiplier ends the round below 5x.
The Crash bet is the only exception – it pays a fixed rate of 10x and can be freely combined with one of the other two wagers.
Bet | Payout | RTP | |
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Busted or Bailed Payouts | |||
Bailed | 0.1x-5x | 99% | |
Busted | 0.1x-5x | 99% | |
Crashed | 10x | 95% |
The RTP of the Busted or Bailed casino game is an impressive 99% – at least when it comes to the two main bets. The Busted and Bailed bets are balanced in such a way that their payouts always add up to 2x or above. In other words, these bets pay exactly as much as players used to buy in but still have a chance to reach higher amounts. Of course, both bets lose if a Crash occurs, which is why the game still has a house edge.
Speaking of which, the Crashed bet offers only 95% RTP, which makes it noticeably worse than the other two options. Although this wager adds some much-needed variety to the game’s betting options, it’s by far the worst selection you can make.
Make sure to choose the game that suits your taste and budget. For more extensive guides on live casino games, check out this page.
The interface is rather typical for a Playtech product, featuring all of the usual elements like settings, the lobby, a live chat window, and so on. Most of these can be found on a big side panel to the left.
As for the betting positions, they’re quite easy to understand, reflecting the simplistic nature of the gameplay. There are three buttons to pick from – you just click on the bet you wish to make, and that’s that.
The only other notable UI elements are the results and statistics in the bottom right corner. These display the results of the previous eight rounbds, showcasing the winning multiplier. It’s not a very comprehensive stat window as far as live casino games go, but it can be a useful tool for understanding the statistics of the game. Of course, we still wouldn’t rely on it to predict future outcomes.
The main action of the Busted or Bailed casino games takes place as a computer-generated car chase. Frankly, the graphics are not particularly impressive considering the game’s 2024 release date. However, the proximity of the cars does reflect the dynamic betting odds, so it gets the job done.
The decision to make the graphics resemble a highly controversial real-life event is a bit odd, to say the least. It may just be a coincidence, but we understand if some players find it to be in poor taste.
All in all, it’s not a bad-looking game, and we appreciate the fact that it sticks to a rather unique theme. However, Playtech probably could have made the actual visuals a bit more interesting since every round looks virtually identical to the previous one.
The presence of the live dealer in this game is quite limited. Unlike most live dealer games, Busted or Bailed does not feature a studio setup. Instead, the presenter can be seen in a small window separate from the actual game, where they’ll provide commentary on the action as it unfolds.
On one hand, this reveals the strengths of Playtech’s chosen theme. The game indeed looks like a TV news broadcast, and the presenters serve as news hosts. However, this approach feels a bit limited and pointless – especially if you’re a fan of classic live games like blackjack or roulette.
That said, the presenters add some color to what would otherwise be a very repetitive betting game, improving the overall experience.
Our game reviews and ratings are based on a strict set of standards, which were developed over years of enjoying live casino games. However, our ratings also depend on comparable games and industry standards. Here are some of the factors we consider while reviewing games:
It’s always fun to explore new live casino games like Race Track, but it’s extremely important that we remember that it’s still gambling. As such, it should be enjoyed responsibly. Remember to control your bankroll, don’t go over the budget you set up at the beginning of the game, and take regular breaks so as not to damage your health.
Check out this page to find more information about responsible gambling and useful tips on how to avoid problem gambling and control your spending. If you suspect you may be developing symptoms of problem gambling, we recommend contacting such organizations as: