Tuesday, April 2, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
Bucking tradition, slot-machine makers seeking a bigger role in the industry are betting high-tech gadgets sporting high-impact graphics will change the games gamblers play.
Underlying their efforts is the theory that entertainment, not economics, will lure Nintendo-era video-game players to casino floors. And by merging video-arcade wizardry with interactive features, they're hoping to capture a share of the growing worldwide video-slot business.
That business is now dominated by International Game Technology, which makes 70 percent of the slot machines in the United States and had $621 million of revenue in 1995. IGT executives believe slot players -- typically middle-aged housewives -- aren't interested in new gadgetry but simply want to drop in a few coins and let the reels spin.
Ironically, though, IGT supplies the underlying hardware and software for some of the new interactive games displayed at the recent International Gaming Business Exposition. And it's offering some innovations of its own, including a new Wheel of Fortune game based on the popular television game show and a Winner's Choice machine offering players the choice of dozens of game variations.
IGT supplies the basic technology for AC Coin & Slots' "Road Rally," which garnered plenty of attention at IGBE. Road Rally allows up to 10 players, each sitting in a bucket seat that simulates vibrations from a speeding car, to compete against each other. Individual dashboard controls and gauges are topped by a 26-foot-long, 12-foot-high "track" on which competitors' cars race.
The cars are propelled by pressing the spin button on a three-wheel slot and hitting certain symbols. Bonuses are awarded to winning racers, and the jackpot -- a new sports car -- can be won by lining up the right three symbols. The more spins, the more chances you have of winning -- and the more money wagered.
Another IGBE attention-getter was "Gold Fever," a Casino Data Systems product offering interactive features. Players sit in individual "ore carts" in front of a large, high-resolution video screen surrounded by the "entrance" to an Old West gold mine.
As players spin the reels of a slot machine, an Indiana Jones-type adventure film is displayed on the video screen. When a player hits certain symbols, the movie stops and an animated version of five mine entrances is displayed. The player chooses one entrance and an animated ore cart careens down the mine shaft, simulating a roller coaster ride. At the end, the player wins bonus coins.
Altronic Casino Technology's "Volcano Island" and "Hot Cash" typify the company's "second screen" interactive approach. In Volcano Island, three symbols in a row triggers a second screen displaying five volcanos. A player then selects one volcano, which erupts, paying up to 2,500 coins. Hot Cash offers similar options.
GG Baron Inc. developed a system that allows players to play a game and watch television shows carried on the casino's cable-TV system simultaneously.
Several companies, including IGT and Video Lottery Consultants Inc., displayed machines incorporating touchscreen technology. The IGT machines allowed players to opt between pushing traditional buttons at the base of the game's screen or touching the screen itself to select games. VLC's machines feature high-resolution graphics and colorful displays.
Williams Gaming Inc.'s "Piggy Banking" features an animated little pig activated when certain symbols are aligned. "Pirates Thunder" and "High Speed" allow players to advance to another level of play after they line up certain symbols.
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