Tembak Ikan Odds Explained: How Fishing Games Really Pay

Desk research, checked 2 October 2026. This page names no casino. Its figures come from game providers’ and machine vendors’ own published pages, from Malaysian statute, and from our own arithmetic on those figures — which you can redo with a calculator. Where a number is a vendor’s sales claim rather than a measurement, we say so. How we work: our methodology.

Short answer: in a fishing game the payout percentage is often a setting, not a fixed property of the game — and the multiplier printed on a fish is not what it returns. One Guangzhou machine manufacturer sells its fish tables with a hold it describes as adjustable “from 20% to 100%”. A certified 96% slot holds 4%. That is the gap this genre hides.

The second half is arithmetic almost nobody spells out. A fish showing ×100 does not pay 100 times your money. It pays 100 times one shot, and killing it uses up many shots. Work that through and the multiplier turns out to be a break-even shot count in disguise — useful, because shots are the one thing a player can count.

The 30-second version

What a fishing game is — and what it is not

A fishing game (tembak ikan) is an arcade shooter played for money. Fish swim across an underwater scene, you aim a cannon, every shot deducts credits, and a fish pays its multiplier — times the value of the shot — to whoever lands the killing shot. No reels, no paylines, and usually several players firing at one screen. The genre grew up on arcade cabinets — TaDa Gaming’s own fish-shooting page says these games originated in Japan and have been “captivating Asia for decades” — which is why the app versions feel familiar.

One correction worth making early: fishing artwork does not make a fishing game. Sea World, which some Malaysian pages list as a tembak ikan title — our own Mega888 software profile among them, until we corrected it in October 2026 — is a five-reel slot. Gameplay recordings of the Mega888 version posted by several YouTube channels show five reels, playing-card symbols, wilds, free games and a bonus round called Pearl Fishing, which is probably where the confusion starts. The two genres have completely different odds structures, so if a page cannot tell a reel game from a cannon game, treat its numbers with care.

Where the hold comes from

In a fishing cabinet the operator sets the payout percentage, and vendors advertise that as a selling point. The hold is the share of the money fired that the machine keeps over time. It is the mirror image of a slot’s RTP: a slot that returns 96% has a 4% hold.

Guangzhou Hanzhijun Electronic Technology Co., Ltd — a maker of “fishing hunter game machines” in Panyu, Guangzhou — says this in its own product listings on Made-in-China.com: “Our fish games with high hold percentage up to 100%! Wide range of percentage hold from 20% to 100% and you can adjust the percentage as you like.” Another of its listings calls the same feature a “Profit percentage adjustable from 20% to 100% to maximize returns.”

Two more lines from the same listings matter. The company names Malaysia among the countries it sells into, and says it is “able to develop fishing hunter games and slot games for areas under different laws and regulations” — a vendor offering to tailor its machines to a legal regime, as a service. This is cabinet hardware, not a measurement of any Malaysian app. No app we know of publishes its hold, which is the point.

Here is what that advertised range means against a certified slot, on RM100 of shots fired.

The friendliest setting the vendor advertises costs five times an ordinary slot’s edge; the harshest returns nothing. The player is shown neither. Our review of Ocean King on Mega888 documents a separate distributor range for the IGS cabinet line that game takes its name from, and our RTP, house edge and volatility glossary defines the terms with worked examples.

Why a fish’s multiplier is not what it pays you

A multiplier is a payout against one shot. A kill costs many shots. That mismatch is where the genre’s apparent generosity lives.

Take a fish displaying ×100, cannon at ×1, each shot RM0.10. Kill it and you receive 100 × RM0.10 = RM10.00. The question the screen never asks is how much ammunition that kill used. If it took 100 shots, you spent RM10.00 to win RM10.00 — break-even. So:

The multiplier on a fish is its break-even shot count. A ×100 fish is fair if it dies in 100 shots on average. Above 100, you lose. Below 100, you win.

Because the house keeps something, the average number of shots to kill has to exceed the multiplier by enough to cover the hold. In the simplest version of the maths, where every shot at a fish has the same small chance of killing it: shots to kill = multiplier ÷ (1 − hold).

