The latest slots from Ainsworth Game Technology add a new low-denomination game style to the company’s high-limit products and reflect players’ evolving tastes, Mike Trask says.
“In the last two years, we’ve invested massively in R&D, with a focus on improving play experience and making sure we’re delivering products that meet market requirements,” said Trask, Ainsworth’s vice president of product marketing and global communications.
The first North American installations of the Ca$h Stacks Gold line are being made this month in Nevada, California, and Oklahoma; the games were previewed at the Global Gaming Expo last October and the Indian Gaming Association tradeshow in March.
The two current titles, Mustang Spirit and Action Dragons, feature player-selectable multiple denominations and credits ranging from a penny to $2. Erin Stefanowicz, senior manager of product strategy, said two additional titles are scheduled for release around October.
The games’ bonus rounds include a unique “hold ’n stack” element, essentially a vertical version of the lock-and-spin mechanic. The player wins a bonus round when three or more orbs appear in the base game. Those orbs stay in place and the screen divides into five columns, each with its own prize value. The goal is to collect as many orbs as possible. A bonus round starts with five free spins and during the round, players can win extra free spins. The prize value of an unfilled column increases with each spin; a column’s prize value locks when a third orb completes that stack. When enough orbs are collected throughout the screen, an unfilled column can offer one of the top jackpot awards. The player gets paid the posted value for each filled column, plus an award for each orb, which is revealed at the end of the bonus round.
Stefanowicz noted that machines can be linked within a property to offer jackpots starting at $10,000 or $15,000.
Mustang Spirit and Action Dragon have 50 lines in the one-cent and two-cent games, 25 lines in the five-cent and 10-cent games, and five lines in $1 and $2 games. The base game includes an “instant win” of a minor or mini bonus or as much as 800 times the bet when those symbols appear along with a fifth-reel “full-stack” dollar symbol.
Stefanowicz said the return to player is higher with the larger denomination bets. The grand and major jackpots are the same at all levels, but the mini and minor jackpots differ according to the denomination.
The games are available for sale or lease and in two cabinets: the A-Star Curve XL with a 4K 55-inch monitor and the A-Star Curve with a 43-inch monitor. Both have LED lighting and an LCD button deck.
Current games are Class III, but Trask said they will be available for Class II and historical horse racing markets by the end of the year. Ca$h Stacks Gold, developed in Ainsworth’s Buzz Studio in Sydney, Australia, has been on the market in Australia for a few months. It’s also available throughout Latin America, “so it’s truly a global game,” he said.
While Ainsworth’s high-denom machines consistently place among the industry’s top-performers and penny games such as Quickspin and Quad Shot are popular, Trask said, Ca$h Stacks Gold line reflects a commitment “to improve that low-denom experience.”
Ainsworth’s “major mission” in designing the new line was enhancing the player experience, he said. That included adding elements to build anticipation, smoothing the reel spins, allowing players to stop the reels when they want, and investing in the art.
“We’re really proud of this game. It’s one of the early looks at our improvements and a peek at where we’re going with our low-denom game content,” Trask said. “It’s certainly our biggest release of the summer. It’s our summer blockbuster.”
