Radical new games and slot cabinets, a remote gaming product, innovative system technologies, and a unique and fresh customer service tool emerged victorious in Casino Enterprise Management’s eighth annual Slot Floor Technology Awards.
Nominations for the 2014 edition of the awards covered a range of products from cool new games, slot cabinets and platforms, bonusing systems, analysis tools, ticket technologies, mobile products and much more. CEM applauds the efforts of each and every nominating company to advance technology and innovation in our industry.
Each nomination was deserving of recognition, making it all the more difficult for our panel of judges to choose the best of the best to be honored this year. We can’t thank the judges enough for the time and effort they spent poring over nominations and carefully evaluating each. This year’s judges were Robert Allen, a 30-year slot industry executive and former vice president of casino operations with Pinnacle Entertainment; Richard Baldwin, managing director at Union Gaming Group; Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations at Pechanga Resort and Casino; Chuck Hickey, vice president of slot operations at Barona Resort and Casino; and Charlie Lombardo, a gaming consultant.
Each product was evaluated for criteria such as innovation, efficiency, usefulness, benefits and appeal. Based on the judges’ votes, the top 10 products with the highest combined scores are normally selected as winners. The competition among products is often extremely close, with companies separated by only a point or two. This year, however, proved unusual. The products were so good and so appealing, and the competition so fierce, that the contest resulted in several ties. Therefore, this year we recognize 13 top products.
In addition, this year’s contest yielded another surprise. For the first time, a product created by an operator earned one of the coveted spots on the list. Motor City Casino in Detroit, Mich., placed in our ranking with its MotorCity Customer Bonus System technology.
We believe this year’s outcome bodes well for the gaming industry, demonstrating a continuing high level of commitment to technological innovation, and a sign that a culture of creativity is alive and well.
Here, we present the winners of the 2014 Slot Floor Technology Awards. On the following pages, readers will learn more about the winning entries and discover why our judges felt each was compelling and deserved recognition.
GTECH—Sphinx 3D™
Nabbing the No. 1 spot in this year’s Slot Floor Technology Awards was GTECH’s Sphinx 3D™, which provides something never seen before in the gaming industry: a glasses-free 3-D experience.
The product immerses the player in ancient Egypt where pyramids, sphinxes and scarabs seem to jump off the screen or stretch into infinity in high-resolution 3-D, according to the nomination materials. Sphinx is a first on the casino floor because players can enjoy high-resolution 3-D imagery with brightness and depth without wearing any special glasses. This True 3-D display was designed by SeeFront with autostereoscopic technology and integrated eye-tracking.
Sphinx 3D is housed in the next-generation AXXIS™ cabinet with an advanced button panel and a benchmark multimedia chair. Images are processed and displayed so that the ideal 3-D picture self-adjusts to match the player’s line of sight. Players can adjust the intensity based on personal preference through the button panel.
With this eye-tracking technology, players can explore on-screen vistas, change viewing angles without disrupting the 3-D experience and much more. For example, in the Ancient Wheel Bonus, players can look around and behind the wheel to peek at values before making a selection. These 3-D elements are also available during base game play with symbols, “Easter eggs” and more.
“This product is a triple threat; it offers looks, comfort and innovative technology,” said Claudia Baskerville, GTECH marketing manager. “From a player’s point of view, we just want them to get lost in the game. It is a very unique experience; the autostereoscopic technology with integrated eye-tracking makes the images jump off the screen. Stay tuned, there are more exciting and innovative things to come!”
The judges were clearly impressed with this innovative new product.
Judge Charlie Lombardo, gaming consultant, said Sphinx 3-D was “truly innovative to gaming. [It] greatly enhances the players’ experience.”
Judge Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations at Pechanga Resort and Casino, said, “This product was the hit of G2E 2013. The display is phenomenal. When small wins are awarded, you almost feel the need to duck when the coins come flying off the screen. The addition of an adjustable ‘3-D intensity’ button makes it perfect.”
Bally Technologies—Take ‘n Play™
Bally Technologies’ Take ‘n Play™ came in a very close second in the contest judging to the awards’ top winner Sphinx 3D™.
The innovative product offers casinos a way to address the age-old challenge of keeping players at the slot machine. Take ‘n Play enables players to take their game “on the go” for the first time by playing a physical slot machine on the convenience of a tablet.
An industry first, Take ‘n Play streams the game content directly from the slot machine to a tablet. The game still takes place on the slot machine with the tablet replicating the game screen. Take ‘n Play empowers operators to better utilize machines on their slot floors to generate additional revenue and improve the gaming experience for their guests, according to nomination materials.
Beneficial for any casino, it’s especially useful in jurisdictions with bans on smoking or alcohol consumption on slot floors because gaming machines can generate revenue even when a player has left to smoke or drink. It works on any tablet, and any casino with a Wi-Fi network can employ the product. Once the feature is part of the Bally game suite, it requires no game re-approval because the software doesn’t alter the game. When Bally launches the product later this spring, it will work on the popular Pro Series™ V22/22, V32, V22/32 and V22/42 cabinets. The solution is also designed to work in traditional Class III, Class II and central-determination markets.
The judges were very impressed. Judge Robert Allen, a 30-year slot industry executive and former vice president of casino operations for Pinnacle Entertainment, applauded Take ‘n Play as a “terrific innovation” and added, “This will have a very definite impact in many properties.”
Other judges concurred. “There are several new products designed to integrate slots with mobile technology. This could be the next big thing,” said Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations at Pechanga Resort and Casino.
And Chuck Hickey, vice president of slot operations at Barona Resort and Casino, labeled it “a potential game changer” while noting “pending customer acceptance and whether play translates well onto whatever device.”
Acres 4.0—Kai™
Acres 4.0’s groundbreaking Kai™ customer service module landed third place in this year’s competition, tying with Bally Technologies’ ALPHA 2 Pro Series Wave™.
Kai’s slot application is the first module of an entire resort management system that empowers employees to deliver more rapid, personalized service. “Kai is our first step in reinventing customer experiences to bring greater joy to not only gamblers but to every resort visitor,” said John Acres, founder of Acres 4.0. “Kai connects your team members and customers in very personal and efficient ways.”
Kai determines the right information to instruct the employee by “listening” to the casino’s slot system and detecting important events, such as hand-paid jackpots and bill jams, according to nomination materials. Then he searches a database that houses employees, their abilities and work assignments and immediately sends a message to the most qualified, available employee to respond through secured Wi-Fi and mobile devices such as iPods. Employees wear Bluetooth earpieces that let them know when a new task is ready and then simply look for details on the device mounted to their wrist.