Read the top row against the bottom. The same ×100 fish, the same RM10 payout — and the ammunition bill runs from RM10.42 to RM20.00 depending on a number you are never shown. Only the cost of reaching the fish changes. Multiplayer screens make it worse, not better: every shot you fire at a fish that someone else finishes is simply gone.

The shot-count test you can run yourself

Count the shots it takes you to kill a fish, then divide the fish’s multiplier by your shot count. That percentage is your realised return on that fish.

• ×100 fish killed in 125 shots → 100 ÷ 125 = 80% return
• ×100 fish killed in 150 shots → 100 ÷ 150 = 66.7%
• ×100 fish killed in 200 shots → 100 ÷ 200 = 50%

Do it across many kills by adding up the multipliers of every fish you killed and dividing by the total number of shots you fired, and you have a rough estimate of your table’s return, and so of its hold — the figure the operator declines to publish. Do not average the per-fish percentages: one lucky ten-shot kill on a ×100 fish reads as 1,000% and drags the average far above the truth. In the simple model, averaging per-fish results on a 20%-hold table comes out near 390% instead of the real 80%. It needs volume, because one kill tells you almost nothing: in the simple model above, the shots needed for a single fish routinely come in at half or double the average. A dozen kills still leaves a typical error of around 30% either way; around fifty brings it nearer 15%. The same idea works for a whole session — credits won divided by credits fired — with the same warning about short runs.

This is a measuring tool, not a winning system. It tells you roughly what a table is taking. It does not change it.

Cannon level changes the ringgit, not the return

Raising your cannon does not improve your odds. It multiplies the size of the bill.

At cannon ×1 with a 30% hold, a ×100 fish takes about 143 shots on average: RM14.29 spent, RM10.00 back. At cannon ×10 each shot costs RM1.00 and the payout becomes RM100.00 — but the shot count is unchanged, so RM142.86 buys RM100.00. Identical 30% hold, ten times the money through it. Cannon level feels like strategy and works as a throttle.

“Skill determines your payout” is false — three reasons

Aim matters in a fishing game the way it matters in any shooter: you can waste ammunition badly. It does not decide what percentage you are paid, and three separate lines of evidence say so.

1. A configured percentage cannot be out-aimed. If the return is a set share of the money fired, technique only changes how quickly you get there — the speed, not the direction.

2. The same vendor sells “skill game machines” and adjustable holds in one catalogue. Hanzhijun’s product groups include a “skill game machine” category, while its fish-table listings advertise a hold you can set from 20% to 100%. A payout you can dial is not a payout skill decides.

3. Malaysian law ignores the skill element. The Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 defines gaming as playing “any game of chance or of mixed chance and skill for money or money’s worth”, and a gaming machine as one built so that it “may be used for the purpose of playing a game of chance or a game of mixed chance and skill” with winnings payable. A fishing machine that rewards good aim is still a gaming machine.

Any page telling you skill sets your payout is wrong on the mechanics, whoever publishes it.

Who publishes their numbers, and who does not

The best test of a fishing game is whether anyone will tell you what it returns before you spend. Most will not.

Note the word TaDa uses: 97% is the game’s maximum. Its page does not say which version a given casino runs.

JILI and TaDa are operationally connected studios, not two independent sources. Ocean King Jackpot — the game behind the 97% — sits in both TaDa’s fish-shooting catalogue and JILI’s own game list, with the same December 2023 release date, and the two catalogues share most of their fishing line-up: Jackpot Fishing, Mega Fishing, Crazy Hunter, Boom Legend, Fortune King Jackpot, Dinosaur Tycoon and Dinosaur Tycoon II appear in both. Our JILI provider profile sets out the technical links between the two websites. So a page crediting the 97% to JILI is pointing at the same game, not confirming the figure independently — and the Ocean King inside Mega888 is still a different product with nothing published.

JILI’s homepage also sells operators an “AI & Datamining” service that will “analyze the bets and retention daily to improve performance” — engagement tuning offered to the house, in the provider’s own marketing.

Is tembak ikan legal in Malaysia?

