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Since launching Flip The Switch, we’ve received thousands of questions from players curious to know a bit more about how slots work. Over time, we’ve made connections with industry experts like those at IGT, who we’ve been working with over the past year sharing behind the scenes information on their test banks, their licensed brands, the revival of mechanical reels slots, and so much more.
In our latest collaboration, we shared with them a number of your questions that we thought would make sense being answered directly by the experts! Continue to submit your own questions, and you might see them answered here in a future installment.
Players Cards and Payback
One of the most frequent questions we get about slot machines is around whether using your card affects the payback on a slot machine. Here’s a representative example:
Are the machines set up to pay differently with your player’s card inserted vs. without? Or is the percentage the same?
Bibiana H.
While we’ve answered this question in the past ourselves, we figured a direct answer by a company that’s been making slots for decades is helpful information for those who are concerned.
Roger Pettersson, VP of Core Video, PMM, and Market Research for IGT, responded, “Games are set up the same for every player regardless of players’ cards being inserted or not. It’s not even an option.”
So rest assured, this won’t happen to you or any other player, because the option doesn’t exist.
The Ubiquity of Asian-Themed Slots
Another question we continue to receive periodically is about the prevalence over time of slot machines with Asian themes:
I was wondering why there seems to be more Asian themed slots than other types in the casinos.
Sheila
Like many entertainment-focused businesses, IGT looks to data and trends. Players love them, and companies like IGT will continue to super-serve players’ affinity for them.
“The Asian themed slots have been extremely popular over the last 5 years or so,” Pettersson said. “We are starting to see more theme diversity in the market, but Asian themed slots continue to be fan favorites and they continue to drive player demand. Driven by the player demand for new Asian themed slots, this category will continue to play a relevant role over the next few years as well. We know this by continued performance metrics in Industry Leading Performance Reports.”
The Economics of Slot Machines
Players are often curious about the economics of a casino floor. How are slot machines and the games on them acquired, for instance?
I would like to know more about the slot manufacturer and casino relationship. Do casinos lease machines or buy them?
Christine N.
As it turns out, there’s multiple ways that slots make their way onto a casino floor, Pettersson said. “There are various types of commercial agreements including for sale, leased, or hybrid where the hardware is purchased and the software (game) is leased.”
How Symbols Get Designed
One question we loved from a player revolved around how slot machine symbols are designed, particularly the decision to make them similar or distinct colors.
I am curious if you know why so many games have color matched their symbols. It is extremely hard to see the difference. Is there a reason behind this? I have been searching for an answer and haven’t found it. I hope you may be able to explain this mystery?
Linda G.
For this answer, we turn to Cari Blomquist, VP of Core Studio at IGT, for insights around how slot symbols get designed.
“Designers have many thoughts when it comes to the look and feel of our games,” she said. “With symbol sets, we want to make sure that they fit the theme of the game and are pleasing to players. We also want to make sure that the special symbols stand out and can communicate their role in the game correctly. Symbols should help players get excited when they see them spin by or land and trigger a bonus.”
You might also notice specific design patterns to slot symbols. For instance, the better paying symbols tend to take up more space on the reels than a lower paying one. Bonus symbols tend to be the biggest of all. There’s a design language that most slot designers use to both ensure player comfort and to convey information, and IGT is no different in that regard.
Are They Watching Me Play a Slot?
We know casinos have surveillance cameras throughout the property, but what about on the slot itself?
Do the newer slot machines have built-in sensors to monitor/track players’ reactions as they play?
Lillian R.
While they can’t speak for everyone, IGT can certainly speak for its own games, and Pettersson had a clear answer for us. “IGT does not include any type of built-in sensors to monitor/track player reactions,” he said.
What’s Next for 2025 from IGT?
Finally, we threw in a question of our own – building off what we saw at G2E, what can we expect from IGT in the coming year? Pettersson shared a number of exciting items.
“I look forward to continuing our great momentum in bringing some of the best new content in the marketplace to our players,” he said. “Starting in early 2025 our players will see our brand new Wheel of Fortune Trio release, which will be followed shortly thereafter by an evolution of our immensely popular Tiger & Dragon franchise with Tiger & Dragon Super Bonus and Tiger & Dragon Super Gong.
“In the Core Video space we are excited to showcase great modernizations of some of our classic brands with Little Green Men Return, Grand Buddha Link, Wolf Run Wild Moon and Coyote Moon Desert Nights. These classic brands have been player favorites for over two decades.”
We also checked in with Anthony Baerlocher, VP of Product Development and Innovation, Mechanical Reels, who we interviewed earlier this year about IGT’s new mechanical reels cabinets.
“On the mechanical reel side look for some exciting new ‘Light-box’ style games featuring new games based on Pinball and Top Dollar, as well as exciting interactive concepts like Top Stop. Also more games leveraging multiple Progressive Jackpots building on the Double Chili Mania Brand. And as always, IGT will be launching new hardware focused on delivering a great player experience highlighted by an ETG version of Wheel of Fortune,” as well as even more to come!
As always, we thank the IGT team for their help in answering these questions, and our readers for sharing their curiosity with us!