Eliminating the need for human dispatchers and replacing costly handheld radios, Kai also measures employee performance and keeps managers informed of floor activity in real time and historically, allowing for better planning of staffing levels, improved training and more objective employee reviews.
Kai has added drink service support for beverage servers and will soon extend support to security, hotel, surveillance, housekeeping and other areas where two-way radios are used. Kai will grow to interact directly with players, allowing them to text for drinks, restaurant reservations and get their car from valet, according to nominating materials.
Judges were enthusiastic. “Anyone interested in improving service should look at Kai as a tool,” noted gaming consultant Charlie Lombardo.
“Acres has always been a step ahead in gaming technology, and this brings the best of mobile applications to the casino floor in real world solutions,” commented judge Buddy Frank, vice president of the slot operations at Pechanga Resort and Casino.
Judge Robert Allen, a 30-year slot industry veteran, called Kai “particularly well-conceived, developed and executed” and “certain to efficiently improve the player experience.”
Bally Technologies — ALPHA 2™ Pro Series Wave™
A sleek, curvy new cabinet from Bally Technologies captivated judges and captured a third-place tie with Acres 4.0’s Kai™ in the 2014 Slot Floor Technology Awards.
The ALPHA 2™ Pro Series Wave™, with its gracefully curved, 40-inch high-definition monitor, brings a new look and feel to the casino floor, according to nomination materials.
But the Wave brings more than good looks to the casino floor. It is smart and elegant as well, integrating an LCD panel and custom, game-synchronized LED cabinet lighting to enhance the play experience. Its touch-screen monitor offers optimal viewing and increased interaction for players, Bally noted. This video slot cabinet incorporates the industry’s only iDeck™ multi-touch button panel, and there is an optional 22-inch Pro Digital Topper™.
The Wave is ergonomically designed so the strategic placement of the display provides natural screen viewing without player fatigue, and its design offers a comfortable gaming experience for both smaller and larger slot players.
Bally’s library of video-slot games for the Pro Series™ V22/22 and V32 can be played on the Wave. Four additional games—Fu Dao Le™, Dragon Rising™, Super Red Phoenix™ and Super Rise of Ra™—were designed specifically for the Wave to leverage its advanced features. The games feature the Red Envelope Jackpot progressive—a quick-hitting, any-bet progressive triggered by a “red envelope” on reels one and five; when hit, it awards a player $100 when the game is at a penny denomination.
Judge Robert Allen, a 30-year slot industry executive and former vice president of casino operations for Pinnacle Entertainment, called the Wave “beautifully designed and executed by the Bally hardware team.” He also said the product promises to be “a striking addition to gaming floors,” and “the broad range of content available for this cabinet is just outstanding.” Another judge, Charlie Lombardo, a gaming consultant, commented that the Wave’s “enhanced game presentation and graphics enrich the players’ gaming experience.”
Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations at Pechanga Resort and Casino, noted that “Bally seems to be the champion when it comes to new LCD technology. This latest model appears to be the best yet.”
Bally Technologies—Super Slotline
Bally Technologies landed the fourth spot in the 2014 Slot Floor Technology Awards with its Super Slotline, a product that converts slot floors from serial to high-speed Ethernet networked floors, charting a more affordable course for use of floor-wide player promotions.
With Super Slotline, “any casino can bring the power of iVIEW™, iVIEW Display Manager (DM), Bally Enterprise Progressive System (BEPS) and the Elite Bonusing Suite™ (EBS) to its non-Ethernet floor without the cost and downtime of a network rebuild,” according to nominating materials. Super Slotline, which replaces the GameNet Server, requires no new wiring, allowing operators to use Bally player-loyalty solutions and personalized promotions to retain current players, attract new ones and increase player value.
“Upgrading a floor to high speed Ethernet can give your slot system a real boost. Bally has figured out how to do it without breaking the bank and using your existing wire,” said judge Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations of Pechanga Resort and Casino.
Super Slotline enables expanded functionality to allow fast, game-level communications and access to Bally player bonusing and systems products, according to Bally. The technology makes it easier for casinos to adopt the iVIEW Network and offer promotions such as slot tournaments, virtual horse racing and Virtual Racing NASCAR® events or allow players to order drinks at the game, the company said.
Super Slotline employs existing slotline wiring to provide Ethernet to slot banks with 2-wire 24 AWG, Cat4, Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6, Cat7 or Belden Twisted Pair. VLANs are not required after the first switch to upgrade and use Super Slotline. The slotline to Super Slotline upgrade is a low- cost, plug-and-play process that requires only Layer-2 switches. Layer 3-switches can be used, but those increase the cost per node.
Judges raved about the product. Gaming consultant and judge Charlie Lombardo commented that Super Slotline gives casinos the “affordable ability to enhance system offerings.”
Judge Robert Allen, a 30-year slot industry executive and former vice president of casino operations for Pinnacle Entertainment, called Super Slotline “a meaningful and valuable development that will pave the way for revenue growth in many properties.”
Multimedia Games—Thundering Herd™ with Expanding Reels
Multimedia Games’ Thundering Herd™ with Expanding Reels product tied for fifth place with Leap Forward Gaming’s SaffariNet® Multimedia Ecosystem™ in the 2014 Slot Floor Technology Awards contest.
How do the Expanding Reels on Thundering Herd work exactly? During the free spin bonus, once a player hits two Expand symbols as a scatter, an additional row of symbols is added to the screen along with more pay lines, increasing the chances of hitting another winning combination and getting more rows added to the screen, according to nomination materials. As players advance through the bonus, their chances of hitting the winning combinations required to expand more rows onto their screen increase because of the additional paylines they receive with each additional row.
The innovation of the product, according to nomination materials, lies in its ability to elevate the base game and standard free spin bonus experience. During normal play and at any bet level, players have the opportunity to trigger the mystery expanding reels feature, increasing the normal four positions per reel to a maximum eight positions per reel and total of 150 pay lines.
Building on this feature in the free spin bonus, the player can trigger additional rows and pay lines by hitting the winning combinations, allowing the rows to grow to a maximum of 10 rows and 200 pay lines. The expanding reels and additional pay lines take the free spin bonus to the next level by adding the element of surprise of never knowing when they will appear and possibly snowball into all 10 rows and 200 pay lines. Seeing the screen fill up with more reel positions is also a never-before-seen visual cue for players that their chances for winning are growing.