No, and the offence is not only the operator’s. Malaysia issues no licence for online casino play. Section 6(1) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 and section 6(1) of the Betting Act 1953 penalise players: a fine of up to RM5,000, up to six months’ jail, or both. In October 2023 the Court of Appeal ruled that online gambling is an offence in Peninsular Malaysia under the Common Gaming Houses Act, upholding convictions in a case where the gambling took place on computers rather than physical gaming machines. Fishing machines sit squarely inside the Act, whose definition of a gaming machine covers games of mixed chance and skill.

Every platform offering fishing titles to Malaysian players operates offshore, and an offshore licence is not a Malaysian licence. Our ranking of the best online casinos in Malaysia lists only operators whose licence we could confirm on the regulator’s own register. That tells you who answers to a regulator somewhere. It does not make offshore play legal in Malaysia, and it does not make a fishing game’s hold visible.

The consequence that affects you most: no Malaysian regulator will recover money lost to an agent, a cloned APK or a game that stops paying. If credit arrives through a WhatsApp or Telegram contact rather than a cashier, there is no licence to check and no complaints body with jurisdiction — a structure mapped in our investigation into Malaysia’s casino doorway network.

If money has already gone to a scammer, call the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) on 997, then lodge a police report anyway — the 997 call is not a police report. Move quickly: the sooner a transfer is reported, the better the chance of stopping it. Before you pay anyone, check the account or phone number on Semak Mule at semakmule.rmp.gov.my, the police commercial crime department’s database of bank accounts, phone numbers and company names linked to commercial crime cases.

Bermain tembak ikan: apa yang perlu anda tahu

Dalam permainan tembak ikan, peratusan bayaran selalunya satu tetapan (setting), bukan sifat tetap permainan itu. Sebuah syarikat pengeluar mesin di Guangzhou mengiklankan hold yang boleh dilaraskan dari 20% hingga 100%; slot yang diperakui pada 96% hanya menahan 4%.

Pengganda pada ikan juga bukan pulangan anda. Ikan ×100 membayar 100 kali nilai satu das tembakan, sedangkan membunuhnya memerlukan banyak das. Jadi pengganda itu sebenarnya bilangan das pulang modal: ikan ×100 adil jika ia mati dalam purata 100 das — lebih daripada itu, anda rugi. Ujian yang boleh anda buat sendiri: kira das sehingga ikan mati, kemudian bahagikan pengganda dengan bilangan das itu, dan ulang untuk banyak ikan. Untuk anggaran keseluruhan, jumlahkan pengganda semua ikan yang anda bunuh dan bahagikan dengan jumlah das yang ditembak; jangan ambil purata peratusan setiap ikan. Ia alat untuk mengukur, bukan cara untuk menang. Menaikkan meriam dari ×1 ke ×10 tidak menaikkan peluang anda; ia hanya menggandakan perbelanjaan sepuluh kali.

Dari segi undang-undang, kemahiran tidak mengubah apa-apa: Akta Rumah Judi Terbuka 1953 meliputi permainan yang mencampurkan nasib dan kemahiran untuk wang. Malaysia tidak mengeluarkan lesen kasino dalam talian, dan seksyen 6(1) akta itu serta seksyen 6(1) Akta Pertaruhan 1953 menghukum pemain: denda sehingga RM5,000, penjara sehingga enam bulan, atau kedua-duanya. Jika wang anda sudah hilang kepada penipu, hubungi 997 (Pusat Respons Scam Kebangsaan), kemudian buat laporan polis juga — panggilan 997 bukan laporan polis.

Play it as entertainment

Fishing games have no natural stopping point — no spin-and-wait rhythm — so money moves faster per minute than reel play at the same stake. Set a fixed amount before you start and treat it as the cost of entertainment, not as money you expect back. The house holds an edge, and here you cannot see how large.

This content is for readers aged 18 and over. If gambling has stopped being fun, or you are chasing losses, talk to someone: Befrienders KL on +603-7627 2929 (24 hours) offers free, confidential emotional support, and Gambling Therapy gives free online advice and support to anyone affected by gambling. Our responsible gambling resources list more options.

Frequently asked questions

How does a fishing game actually work?

You control a cannon, each shot costs credits, and a fish pays its multiplier, times the value of the shot, to whoever lands the killing shot. On cabinet hardware the payout percentage is a setting the operator chooses. Online, a provider such as TaDa Gaming may publish a figure for its game, while app builds such as the Ocean King inside Mega888 publish nothing at all.

