While football season comes and goes, Aristocrat Gaming has begun distribution of its highly anticipated NFL Super Bowl Jackpots slots to casino floors across the country, meaning that the sights, sounds, and excitement of the games will be available year-round.
Showcased on the breakthrough King Max cabinet, featuring never-before-seen components that add to the guest experience, Super Bowl Jackpots gives casino players the opportunity to select their favorite team among the 32 NFL franchises.
Video clips of their favorite players in action, game experiences revolving around the helmets and jerseys of their favorite team, riveting game play, and exciting bonus features that keep casino players and onlookers on the edge of their seats give Super Bowl Jackpots a life all its own and a commanding presence on the gaming floor.
Ryan Scott
Ryan Scott, vice president of commercial strategy and gaming operations for Aristocrat Gaming, has been instrumental in the creation, development, and release of NFL slots. He said that in engaging with operators and guests alike, he has observed excitement about the brand and a readiness for innovation in that space.
“It took a unified effort across the business to bring this to fruition,” Scott related. “The journey began for us in 2019. We were aware of the passion for the brand, with data to support it. We engaged the NFL and were able to move forward with an agreement to bring the brand to Aristocrat Gaming.”
The action video footage that is presented during game play contributes a visual component that triggers memories, passion, and of course excitement that carries over to the entertainment experience for casino players as they play as their favorite teams.
“The designers were very passionate about the inclusion of NFL game footage and ways in which this could be represented in a slot format,” Scott recalled. “Consequently, in working with the NFL brand during game design, we also worked with the NFL Players Association to include real game play footage.
“All of this has translated into the excitement around the early installs. We think this component created a nice combination.”
Citing statistics that reflect the power of the NFL brand, Scott revealed that among the global fanbase, there is a significant number that enjoy going to a casino. He reasons that if those fans have already enjoyed playing slot machines, opportunities exist to appeal to the broad demographic.
“We have also reviewed statistics that estimate there are approximately 60 million NFL fans that visit casinos to play, nearly half of them being slot players,” Scott said. “There is a market for NFL fans already on casino floors, but who don’t engage in slot play, to head over to the slot floor to play their favorite team.
“Maybe it is a fan who goes to the casino to place a bet or watch a game at the bar. Seeing the presence of NFL slots, the excitement they generate, and the center of attention they command, may bring them over to experience what it is all about.”
Scott went on to explain that the NFL slot games Aristocrat Gaming is creating are for different player segments, resulting in different game types across different hardware. Now that the first game has gone live, he commented about the differentiated offerings that his team put together and the passion behind it.
“Overtime Cash is the next game we are releasing in Class III,” he said. “This game was created by UberWins Studio, who has some fantastic games such as Buffalo Diamond and Cash Express Luxury Line. We have had a lot of great responses to it in early showings.”
“With Overtime Cash, the team has created a beautiful game that has stepper game play with some cash on reels and repeat win features, and of course, the classic wheel component at the top of the stepper cabinet, which, by the way, is a brand-new cabinet for us as well. We’re very excited about the game and look forward to getting it onto casino floors.”
The player-selectable art on Super Bowl Jackpots is a component of all six of the NFL-themed games that Aristocrat Gaming is releasing this season. It came about, according to Scott, not only because of the incredible power of the NFL brand, but also because its fans are among the most avid sports fans in the country.
“We have seen guests in several instances pick their favorite team, not necessarily the home team in that specific market. It is interesting to see how passionate these fans are and how it translates to the slot floor.”
“One of the fun bonus components of Super Bowl Jackpots is the field goal kick. Three footballs appear on the screen. The casino player is prompted to choose one. The ball is kicked, and the casino player, from the kicker’s perspective, watches the ball soar through the air either through the uprights or shanked to the left or right. It can even hit the goalposts.”
“My biggest observation is the energy that this game brings to the floor,” Scott said. “Seeing how casino players gather around the bank to watch the field goal kicking feature, or any of the others, the response is amazing. They’ll cheer if the field goal is made, or boo when it is missed. It is fun to see the social energy and togetherness it brings to the floor.”
The debut of the King Max cabinet with Super Bowl Jackpots adds to the experience. Describing it as “beautiful,” Scott said that it has a unique aspect ratio for the video monitor that is not mainstream and hasn’t been duplicated to this point.
“One of the unique parts of the cabinet is the edge lighting,” Scott explained. “There are LED pixels on the sides of the cabinet that are a component of the cabinet itself. The game play goes to the edge and even wraps around.
“When a guest is playing Super Bowl Jackpots and they trigger the jackpot wheel, the casino player adjacent in the pod can see the wheel and the clicker. Seeing game play from the side presents really well.”
Answering his own question, “When you launch an NFL game, what needs to go on top?”, Scott said “a scoreboard!” That’s exactly what the designers did with Jumbotron scoreboard- inspired signage.
“It is a very nice presentation,” he observed. “Very clean and allows the cabinet to speak for itself. It is something that is going to carry forward in the King Max line-up, which we are excited to show at G2E beyond just the NFL.”
It is apparent that Scott and his team have done a tremendous job creating the NFL line for all player persuasions in both Class III and Class II, and that Aristocrat Gaming truly understands their customers and the players.