Judges expressed enthusiasm for this product designed to build excitement for players as it interacts with them from the bottom to the top of their screen, maximizing the 40-inch display of the Maximum Player Experience™ cabinet.
“Slot players are going to love this—no doubt about it,” said judge Robert Allen, a 30-year slot industry executive and former vice president of casino operations for Pinnacle Entertainment. Another judge, Charlie Lombardo, a gaming consultant, called the product an “appealing way to display free play games to the players.”
Leap Forward Gaming — SaffariNet® Multimedia Ecosystem
The SaffariNet® Multimedia Ecosystem from Leap Forward Gaming, which tied for fifth place in the awards, debuted at G2E last year. Leap Forward’s robust, patented multimedia ecosystem works seamlessly with all brands and generations of EGMs operating on any existing casino management system, thereby extending and protecting casino operators’ existing gaming floor investment, according to nomination materials.
The wired or wireless SaffariNet Multimedia Ecosystem transforms existing gaming machines into real-time entertainment platforms, providing a broad range of games, promotions and services.
At its core is Leap Forward’s retrofittable picture-in-picture capability, allowing operators the ability to offer customized and adaptable promotions to differentiate their properties. The same content used on slots can be easily moved to tables, digital signage and mobile devices.
Marketing, bonusing and tournament campaigns are available, as well as thin client gaming, social site integration, machine reservation, player alerts, in-screen keno results and interactive property-specific promotions to entice players to play longer.
Influential members of the gaming industry such as the MGM Grand and Las Vegas Sands have already started using these solutions.The system solution helps operators improve the player experience while reducing capital expenditures.
In a recent Eilers-Fantini Quarterly Slot Survey, the SaffariNet system was ranked No. 1 in the industry by operators planning to purchase and install a system product over the next 12 months.
Ali Saffari, Leap Forward Gaming president and CEO, said “The team at Leap Forward is truly honored to receive this prestigious award. It is an even greater honor to be judged and recognized by such distinguished colleagues in the industry, all of whom have made important contributions on their own.” The judges were very impressed by this technology from Leap Forward Gaming. Judge Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations at Pechanga Resort and Casino, said, “Ali Saffari has been a gaming technology leader for years. Leap Forward offers a cost-effective way to attack windowing technology, which is one of the most promising slot enhancements.”
Judge Charlie Lombardo, gaming consultant, said, “Picture-in-picture technology has a place in our future. We will learn how to use as it as a revenue generating tool.”
MotorCity Casino Hotel—MotorCity Customer Bonus System
A surprise winner in the 2014 Slot Floor Technology Awards was MotorCity Casino Hotel, whose MotorCity Customer Bonus System landed sixth place in the ranking.
It was the first time in the contest’s eight years that an operator-created product cracked a top spot in the ranking.
The Detroit-based property nominated its MotorCity Customer Bonus System because of its innovative design, unique execution and revolutionary player experience at machine and floor levels, according to nomination materials. “Our new bonus engine enables our operations and marketing teams to execute a smarter way to engage and reward our guests,” the materials stated. “We tapped existing resources and talent to develop a program that could neither be bought nor developed elsewhere to meet our specific needs.”
MotorCity CEO Gregg Solomon said MotorCity built its own bonusing system to further deliver on its goal of continually providing the premier gaming experience in the Detroit market. MotorCity strives to showcase leading-edge technology and the best new games, Solomon said, noting, as another example, that MotorCity replaced 700 gaming machines in 2013. “You can’t be running the same old movie over and over again.”
The system uses more than 400 monitors to deliver a dual-screen gaming experience and a Medialon Show Controller along with speakers and monitors to deliver real-time updates that synchronize customized light-and-sound shows for bonusing events. It displays game details, such as slot denominations/themes; promotion updates, such as, “You’re XX points away from earning your cash-back multiplier today;” and personalized messages, such as “Happy Birthday.” MotorCity can also offer bonuses to a player whose actual loss exceeds theoretical loss or highlight individual wins.
Judges were impressed and intrigued by MotorCity’s innovation and wanted to know more. “Sounds great,” said judge Chuck Hickey, Barona Resort and Casino vice president of slot operations. “Love to see it work and examine the details of how it impacts play characteristics of players—increases in tracking/signups, etc.”
Judge Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations at Pechanga Resort and Casino, noted that while he believes MotorCity’s goals are achievable with standard systems, “MotorCity appears to be ahead of the game in communicating messages to the guest in a superior manner.”
Aristocrat Technologies—Oasis 360™ Episodic Bonusing
One of the products in a five-way tie this year was Aristocrat’s Oasis 360™ Episodic Bonusing. This product is industry-transforming because it “leverages the power of mobile technologies with a land-based casino experience that drives return visits and revenue while keeping player engagement active beyond the traditional walls of the casino,” according to nomination materials.
Episodic Bonusing leverages Oasis 360’s core bonusing engines to create a new category of bonusing, expanding the gaming experience beyond the moment and driving multiple player experiences that give customers a reason to return to the casino frequently, creating repeat visitation and spend.
Unlike previous episodic bonusing from other providers, Oasis 360 Episodic Bonusing is a system-wide bonus, meaning it can be utilized on any game and is not dependent upon specific games. Additionally, it allows players to compete with everyone on the floor, driving competition among players.
Episodic Bonusing has several fun interactive features, including the ability to check the status of their journey progression on and off the casino floor. Player engagement can take place in multiple channels, including mobile, tablet, PC and EGM. The product’s flexible architecture allows each individual casino to set its own triggers and gives operators the ability to create higher value awards for their loyal patrons.
In its first deployment, Episodic Bonusing will leverage popular board game styles such as Chutes and Ladders, with its first release as “Snakes & Ladders”.
The judges had a lot of positive things to say regarding this fun, new product. Judge Richard Baldwin, managing director of Union Gaming Group, said he liked “the concept of creating competition amongst players and providing customers direct incentive for repeat visits.”
Judge Chuck Hickey, vice president of slot operations at Barona Resort and Casino, said this product is an “innovative way to spur some additional play. I think a casino with a better imagination might be able to configure this into a cool/fun tool.”
Aristocrat Technologies— Oasis 360™ nVision Cloud Solutions
Aristocrat’s other nomination this year, Oasis 360™ nVision Cloud Solutions, was also part of the five-way tie. This product gives operators the best and most complete view of their entire operation based on detailed business intelligence without the heavy lifting associated with data gathering and infrastructure, according to nomination materials.