Apa itu permainan tembak ikan?

Permainan arked di mana anda menembak ikan dengan meriam untuk wang. Setiap das menolak kredit, dan ikan membayar penggandanya, didarab dengan nilai das, kepada pemain yang membunuhnya. Pada mesin kabinet, peratusan bayaran ialah tetapan yang dipilih oleh pengendali, dan pemain tidak ditunjukkan tetapan itu.

What does a ×100 fish actually pay?

100 times the value of a single shot, not 100 times your balance. At RM0.10 a shot, that is RM10.00. Whether it leaves you ahead depends on how many shots the kill took: more than 100 and you lost money on that fish.

Are fishing games skill-based?

Not where it counts. Aim affects how much ammunition you waste, not what percentage of your money comes back, which is set by the game’s configuration. Malaysian law makes the same point: the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 treats a game of mixed chance and skill played for money as gaming.

Adakah tembak ikan online sah di Malaysia?

Tidak. Malaysia tidak mengeluarkan lesen kasino dalam talian. Seksyen 6(1) Akta Rumah Judi Terbuka 1953 dan seksyen 6(1) Akta Pertaruhan 1953 menghukum pemain dengan denda sehingga RM5,000, penjara sehingga enam bulan, atau kedua-duanya, dan pada Oktober 2023 Mahkamah Rayuan memutuskan bahawa perjudian dalam talian ialah satu kesalahan di Semenanjung Malaysia. Lesen luar negara bukan lesen Malaysia.

Does raising the cannon improve my chances?

No. It multiplies the cost per shot and the payout by the same factor, so the hold is unchanged and your money moves faster. Cannon level is a stake control, not a strategy.

Can I find out a fishing game's RTP?

Rarely. TaDa Gaming publishes a maximum RTP of 97% for Ocean King Jackpot; JILI’s own game pages show no RTP; cabinet vendors advertise an adjustable hold instead; and the Ocean King inside the Mega888 app publishes nothing. The shot-count test on this page is the closest a player gets, and it only gives a rough figure.

Is free credit for tembak ikan worth claiming?

Only after reading the wagering terms, where the value usually disappears, and only from an operator you can identify. Our guide to free credit in Malaysia explains how the turnover rules work.

Sources

• Guangzhou Hanzhijun (Han&Jun) Electronic Technology Co., Ltd — product listings on Made-in-China.com: fishing hunter game machine listing (“Wide range of percentage hold from 20% to 100%”) and a second listing (“Profit percentage adjustable from 20% to 100%”). The Malaysia market line, the “different laws and regulations” line and the “skill game machine” product group appear on the same supplier pages. Checked 2 October 2026.
• TaDa Gaming — Ocean King Jackpot game page (maximum RTP of 97% and its breakdown, multiplier bands, December 2023 publish date) and fish-shooting catalogue. Checked 2 October 2026.
• JILI Games — the homepage and game list at jiligames.com: Fishing category, Ocean King Jackpot (publish time 2023.12) and the other shared fishing titles, no RTP on the fishing game pages checked, and the “AI & Datamining” service. Checked 2 October 2026; the site does not open from some Malaysian networks.
• Sea World on Mega888 — gameplay recordings published on YouTube by several unrelated channels, viewed 2 October 2026: five reels, card symbols, wilds, free games and a “Pearl Fishing” bonus round.
• Laws of Malaysia — Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 (Act 289), section 2 (definitions of “gaming” and “gaming machine”) and section 6(1); Betting Act 1953 (Act 495), section 6(1). Attorney General’s Chambers reprints.
• Free Malaysia Today — “Online gambling an offence under existing law, rules court”, 18 October 2023, reporting the Court of Appeal ruling.
• Royal Malaysia Police — Semak Mule, the Commercial Crime Investigation Department’s check for bank accounts, phone numbers and company names. Support services checked 2 October 2026: Befrienders KL (+603-7627 2929, 24 hours) and Gambling Therapy.
• All ringgit figures, shot counts and error ranges on this page were computed from the formula above (shots to kill = multiplier ÷ (1 − hold)) and the hold percentages quoted, and can be reproduced with a calculator.