A few suppliers are keeping the mechanical reel-spinning genre going.
For a century, the slot machine was defined by the mechanical spinning reel. The format created by Charles Fey’s “Liberty Bell” machine in the mid-1890s defined what a slot machine was in the public mind.
Right around that century mark, things began to change for the slot machine. Video gaming machines, which in the 1980s were primitive copies of three-reel slots with Atari-like resolution, began to evolve in the 1990s, and by the year 2000, had broken out of their previous role as standards for slot tournaments to begin to occupy serious portions of slot floors across the industry. Boosted by landmark games from Aristocrat, WMS Gaming, IGT and the former Bally—not to mention the consequent explosion of paylines, thanks to lower denominations—video slots took on a different, and eventually dominant, role on the floor.
Many players, though, remained loyal to the traditional slot style, and mechanical reel-spinners have remained an important part of the slot floor. Devoted fans have doggedly sought out machines to serve what had become an underserved market segment. Several manufacturers have recognized the unmet demand and rededicated themselves to applying modern technology and innovation to the mechanical reel-spinning sector.
Leading suppliers taking spinning reels forward include IGT, which is on its second generation of reel-spinning hardware with the S3000; Everi Holdings, which has stepped up to provide new innovation, and has made stepper slots one of the cornerstones of its product library; and Scientific Games, whose legacy brands Bally and WMS had played a big role in advancing the stepper genre to fit the modern world.
“Mechanical reel games provide a simple and classic experience to players,” said Anthony Baerlocher, IGT’s vice president of product management, innovation and mechanical reels. “Not every player wants a high-energy, fast-paced, complicated game. Some players like to have a simple and more understandable game to try their luck on, and most importantly get frequent, substantial wins. In the traditional high-denom space, wins are greater than your bet amount.”
“Mechanical players are drawn to the simplicity of the game design, familiar mechanics and clear upside,” commented Allison Pope, senior vice president of game development at Everi. “These key elements provide a distinct alternative to the more flashy, high-entertainment products and therefore give players a greater variety of gaming options on the casino floor.”
This is why the genre has defied 20 years of predictions of its demise, not only remaining popular, but actually resurging as a game genre. “Mechanical reels continue to remain popular, particularly with core casino players who enjoy chasing jackpots,” said Phil Gelber, senior vice president of product development for Scientific Games. “The simplicity and familiarity of the game design, with spinning bars and 7s, make the mechanical reel a popular game option on the casino floor.”
Form-Shifting
Those manufacturers with steppers still an important part of their game libraries all have managed to do a magnificent balancing act between instituting modern slot technology and preserving what it is players have always loved about classic reel-spinners. Through hardware, denomination and use of features borrowed directly from the video realm, suppliers have dragged the stepper game into the 21st century, at the same time setting the genre up for future growth.
“Everi has been intentional about enhancing our mechanical hardware, and how we innovate to better serve this market,” said Pope. “We aim to highlight the features and pay table while remaining conservative in the use of reel lights, anticipation effects and integrated sound that we know can turn these players away. We believe this is one of the reasons we have been successful in this space.”
“Like all casino games in the last 10 to 15 years, mechanical reels have also benefited from advancements in technology,” said SG’s Gelber. “Often, due to player demand, we will port classic mechanical reel games to our new cabinets, so they’ll benefit from the enhanced cabinet experience yet keep the familiarity of the game design and math that they’ve come to expect and love.”
The other element modern steppers slots have brought to the mechanical reel player is the availability of lower denominations than in the heyday of reel-spinners.
Some companies, like Everi, still concentrate on the higher denominations as the basis for their stepper lines. “Our primary focus in mechanical games has been the high-denomination products,” says Pope. “These slots have been featured on casino floors from the beginning, and continue to have a dedicated player base.”
Suppliers like Scientific Games have broadened the denomination scope, mainly to bring former video fans to the stepper genre. Instead of the classic three-reel model in a quarter, dollar or higher denomination, many popular SG games are in the penny denomination, with a five-reel format offering multiple pay lines.
SG’s Gelber says there’s room for both styles. “We tend to see most players prefer low-denomination mechanical reel games,” he said. “However, there is a subset that really enjoys the high-denomination games. We find that high-denomination players like a lot of consistency and games that offer a really clear jackpot chase, such as the Bally classic titles that were recently re-released on the TwinStar 3RM, including Triple Blazing 7s, Bonus Times, In the Money, and Black & White Double Jackpot, which are perfect for these players and offer the speed of play that they are seeking.”
“IGT tracks the split across denominations carefully,” says Baerlocher, “and it is a pretty even split between high denom- and low denom-based on our diverse game library. We have recently seen growth in both the high- and low-denom segments.”
This has been helped by the recent addition of the multi-denom configuration to the stepper genre. “Probably the biggest technology advancement in recent years has been the ability to configure games to different bets and denominations on the same cabinet,” Baerlocher said. “This is a trend that IGT has readily embraced, and our customers and their players greatly appreciate. This is enabled by the digital top screens, like those that you see on our S3000 machines, compared to the classic, printed pieces of glass.