Accuracy, cost-effectiveness and operator confidence are three ways this product stands out. With reliable data, accurate decision making, reduced internal business intelligence cost, secure data storage and 24/7 data monitoring, nVision Cloud Solutions have a wide variety of innovative benefits.
This software as a service (SaaS) provides operators with valuable data in easy-to-access and understandable reports based on insightful metrics. Because it is a cloud-based SaaS, there is reduced internal cost for operators and increased efficiency in marketing spending with no up-front cost for infrastructure or impact or downtime to the gaming floor.
Operators can deploy this product in one of three ways to best suit their needs: Reporting Services, Hosted nVision and Managed Services.
For Reporting Services, a property does not need to have nVision installed on its floor; by using cloud technology, Aristocrat is able to provide reports on a predetermined basis. Hosted nVision gives operators the power to use nVision in the cloud with seamless integration between their existing Oasis 360 system and the nVision module. Managed Services is a reporting and consulting relationship between the operator and Aristocrat. Customers can either have nVision installed on the floor or use the cloud for tools they need to make informed business decisions with some savings.
Judge Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations for Pechanga Resort and Casino, said, “Good analytic tools often are wasted without users trained to take advantage of their power. The ‘hosted nVision’ solution will be perfect for many operators to get the most from their data.”
Bally Technologies—Power Progressives™
Progressive jackpot applications created by Bally Technologies and known collectively as Power Progressives™ were one of five products to tie for a winning spot in the 2014 Slot Floor Technology Awards.
The two Power Progressives applications—Power Progressive Strike™ and Power Paytable Progressive™—display progressives on the game screen and integrate with Bally’s CoolSign® digital media management for increased player awareness, according to nomination materials.
They are part of the Elite Bonusing Suite™ (EBS), a suite of bonusing tools that allows casinos to reward players at the point of play. The applications differ from other progressive options because, as with all EBS applications, no additional in-game or server hardware is necessary for casino customers using EBS and Bally’s iVIEW™ Display Manager (DM) in-game player-user-interface. The Power Progressives work on any iVIEW- and iVIEW DM-enabled machine.
Power Progressive Strike is a mystery-style progressive jackpot application that hits independently of the game. Any game with an iVIEW and iVIEW DM can enable Power Progressive Strike, which puts a percentage of the player’s bet amount toward the jackpot. The progressive amount is displayed on the iVIEW and iVIEW DM screen or CoolSign display. A coin-trigger mechanism triggers the jackpot, which must hit before a certain total is reached.
The other application is Power Paytable Progressive, a progressive jackpot application that gives casinos centralized control of all SAS paytable progressives on their floors. The Power Paytable Progressive jackpot is determined by game outcome, so results on the reels govern when the jackpot hits. Operators set criteria, including optional hidden values and other progressive controls.
Judge Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations for Pechanga Resort and Casino, commented that Power Progressives is “a refinement of one of the most powerful slot tools: the progressive.” He noted that “putting it on the system with game displays is a proven winner.”
Gaming consultant and judge Charlie Lombardo commented that this new twist offers a “big advantage to Bally Systems Users.” Judge Chuck Hickey, vice president of slot operations for Barona Resort and Casino, noted, “What’s old is new again.” Hickey added he liked the fact that the progressives were driven by play.
GTECH—Rub4Riches™ Instant Reward Bonusing Engine
Another part of the five-way tie was GTECH’s Rub4Riches™ Bonusing Tool, which was just launched at ICE at the beginning of February this year.
Unique in the industry, Rub4Riches brings the thrill of scratch cards to the slot machine, thus providing operators with a new way of instantly rewarding players based on their real-time gaming activity. This interactive tool allows operators to design marketing campaigns to retain and reward players while enhancing the player experience when they play.
A fully customized scratch card appears on the CRYSTAL.net touch-screen player interface at the slot machine once players reach the specified play threshold or meet the segmentation criteria predefined by the casino. Players then scratch the card with their finger on the touch screen to reveal their win.
Rub4Riches allows casinos to reward loyal play using basically a video version of a scratch-card ticket that provides operators with an interactive bonusing tool to add dimension and suspense while rewarding players.
Judge Charlie Lombardo, gaming consultant, said the product was an “interesting twist to bonus and reward players with instant rewards.”
Judge Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations at Pechanga Resort and Casino, said, “This is a new player interface offering slot players a secondary game….at the primary game. It could be promising.”
WMS—Blade™ Stepper Cabinet
The Blade™ Stepper cabinet from WMS, a Scientific Games company, was among this year’s award winners. This product is an evolution of the WMS Blade platform that brings a classic mechanical experience to the contemporary slot floor.
Vibrant reels and HD touch screens combine with glass artwork to add elegance to the stepper category. The CPU-NXTTM3 processor powers this product and controls quick reels, halo-effect emotive lighting and the ultra-bright LED progressive meter. A reimagined pull handle positioned slightly forward is just another innovation that makes the WMS Blade Stepper cabinet a new, modern, retro-inspired mechanical slot machine.
The Blade Stepper themes, with both high and low denominations available, have been designed to provide a pure gambling experience centered on winning jackpots. Three high denomination themes for the 25-cent minimum bet player, each with their own bonus rounds and features, include the Roll 7 Progressive™ game, 777 Wheel Hot™ game and AfterShock™ game. In the Roll 7 Progressive games, players roll the dice for a chance to win the progressive after every winning spin accompanied by the maximum bet. In the 777 Wheel Hot game, players spin the wheel after every 777 win combination accompanied by the maximum bet. In the AfterShock game, players have a chance to win up to seven guaranteed winning spins.
Judge Robert Allen, a 30-year slot industry executive and former vice president of casino operations with Pinnacle Entertainment, was very impressed with the Blade Stepper cabinet. “The WMS team has done a masterful job in creating an advanced stepper game that will appeal to players who are traditionalists, as well as those seeking a mechanical reel game that’s new, with innovative content and fun to play,” he said. “Thoughtful, studied, and beautiful execution. Well done.”
Judge Charlie Lombardo, a gaming consultant, saw great promise for this product. “Integrating the Blade cabinet into stepper games has enormous potential for WMS, the casinos and the players,” he said.
