My dad thought it was the average of the value of cases still in play. But quick math wrecks that? So, what’s the “dope”?
Until the last 2-3 cases, it was NEVER the average value of the remaining cases. It was usually far far below that. I don’t know their exact formula, but I’d guess it would be AVG/2 or AVG/3 to come up with an offer. Why would they offer fair market value? They want to encourage you to keep playing!
A quick google search turned up this:
Looks like they randomize the offers to some degree.
The wizard of odds did a bit on this.
They had a flash program that would let you play the game with your own questions and dollar amounts. I wonder if someone who has their hands on that could figure out the formula.
As for me, I always assumed they did the average, but then adjusted it based on what round they were in. And then just changed it a bit to obscure the formula.
And I don’t think the sole reason for the lower amounts was to keep you playing, as sometimes there would be special offers specifically designed for the person, but which cost them much less than the monetary value. I think the lower amounts are also to hedge their bets: if someone does take it, they aren’t out much.
How **did **“Deal or No Deal” determine bank offers??? 
has Deal or No Deal been canceled?