Monday, Sept. 23, 2002 | 8:21 a.m.
From Spider-Man and Spam to Monty Python to "That Girl," gaming companies have found a new niche to attract customers.
Pop culture.
It began in 1993, when International Game Technology (IGT) introduced a slot machine based on the game show "Wheel of Fortune."
The machine shared more than "Wheel of Fortune's" title. It also featured many of the sounds from the popular game show, including background music and audience applause, as well as a chance to spin the titular electronic wheel.
As the "Wheel of Fortune" game became more and more popular among gamblers, slot-machine makers took notice.
"Today, probably a third of the games developed have some sort of licensing, whether that involves images, sounds or music," Ed Rogich, vice president of marketing for IGT, said.
The reason is simple: attraction.
Place a "Saturday Night Live"-themed machine, such as "The Church Lady," next to a Fabulous Sevens, for example, and the colorful and quirky machine featuring Dana Carvey's popular character naturally stands out.
Which is why many of the machines on display at the Global Gaming Expo at Las Vegas Convention Center last week were based on licensed themes.
"You've got to think about it," Rogich said. "The casino is a sea of 2,000-plus machines and every machine is vying for the player's attention."
At the show, there were machines on display based on such diverse themes as "The Hollywood Squares," Pac-Man, "The Lone Ranger," "The Incredible Hulk," "The Honeymooners" and Budweiser.
Even the nation's foremost beauty contest, the Miss America pageant, has jumped on the slots trend with a new machine, courtesy of game maker AC Coin & Slot Service Company.
Naturally, there are naysayers who argue the decision, although a portion of the proceeds from the Miss America licensing fee was used to fund Miss America Organization-sponsored college scholarships.
On hand at the event to promote the beauty queen-themed machine, Heather French Henry (Miss America 2000) said she was proud of the nonprofit and for-profit alliance.
"Everyone has their own opinions on how to raise money for scholarships," Henry said. "I thought (the slot machine) was a very creative solution. They did a fabulous job and I'm very proud of it.
"I'd like to see my Miss America sisters' reactions to it," when the game is released, she said. "I think they'll change their opinions."
Other celebrities at the expo were equally enthused to be associated with the gaming industry in the form of a slot machine.
Comedians Harvey Korman and Tim Conway smiled and mugged for the cameras and attendees at the convention while promoting their soon-to-be released slot game The Last Resort.
While the title is not based on a pop-culture reference -- it refers to a fictional end-of-the-line vacation destination the two own and operate -- the game is clearly all about Korman and Conway.
Known best for their work on "The Carol Burnett Show" during the 1970s, both actor-comedians ham it up in bonus-round animated cartoon sequences, which Conway scripted and the two recorded.
The idea of the pair lending their names and talent to a slot machine was the brainchild of a lawyer friend, Korman said. Until then, Korman acknowledged that he was unfamiliar with licensing trends in the slot-machine industry.
"I didn't know they had themes and stories and celebrities," Korman said.
But he and Conway quickly jumped on board with the project, spending more than a year and a half developing the game with Alliance Gaming Corp.'s slot-machine subsidiary, Bally Gaming and Systems.
Korman beamed as he stood next to the machine.
"I'm really excited about being on a slot machine," he said. "It's a new high in my career."
Marcus Prater, vice president of marketing for Bally, was also enthused with The Last Resort, along with some of the other licensed machines the gamemaker was showing off. Included in the display were a series based on "SNL," Playboy magazine, classic cartoon characters Popeye and Mr. Magoo, and even a slot game based on the "For Dummies" book series.
But the cost to license these titles is not cheap. Prater said Bally is willing to pay the extra fees necessary to secure these titles, but there are limits.
"We turned down a lot of deals where those who held the brand name wanted a fortune and we knew we would never recoup the cost. So we passed," he said. "We've never paid an outrageous amount to anyone."
And no matter how popular that license might be to gamblers, the success of the machine will always be determined by the game's "fun factor."
"Those types of brands get people to the machine," Prater said. "Once they get to the machine (though), you've got to have something they like or they won't come back."
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