Gaming Operations Slot Floor Technology Awards
2014 Slot Floor Technology Awards
By Marian Green and Jessica Ballou
Radical new games and slot cabinets, a remote gaming product, innovative system technologies, and a unique and fresh customer service tool emerged victorious in Casino Enterprise Management’s eighth annual Slot Floor Technology Awards.
Nominations for the 2014 edition of the awards covered a range of products from cool new games, slot cabinets and platforms, bonusing systems, analysis tools, ticket technologies, mobile products and much more. CEM applauds the efforts of each and every nominating company to advance technology and innovation in our industry.
Each nomination was deserving of recognition, making it all the more difficult for our panel of judges to choose the best of the best to be honored this year. We can’t thank the judges enough for the time and effort they spent poring over nominations and carefully evaluating each. This year’s judges were Robert Allen, a 30-year slot industry executive and former vice president of casino operations with Pinnacle Entertainment; Richard Baldwin, managing director at Union Gaming Group; Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations at Pechanga Resort and Casino; Chuck Hickey, vice president of slot operations at Barona Resort and Casino; and Charlie Lombardo, a gaming consultant.
Each product was evaluated for criteria such as innovation, efficiency, usefulness, benefits and appeal. Based on the judges’ votes, the top 10 products with the highest combined scores are normally selected as winners. The competition among products is often extremely close, with companies separated by only a point or two. This year, however, proved unusual. The products were so good and so appealing, and the competition so fierce, that the contest resulted in several ties. Therefore, this year we recognize 13 top products.
In addition, this year’s contest yielded another surprise. For the first time, a product created by an operator earned one of the coveted spots on the list. Motor City Casino in Detroit, Mich., placed in our ranking with its MotorCity Customer Bonus System technology.
We believe this year’s outcome bodes well for the gaming industry, demonstrating a continuing high level of commitment to technological innovation, and a sign that a culture of creativity is alive and well.
Here, we present the winners of the 2014 Slot Floor Technology Awards. On the following pages, readers will learn more about the winning entries and discover why our judges felt each was compelling and deserved recognition.
GTECH—Sphinx 3D™
Nabbing the No. 1 spot in this year’s Slot Floor Technology Awards was GTECH’s Sphinx 3D™, which provides something never seen before in the gaming industry: a glasses-free 3-D experience.
The product immerses the player in ancient Egypt where pyramids, sphinxes and scarabs seem to jump off the screen or stretch into infinity in high-resolution 3-D, according to the nomination materials. Sphinx is a first on the casino floor because players can enjoy high-resolution 3-D imagery with brightness and depth without wearing any special glasses. This True 3-D display was designed by SeeFront with autostereoscopic technology and integrated eye-tracking.
Sphinx 3D is housed in the next-generation AXXIS™ cabinet with an advanced button panel and a benchmark multimedia chair. Images are processed and displayed so that the ideal 3-D picture self-adjusts to match the player’s line of sight. Players can adjust the intensity based on personal preference through the button panel.
With this eye-tracking technology, players can explore on-screen vistas, change viewing angles without disrupting the 3-D experience and much more. For example, in the Ancient Wheel Bonus, players can look around and behind the wheel to peek at values before making a selection. These 3-D elements are also available during base game play with symbols, “Easter eggs” and more.
“This product is a triple threat; it offers looks, comfort and innovative technology,” said Claudia Baskerville, GTECH marketing manager. “From a player’s point of view, we just want them to get lost in the game. It is a very unique experience; the autostereoscopic technology with integrated eye-tracking makes the images jump off the screen. Stay tuned, there are more exciting and innovative things to come!”
The judges were clearly impressed with this innovative new product.
Judge Charlie Lombardo, gaming consultant, said Sphinx 3-D was “truly innovative to gaming. [It] greatly enhances the players’ experience.”
Judge Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations at Pechanga Resort and Casino, said, “This product was the hit of G2E 2013. The display is phenomenal. When small wins are awarded, you almost feel the need to duck when the coins come flying off the screen. The addition of an adjustable ‘3-D intensity’ button makes it perfect.”
Bally Technologies—Take ‘n Play™
Bally Technologies’ Take ‘n Play™ came in a very close second in the contest judging to the awards’ top winner Sphinx 3D™.
The innovative product offers casinos a way to address the age-old challenge of keeping players at the slot machine. Take ‘n Play enables players to take their game “on the go” for the first time by playing a physical slot machine on the convenience of a tablet.
An industry first, Take ‘n Play streams the game content directly from the slot machine to a tablet. The game still takes place on the slot machine with the tablet replicating the game screen. Take ‘n Play empowers operators to better utilize machines on their slot floors to generate additional revenue and improve the gaming experience for their guests, according to nomination materials.
Beneficial for any casino, it’s especially useful in jurisdictions with bans on smoking or alcohol consumption on slot floors because gaming machines can generate revenue even when a player has left to smoke or drink. It works on any tablet, and any casino with a Wi-Fi network can employ the product. Once the feature is part of the Bally game suite, it requires no game re-approval because the software doesn’t alter the game. When Bally launches the product later this spring, it will work on the popular Pro Series™ V22/22, V32, V22/32 and V22/42 cabinets. The solution is also designed to work in traditional Class III, Class II and central-determination markets.
The judges were very impressed. Judge Robert Allen, a 30-year slot industry executive and former vice president of casino operations for Pinnacle Entertainment, applauded Take ‘n Play as a “terrific innovation” and added, “This will have a very definite impact in many properties.”
Other judges concurred. “There are several new products designed to integrate slots with mobile technology. This could be the next big thing,” said Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations at Pechanga Resort and Casino.
And Chuck Hickey, vice president of slot operations at Barona Resort and Casino, labeled it “a potential game changer” while noting “pending customer acceptance and whether play translates well onto whatever device.”
Acres 4.0—Kai™
Acres 4.0’s groundbreaking Kai™ customer service module landed third place in this year’s competition, tying with Bally Technologies’ ALPHA 2 Pro Series Wave™.
Kai’s slot application is the first module of an entire resort management system that empowers employees to deliver more rapid, personalized service. “Kai is our first step in reinventing customer experiences to bring greater joy to not only gamblers but to every resort visitor,” said John Acres, founder of Acres 4.0. “Kai connects your team members and customers in very personal and efficient ways.”
