AGS has created a different version of its popular Orion cabinet and is showing it during the Global Gaming Expo this week. Meanwhile, executives are also touting other new slot products and the purchase of five table games from In Bet Gaming.
The new cabinet is called Orion Slant.
“This version of Orion is in a different category than the orginal we debuted last year,” said Andrew Burke, senior vice president of slot products for AGS. “We have our core cabinet Icon and our premium Orion cabinet, but we didn’t have anything between those two.
“Slant tops are a popular form factor on casino floors and we wanted to take the appeal and success of Orion into that market, giving us greater opportunities for growth.”
Burke said the slant top will be ready for market sometime next year. The Orion cabinet currently has about 10-12 game titles; the Orion Slant will have about 40.
“People think that AGS is very small but we have a very robust product road map in terms of cabinets,” he said.
Meanwhile, AGS has created progressive jackpots that can be linked among cabinets, said Brett Vela, product manager.
“Xtreme jackpots will link the Orion and Icon together. This leads to a rapidly growing jackpot,” Vela said.
“It offers players a great value proposition and gives a sense of achievability that customers enjoy.”
The games include AGS’ most popular titles, including Golden Wins and Fu Nan Fu Nu. The machines will have a sign package denoting them as local area progressives, he said.
Vela also noted that AGS’ Colossal Diamonds game in the big red cabinet – that big machine that’s the size of three usual games – has a new game variation called Colossal Stars.
“We believe the math of that game is what made it successful, so we kept that but changed the symbols, animations and sounds,” Vela said.
The game is built on what the company calls its Atlas platform.
“When you compare the current big red with the new version running Atlas, it’s like high definition vs. standard definition, both in visual and audio,” Vela said. “That gives the possibility of creating a more powerful, expanded game library for the cabinet.”
The company has also begun US distribution for Royal Derby from Alpha Street Gaming, a 10-player station, horse racing game.
Burke said AGS has the added depth for game libraries.
“My job is so much easier now than it was a couple of years ago. People know who we are now,” he said.
“We’ve had some really good shows, particularly this year, with a lot of product lines available ready to sell.”
There are now a total of about 22,000 AGS games in about 500 casinos. They have installed 1,200 Orion units since the cabinets rolled out about six months ago.
Meanwhile, the library of table game offerings from AGS continues to grow after the company announced on Monday the purchase of five new games from New Jersey-based In Bet Gaming.
The acquisition elevates the company’s table product install base to more than 2,500 and marks the largest table game investment in AGS history. The games include the Super 4 Blackjack progressive game, the Jackpot Blackjack game, and the Royal 9 Baccarat progressive game inside its booth.
“This acquisition combines In Bet’s proven, innovative table game side bets with our customer-focused distribution network and expertise in table game progressive technology to deliver players and operators unmatched gaming experiences,” said John Hemberger, Senior Vice President of Table Products for AGS.
For example, when the dealer shows an ace in Super 4, every active Super 4 wager wins. When the dealer hits a blackjack, the Super 4 Bonus triggers and players make a four-card poker hand combined with the dealer’s two cards for a chance at a progressive jackpot win. Progressive prize amounts on Super 4 have climbed to more than $1 million, AGS reports.
“The biggest difference to me this year, and I think you’ll feel it, is there is so much technology in our booth this year in addition to the content,” Hemberger said. “There’s just more technology all over the casino.
“We’re using it to enhance the player’s experience at the table and with the given game, not just to enhance our performance.”
