Gaming Expo Focuses on New Slot Machine Ideas

Each year the gaming expo in Las Vegas showcases the new slot machines that are coming out for the coming year – this year was no different – or was it? The slot machines that the major manufacturers unveiled this year are of a new breed, a new brand of slot machine that will keep both slot machine owners and players hooked.

Each slot machine will have the ability to talk to each other, as well as to a main frame computer. The casino owners and managers can then change the slot machines at will. Perhaps a “Wheel of Fortune” needs to be where an “Indiana Jones” should be? Before the casino would have to go and pull out the slot machines and physically change them out, now they don’t have to. With the push of a button, each slot machine can be exactly what the casino wants, whenever the casino wants.

Another major difference in the slot machines is the different perks that the manufacturers are planning – higher jackpots, special bonuses and incentives, or even better “community gaming.” The idea behind this type of gaming is that if one slot machine hits at a certain bank of slot machines, then everyone playing in that cluster of games will win. Depending on how they play and how much they wager, that will determine how much each player wins – but all of them will get something.

Many analysts are cautious about the new trend in slot machines, they say that server based slot machines have been around for a little while now, but they think that the owners of these new games could end up waiting to see returns from it. "It was clear to us that the potential of central server/downloadable is moving ahead, but we would characterize it as evolutionary rather than revolutionary," wrote Steve Kent of Goldman Sachs.

The ability to change games on the fly and target the consumer with the slots by game theme, bonusing variety, interactivity among players, and time on the machine . . . was very exciting, and eventually, we suspect casinos will adopt this [new slot machine] technology."

He also said that the slot machine manufacturers know that it will be close to a year before they will be able to start bringing them out, and then even longer before they know if customers really want the new slot machines or not.

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