Kai determines the right information to instruct the employee by “listening” to the casino’s slot system and detecting important events, such as hand-paid jackpots and bill jams, according to nomination materials. Then he searches a database that houses employees, their abilities and work assignments and immediately sends a message to the most qualified, available employee to respond through secured Wi-Fi and mobile devices such as iPods. Employees wear Bluetooth earpieces that let them know when a new task is ready and then simply look for details on the device mounted to their wrist.
Eliminating the need for human dispatchers and replacing costly handheld radios, Kai also measures employee performance and keeps managers informed of floor activity in real time and historically, allowing for better planning of staffing levels, improved training and more objective employee reviews.
Kai has added drink service support for beverage servers and will soon extend support to security, hotel, surveillance, housekeeping and other areas where two-way radios are used. Kai will grow to interact directly with players, allowing them to text for drinks, restaurant reservations and get their car from valet, according to nominating materials.
Judges were enthusiastic. “Anyone interested in improving service should look at Kai as a tool,” noted gaming consultant Charlie Lombardo.
“Acres has always been a step ahead in gaming technology, and this brings the best of mobile applications to the casino floor in real world solutions,” commented judge Buddy Frank, vice president of the slot operations at Pechanga Resort and Casino.
Judge Robert Allen, a 30-year slot industry veteran, called Kai “particularly well-conceived, developed and executed” and “certain to efficiently improve the player experience.”
Bally Technologies — ALPHA 2™ Pro Series Wave™
A sleek, curvy new cabinet from Bally Technologies captivated judges and captured a third-place tie with Acres 4.0’s Kai™ in the 2014 Slot Floor Technology Awards.
The ALPHA 2™ Pro Series Wave™, with its gracefully curved, 40-inch high-definition monitor, brings a new look and feel to the casino floor, according to nomination materials.
But the Wave brings more than good looks to the casino floor. It is smart and elegant as well, integrating an LCD panel and custom, game-synchronized LED cabinet lighting to enhance the play experience. Its touch-screen monitor offers optimal viewing and increased interaction for players, Bally noted. This video slot cabinet incorporates the industry’s only iDeck™ multi-touch button panel, and there is an optional 22-inch Pro Digital Topper™.
The Wave is ergonomically designed so the strategic placement of the display provides natural screen viewing without player fatigue, and its design offers a comfortable gaming experience for both smaller and larger slot players.
Bally’s library of video-slot games for the Pro Series™ V22/22 and V32 can be played on the Wave. Four additional games—Fu Dao Le™, Dragon Rising™, Super Red Phoenix™ and Super Rise of Ra™—were designed specifically for the Wave to leverage its advanced features. The games feature the Red Envelope Jackpot progressive—a quick-hitting, any-bet progressive triggered by a “red envelope” on reels one and five; when hit, it awards a player $100 when the game is at a penny denomination.
Judge Robert Allen, a 30-year slot industry executive and former vice president of casino operations for Pinnacle Entertainment, called the Wave “beautifully designed and executed by the Bally hardware team.” He also said the product promises to be “a striking addition to gaming floors,” and “the broad range of content available for this cabinet is just outstanding.” Another judge, Charlie Lombardo, a gaming consultant, commented that the Wave’s “enhanced game presentation and graphics enrich the players’ gaming experience.”
Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations at Pechanga Resort and Casino, noted that “Bally seems to be the champion when it comes to new LCD technology. This latest model appears to be the best yet.”
Bally Technologies—Super Slotline
Bally Technologies landed the fourth spot in the 2014 Slot Floor Technology Awards with its Super Slotline, a product that converts slot floors from serial to high-speed Ethernet networked floors, charting a more affordable course for use of floor-wide player promotions.
With Super Slotline, “any casino can bring the power of iVIEW™, iVIEW Display Manager (DM), Bally Enterprise Progressive System (BEPS) and the Elite Bonusing Suite™ (EBS) to its non-Ethernet floor without the cost and downtime of a network rebuild,” according to nominating materials. Super Slotline, which replaces the GameNet Server, requires no new wiring, allowing operators to use Bally player-loyalty solutions and personalized promotions to retain current players, attract new ones and increase player value.
“Upgrading a floor to high speed Ethernet can give your slot system a real boost. Bally has figured out how to do it without breaking the bank and using your existing wire,” said judge Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations of Pechanga Resort and Casino.
Super Slotline enables expanded functionality to allow fast, game-level communications and access to Bally player bonusing and systems products, according to Bally. The technology makes it easier for casinos to adopt the iVIEW Network and offer promotions such as slot tournaments, virtual horse racing and Virtual Racing NASCAR® events or allow players to order drinks at the game, the
company said.
Super Slotline employs existing slotline wiring to provide Ethernet to slot banks with 2-wire 24 AWG, Cat4, Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6, Cat7 or Belden Twisted Pair. VLANs are not required after the first switch to upgrade and use Super Slotline. The slotline to Super Slotline upgrade is a low- cost, plug-and-play process that requires only Layer-2 switches. Layer 3-switches can be used, but those increase the cost per node.
Judges raved about the product. Gaming consultant and judge Charlie Lombardo commented that Super Slotline gives casinos the “affordable ability to enhance system offerings.”
Judge Robert Allen, a 30-year slot industry executive and former vice president of casino operations for Pinnacle Entertainment, called Super Slotline “a meaningful and valuable development that will pave the way for revenue growth in many properties.”
Multimedia Games—Thundering Herd™ with Expanding Reels
Multimedia Games’ Thundering Herd™ with Expanding Reels product tied for fifth place with
Leap Forward Gaming’s SaffariNet® Multimedia Ecosystem™ in the 2014 Slot Floor Technology
Awards contest.
How do the Expanding Reels on Thundering Herd work exactly? During the free spin bonus,
once a player hits two Expand symbols as a scatter, an additional row of symbols is added to the screen along with more pay lines, increasing the chances of hitting another winning combination and getting more rows added to the screen, according to nomination materials. As players advance through the bonus, their chances of hitting the winning combinations required to expand more rows onto their screen increase because of the additional paylines they receive with each additional row.
The innovation of the product, according to nomination materials, lies in its ability to elevate the base game and standard free spin bonus experience. During normal play and at any bet level, players have the opportunity to trigger the mystery expanding reels feature, increasing the normal four positions per reel to a maximum eight positions per reel and total of 150 pay lines.
Building on this feature in the free spin bonus, the player can trigger additional rows and pay lines by hitting the winning combinations, allowing the rows to grow to a maximum of 10 rows and 200 pay lines. The expanding reels and additional pay lines take the free spin bonus to the next level by adding the element of surprise of never knowing when they will appear and possibly snowball into all 10 rows and 200 pay lines. Seeing the screen fill up with more reel positions is also a never-before-seen visual cue for players that their chances for winning are growing.