“The printed glass displays the game pays and rules in a static format, so it wasn’t possible to offer different bet levels with the same game software. The digital screen allows for the rules and pays to be updated. It was also challenging to explain multiple or complicated bonuses on a printed piece of glass, so having a dynamic video display allows designers to take up as many words and as much space that is needed to meet all the regulations and explain the game to the players.”
Growing Libraries
None of the three suppliers heavily into reel-spinners is backing off from new development in the genre. “IGT recently launched several high-performing games in the high-denom space,” commented Baerlocher. “We are especially excited about 3X Wild Diamonds and Triple Jackpot Jewels. These games were the highest-performing $1 games on the S3000 cabinet to have ever completed our test bank program.
“In the low-denom arena, we have two Surefire Progressive themes (Volcanic 7s and Money Hits) which offer a mystery progressive, which the players have really taken to.”
For Everi, no reel-spinner has done better than Cash Machine, one of the most simple concepts ever applied to a stepper. All reel symbols are numbers, and the numbers on the pay line are the payoff. 10-00-0 on the reels returns the top $10,000 jackpot.
Everi has placed a new version of Cash Machine as one of the two games in the series modified with a wheel bonus on the Skyline Revolve stepper cabinet. “Everi has been pleased to see how players are responding to Cash Machine Jackpots and Gold Standard Jackpots on Skyline Revolve,” Pope said. “They are based on the award-winning three-reel mechanical game Cash Machine that combines the popular Win What You See game play with the win potential of a mechanical wheel top box.”
Other Everi standouts include Crystal Star Deluxe and Black Diamond Deluxe, which feature the popular “Double Nudge” feature that enables multiple jackpots on a single spin.
For Scientific Games, steppers are all about capitalizing on the best-established reel-spinning groups from legacy companies Bally and WMS. “We have had a lot of success in the mechanical reel category,” says Gelber. “Our Hot Hot Super Jackpot continues to be a big hit with players, as does our Quick Hit game family. 88 Fortunes for both low-denomination and high-denomination players has performed really well and has offered a great hybrid experience.
“We’re also excited about the introduction of our new Elvis Presley in Viva Las Vegas game, that combines the nostalgia of a mechanical reel playing experience with the iconic brand of Elvis Presley and a thrilling wheel feature.”
Gelber also cites the new TwinStar J43 iReels cabinet, which places an LCD screen in front of the reels, allowing for the incorporation of video-style bonuses in new titles being released in the Lord of the Rings and The Wizard of Oz game families.
Spins on the Future
No one in the supply sector expects reel-spinning games to disappear, and many of the top suppliers are forging ahead on the assumption that the genre is thriving, and ready to grow.
“In my opinion, there will likely be a strong mechanical reel following in coming years,” says SG’s Gelber, “not just for the nostalgia of the experience, but that it offers a really fun, simple gaming experience, in particular by providing a simple and clear understanding of how to hit a jackpot.
“Of course, advancements in technology will continue to evolve the cabinet experience and enhance the category, but I believe that the back-to-basics playing principle will keep mechanical reels popular for generations to come.”
The future of mechanical reels really depends on what the suppliers like IGT decide to do with this segment. If, as a group, we continue to develop fun games and great gambling experiences on mechanical reels, there will continue to be a place on the floor for them. An example of how IGT is expanding the reach of the mechanical reel format is by pioneering new market opportunities like what we recently achieved in Minnesota and through the growing Historical Horse Racing segment. One of the interesting side effects of Covid is that we are seeing more younger players playing slots, as there are not as many entertainment options as there were before. The simple game designs of many mechanical reel slots offer novice players an easy entry into playing games. Sometimes players struggle to understand the complex video, whereas we have actually seen an increase in performance of spinning reel titles after the casinos reopened. So, there is definitely a future for this product.
“Mechanical reel-spinning slots have been featured on casino floors since day one,” said Everi’s Pope, “and have always been a critical staple in an operator’s portfolio. This segment serves a valuable and loyal gambler for that consistent classic slot experience. We don’t see them going away anytime soon.”
“Mechanical reel products will consistently be a large part of our portfolio, and we are proud to rank at the highest levels in this segment.”
“Mechanical reels will always be a cornerstone of the IGT product portfolio,” Baerlocher said. “There seems to have been consistent mechanical reel demand over the years based on the different regional markets… Mechanical reel games offer a different player experience and add to the options of different game types on the floor.”
“Mechanical reels are sort of the ultimate throwback casino game,” said SG’s Gelber. “Reel games are what a lot of people imagine to be on the casino floor when you think of a classic Las Vegas or Atlantic City gaming experience. It’s that nostalgia and the simplicity of the game design for the player that keep these games popular with both casual casino guests and true jackpot chasers.”
