Gonzo's Treasure Hunt (Evolution)

What Gonzo's Treasure Hunt (Evolution) is

Most live shows are built around a wheel or a ball machine. This one takes a different route: a large wall of 70 stones with prizes hidden behind them, and a hunt in which players go looking for those prizes. Evolution's launch announcement (opens in a new tab) presented it as a blend of live casino and slot-style play, and as the first online game show that could be played in virtual reality.

The show runs from a live studio with presenters, but the star is a computer-generated character. Gonzo, the conquistador from the Gonzo's Quest slot, appears as an augmented reality figure who joins the hunt on screen. That makes the game one of the clearest links between Evolution's live business and the slot studios it owns, and a distinctive entry in our live game shows hub.

From Gonzo's Quest slot to a live treasure hunt

Evolution's company timeline (opens in a new tab) records that it acquired NetEnt and Red Tiger in 2020, and NetEnt's parent company has been Evolution since December 2020. The treasure hunt show arrived six months later and reused NetEnt's best-known character. If you have played the slot, the jungle setting and the stone imagery will be familiar, but the maths of a slot and a live show are set separately, so nothing about the slot's return carries over.

The slot figures come from the developers' published specifications for those titles. Our reviews of Gonzo's Quest Megaways and Gonzo's Quest 2 cover how each one plays. On the slots, the published RTP tells you the long-run cost; for the live show you need to find the equivalent figure yourself.

The 70-stone wall and what the maths can tell you

The confirmed core of the game is the wall: 70 stones, each hiding something. Evolution's announcement does not describe how many stones you reveal, how prizes are assigned or what values they carry, so the exact round rules belong in the game's help screen. Counting still gives a useful frame for any pick-from-a-wall game.

If prizes are placed at random and you reveal one stone, any particular stone is yours 1 time in 70, a chance of about 1.43%. If a round let you reveal several stones, the chance of finding one specific hidden prize rises in proportion. The table below is purely an illustration of that counting, not a statement of how many picks the game gives.

The key point is that choosing a stone is not skill if prizes are hidden at random. A stone in the corner is no more likely to hold a big prize than one in the middle. Our casino probability basics guide explains why the order or position of a pick does not change the odds when outcomes are random.

VR mode and the AR Gonzo in Gonzo's Treasure Hunt

The headline technology is the virtual reality mode. Evolution said players could play and bet in VR, using a headset and controller, which it presented as a first for live casino. The augmented reality Gonzo is a separate idea: a virtual character placed into the live studio picture so he appears to share the set with the presenters.

Neither changes the odds. VR changes how you see and select, and AR changes what is on camera; the result is still settled by the game's rules. If you are curious about how studio pictures, cameras and game data fit together, our guide to how live casino works covers the set-up, and live casino studios looks at where shows are filmed.

Whether a casino offers the VR mode, and on which devices, depends on the operator. Check the game's information panel or the casino's help pages.

Gonzo's Treasure Hunt RTP and max win: what to check

We did not find a published RTP or maximum multiplier for Gonzo's Treasure Hunt in Evolution's announcement or our checked data. That is a gap worth taking seriously, because without the RTP you cannot work out what a session costs. Under the Commission's rules on game descriptions and the likelihood of winning (opens in a new tab), UK-facing games must make their rules and information about the likelihood of winning available to players.

• Open the game and look for the info or help icon before your first bet.
• Find the RTP figure and, if there are several bets, the RTP for each one.
• Read the prize table and any maximum payout per round.
• Check the casino's own terms for a per-game or per-round payout cap.
• Work out the average cost: stake times (100% minus RTP) per round.

Here is that last sum with an example. If a game's RTP were 96%, the edge would be 4%, so £2 a round over 50 rounds, £100 staked, would cost about £4 on average. Swap in the real figure once you have it. Our RTP explainer works through more examples.

How to play Gonzo's Treasure Hunt safely

1. Confirm you are logged in to a UK-licensed casino and verified as 18 or over.
2. Open Gonzo's Treasure Hunt from the live lobby and read the rules, prize table and RTP.
3. Set a stake and a session budget, and consider a deposit limit in your account settings.
4. Place your bet during the betting window.
5. Follow the hunt across the 70-stone wall as the round plays out, making any choices the game offers.
6. Check the result and your on-screen net position before betting again.

Where Gonzo's Treasure Hunt sits in Evolution's timeline

Read alongside the other shows, Gonzo's Treasure Hunt marks the point where Evolution started pulling slot brands into live production. Our page on the history of live casino tells the longer story.

Treasure hunt myths: picks, patterns and memory

• Some stones are luckier. If prizes are hidden at random, position tells you nothing.
• A big prize is due after quiet rounds. Rounds are independent; the gambler's fallacy is the belief that they are not.
• VR players get better odds. VR is a way of viewing and choosing, not a different game.
• Slot RTP applies to the show. The slot and the live show have separate maths.

UK rules for Gonzo's Treasure Hunt

As a live casino game, Gonzo's Treasure Hunt falls under the casino rules that came into force on 17 January 2025. Autoplay is banned for all online casino games, live included, and each game cycle must last at least 5 seconds under the Commission's RTS 14 product design rules (opens in a new tab). You cannot play several games at once, and your net spend and time played must be visible as you play.

The £5 and £2 slot stake limits apply only to reel-based online slots, so they do not cover this show even though it borrows a slot character. Our pages on the autoplay ban and live casino rules explain each requirement.

Where to play Gonzo's Treasure Hunt in the UK

Availability varies by casino and we cannot confirm which partners list this show, so check the live lobby before you register. The offers below are aimed mainly at slots. Live games are often excluded from bonus play or contribute less to wagering, so treat any bonus as separate from this game.

For new customers aged 18+; terms apply. Casumo gives a 50% bonus up to £100 on a first deposit of at least £20 with opt-in, 10x bonus wagering within 7 days and a £5 maximum bet while active, plus game, play and payment restrictions. 10bet matches a first deposit 100% up to £25 when you choose the casino welcome bonus and deposit within 7 days; wager it 10x on slots within 3 days, maximum bonus winnings £1,000, Skrill and Neteller excluded. Coral awards 100 free spins after you deposit and bet £10 or more on slots, valued at 10p each on selected games, to accept within 48 hours and use within 7 days, with no wagering on winnings and some payment types excluded. Spin offers work only on each casino's selected games, which may or may not include the Gonzo's Quest slot, so check the list in the terms.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.