Judges expressed enthusiasm for this product designed to build excitement for players as it interacts with them from the bottom to the top of their screen, maximizing the 40-inch display of the Maximum Player Experience™ cabinet.
“Slot players are going to love this—no doubt about it,” said judge Robert Allen, a 30-year slot industry executive and former vice president of casino operations for Pinnacle Entertainment. Another judge, Charlie Lombardo, a gaming consultant, called the product an “appealing way to display free play games to the players.”
Leap Forward Gaming — SaffariNet® Multimedia Ecosystem
The SaffariNet® Multimedia Ecosystem from Leap Forward Gaming, which tied for fifth place in the awards, debuted at G2E last year. Leap Forward’s robust, patented multimedia ecosystem works seamlessly with all brands and generations of EGMs operating on any existing casino management system, thereby extending and protecting casino operators’ existing gaming floor investment, according to nomination materials.
The wired or wireless SaffariNet Multimedia Ecosystem transforms existing gaming machines into real-time entertainment platforms, providing a broad range of games, promotions and services.
At its core is Leap Forward’s retrofittable picture-in-picture capability, allowing operators the ability to offer customized and adaptable promotions to differentiate their properties. The same content used on slots can be easily moved to tables, digital signage and mobile devices.
Marketing, bonusing and tournament campaigns are available, as well as thin client gaming, social site integration, machine reservation, player alerts, in-screen keno results and interactive property-specific promotions to entice players to play longer.
Influential members of the gaming industry such as the MGM Grand and Las Vegas Sands have already started using these solutions.The system solution helps operators improve the player experience while reducing capital expenditures.
In a recent Eilers-Fantini Quarterly Slot Survey, the SaffariNet system was ranked No. 1 in the industry by operators planning to purchase and install a system product over the next 12 months.
Ali Saffari, Leap Forward Gaming president and CEO, said “The team at Leap Forward is truly honored to receive this prestigious award. It is an even greater honor to be judged and recognized by such distinguished colleagues in the industry, all of whom have made important contributions on their own.” The judges were very impressed by this technology from Leap Forward Gaming. Judge Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations at Pechanga Resort and Casino, said, “Ali Saffari has been a gaming technology leader for years. Leap Forward offers a cost-effective way to attack windowing technology, which is one of the most promising slot enhancements.”
Judge Charlie Lombardo, gaming consultant, said, “Picture-in-picture technology has a place in our future. We will learn how to use as it as a revenue generating tool.”
MotorCity Casino Hotel—MotorCity Customer Bonus System
A surprise winner in the 2014 Slot Floor Technology Awards was MotorCity Casino Hotel, whose MotorCity Customer Bonus System landed sixth place in the ranking.
It was the first time in the contest’s eight years that an operator-created product cracked a top spot in the ranking.
The Detroit-based property nominated its MotorCity Customer Bonus System because of its innovative design, unique execution and revolutionary player experience at machine and floor levels, according to nomination materials. “Our new bonus engine enables our operations and marketing teams to execute a smarter way to engage and reward our guests,” the materials stated. “We tapped existing resources and talent to develop a program that could neither be bought nor developed elsewhere to meet our specific needs.”
MotorCity CEO Gregg Solomon said MotorCity built its own bonusing system to further deliver on its goal of continually providing the premier gaming experience in the Detroit market. MotorCity strives to showcase leading-edge technology and the best new games, Solomon said, noting, as another example, that MotorCity replaced 700 gaming machines in 2013. “You can’t be running the same old movie over and over again.”
The system uses more than 400 monitors to deliver a dual-screen gaming experience and a Medialon Show Controller along with speakers and monitors to deliver real-time updates that synchronize customized light-and-sound shows for bonusing events. It displays game details, such as slot denominations/themes; promotion updates, such as, “You’re XX points away from earning your cash-back multiplier today;” and personalized messages, such as “Happy Birthday.” MotorCity can also offer bonuses to a player whose actual loss exceeds theoretical loss or highlight individual wins.
Judges were impressed and intrigued by MotorCity’s innovation and wanted to know more. “Sounds great,” said judge Chuck Hickey, Barona Resort and Casino vice president of slot operations. “Love to see it work and examine the details of how it impacts play characteristics of players—increases in tracking/signups, etc.”
Judge Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations at Pechanga Resort and Casino, noted that while he believes MotorCity’s goals are achievable with standard systems, “MotorCity appears to be ahead of the game in communicating messages to the guest in a superior manner.”
Aristocrat Technologies—Oasis 360™ Episodic Bonusing
One of the products in a five-way tie this year was Aristocrat’s Oasis 360™ Episodic Bonusing. This product is industry-transforming because it “leverages the power of mobile technologies with a land-based casino experience that drives return visits and revenue while keeping player engagement active beyond the traditional walls of the casino,” according to nomination materials.
Episodic Bonusing leverages Oasis 360’s core bonusing engines to create a new category of bonusing, expanding the gaming experience beyond the moment and driving multiple player experiences that give customers a reason to return to the casino frequently, creating repeat visitation and spend.
Unlike previous episodic bonusing from other providers, Oasis 360 Episodic Bonusing is a system-wide bonus, meaning it can be utilized on any game and is not dependent upon specific games. Additionally, it allows players to compete with everyone on the floor, driving competition among players.
Episodic Bonusing has several fun interactive features, including the ability to check the status of their journey progression on and off the casino floor. Player engagement can take place in multiple channels, including mobile, tablet, PC and EGM. The product’s flexible architecture allows each individual casino to set its own triggers and gives operators the ability to create higher value awards for their loyal patrons.
In its first deployment, Episodic Bonusing will leverage popular board game styles such as Chutes and Ladders, with its first release as “Snakes & Ladders”.
The judges had a lot of positive things to say regarding this fun, new product. Judge Richard Baldwin, managing director of Union Gaming Group, said he liked “the concept of creating competition amongst players and providing customers direct incentive for repeat visits.”
Judge Chuck Hickey, vice president of slot operations at Barona Resort and Casino, said this product is an “innovative way to spur some additional play. I think a casino with a better imagination might be able to configure this into a cool/fun tool.”
Aristocrat Technologies— Oasis 360™ nVision Cloud Solutions
Aristocrat’s other nomination this year, Oasis 360™ nVision Cloud Solutions, was also part of the five-way tie. This product gives operators the best and most complete view of their entire operation based on detailed business intelligence without the heavy lifting associated with data gathering and infrastructure, according to nomination materials.
Accuracy, cost-effectiveness and operator confidence are three ways this product stands out. With reliable data, accurate decision making, reduced internal business intelligence cost, secure data storage and 24/7 data monitoring, nVision Cloud Solutions have a wide variety of innovative benefits.
This software as a service (SaaS) provides operators with valuable data in easy-to-access and understandable reports based on insightful metrics. Because it is a cloud-based SaaS, there is reduced internal cost for operators and increased efficiency in marketing spending with no up-front cost for infrastructure or impact or downtime to the gaming floor.
Operators can deploy this product in one of three ways to best suit their needs: Reporting Services, Hosted nVision and Managed Services.
For Reporting Services, a property does not need to have nVision installed on its floor; by using cloud technology, Aristocrat is able to provide reports on a predetermined basis. Hosted nVision gives operators the power to use nVision in the cloud with seamless integration between their existing Oasis 360 system and the nVision module. Managed Services is a reporting and consulting relationship between the operator and Aristocrat. Customers can either have nVision installed on the floor or use the cloud for tools they need to make informed business decisions with some savings.
Judge Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations for Pechanga Resort and Casino, said, “Good analytic tools often are wasted without users trained to take advantage of their power. The ‘hosted nVision’ solution will be perfect for many operators to get the most from their data.”
Bally Technologies—Power Progressives™
Progressive jackpot applications created by Bally Technologies and known collectively as Power Progressives™ were one of five products to tie for a winning spot in the 2014 Slot Floor Technology Awards.
The two Power Progressives applications—Power Progressive Strike™ and Power Paytable Progressive™—display progressives on the game screen and integrate with Bally’s CoolSign® digital media management for increased player awareness, according to nomination materials.
They are part of the Elite Bonusing Suite™ (EBS), a suite of bonusing tools that allows casinos to reward players at the point of play. The applications differ from other progressive options because, as with all EBS applications, no additional in-game or server hardware is necessary for casino customers using EBS and Bally’s iVIEW™ Display Manager (DM) in-game player-user-interface. The Power Progressives work on any iVIEW- and iVIEW DM-enabled machine.
Power Progressive Strike is a mystery-style progressive jackpot application that hits independently of the game. Any game with an iVIEW and iVIEW DM can enable Power Progressive Strike, which puts a percentage of the player’s bet amount toward the jackpot. The progressive amount is displayed on the iVIEW and iVIEW DM screen or CoolSign display. A coin-trigger mechanism triggers the jackpot, which must hit before a certain total is reached.
The other application is Power Paytable Progressive, a progressive jackpot application that gives casinos centralized control of all SAS paytable progressives on their floors. The Power Paytable Progressive jackpot is determined by game outcome, so results on the reels govern when the jackpot hits. Operators set criteria, including optional hidden values and other progressive controls.
Judge Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations for Pechanga Resort and Casino, commented that Power Progressives is “a refinement of one of the most powerful slot tools: the progressive.” He noted that “putting it on the system with game displays is a proven winner.”
Gaming consultant and judge Charlie Lombardo commented that this new twist offers a “big advantage to Bally Systems Users.” Judge Chuck Hickey, vice president of slot operations for Barona Resort and Casino, noted, “What’s old is new again.” Hickey added he liked the fact that the progressives were driven by play.
GTECH—Rub4Riches™ Instant Reward Bonusing Engine
Another part of the five-way tie was GTECH’s Rub4Riches™ Bonusing Tool, which was just launched at ICE at the beginning of February this year.
Unique in the industry, Rub4Riches brings the thrill of scratch cards to the slot machine, thus providing operators with a new way of instantly rewarding players based on their real-time gaming activity. This interactive tool allows operators to design marketing campaigns to retain and reward players while enhancing the player experience when they play.
A fully customized scratch card appears on the CRYSTAL.net touch-screen player interface at the slot machine once players reach the specified play threshold or meet the segmentation criteria predefined by the casino. Players then scratch the card with their finger on the touch screen to reveal their win.
Rub4Riches allows casinos to reward loyal play using basically a video version of a scratch-card ticket that provides operators with an interactive bonusing tool to add dimension and suspense while rewarding players.
Judge Charlie Lombardo, gaming consultant, said the product was an “interesting twist to bonus and reward players with instant rewards.”
Judge Buddy Frank, vice president of slot operations at Pechanga Resort and Casino, said, “This is a new player interface offering slot players a secondary game….at the primary game. It could be promising.”
WMS—Blade™ Stepper Cabinet
The Blade™ Stepper cabinet from WMS, a Scientific Games company, was among this year’s award winners. This product is an evolution of the WMS Blade platform that brings a classic mechanical experience to the contemporary slot floor.
Vibrant reels and HD touch screens combine with glass artwork to add elegance to the stepper category. The CPU-NXTTM3 processor powers this product and controls quick reels, halo-effect emotive lighting and the ultra-bright LED progressive meter. A reimagined pull handle positioned slightly forward is just another innovation that makes the WMS Blade Stepper cabinet a new, modern, retro-inspired mechanical slot machine.
The Blade Stepper themes, with both high and low denominations available, have been designed to provide a pure gambling experience centered on winning jackpots. Three high denomination themes for the 25-cent minimum bet player, each with their own bonus rounds and features, include the Roll 7 Progressive™ game, 777 Wheel Hot™ game and AfterShock™ game. In the Roll 7 Progressive games, players roll the dice for a chance to win the progressive after every winning spin accompanied by the maximum bet. In the 777 Wheel Hot game, players spin the wheel after every 777 win combination accompanied by the maximum bet. In the AfterShock game, players have a chance to win up to seven guaranteed winning spins.
Judge Robert Allen, a 30-year slot industry executive and former vice president of casino operations with Pinnacle Entertainment, was very impressed with the Blade Stepper cabinet. “The WMS team has done a masterful job in creating an advanced stepper game that will appeal to players who are traditionalists, as well as those seeking a mechanical reel game that’s new, with innovative content and fun to play,” he said. “Thoughtful, studied, and beautiful execution. Well done.”
Judge Charlie Lombardo, a gaming consultant, saw great promise for this product. “Integrating the Blade cabinet into stepper games has enormous potential for WMS, the casinos and the players,” he said.