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Slot Manufacturer Profile: IGT (Part 1)

It’s impossible nowadays to be in tune with the world of either land-based or online slot machine gambling and not be aware of the dominance of International Gaming Technology, or IGT. This software manufacturer is, without a doubt, the biggest producer of slot games and video poker devices in the country, if not in the world.

You might be surprised to know that the history of this company is fairly recent in comparison with some of IGT’s once and current competitors. IGT did not really have a presence in the gambling world until 1981, just over a quarter-century ago. When the company entered the slot machine gaming market, devices with mechanical reels were the industry standard. Back in those days, the outcomes of a fruit machine were all tied to the symbols on the reels. You’d pull a lever (the original “arm” of the one-armed bandit!) and the reels would spin. Wherever they stopped, your outcome would show up. It was as simple as that. The most control that slot manufacturers could exert over the likelihood of landing a jackpot was by how many symbols they could fit on a reel, and the ratio of winning symbols to losers.

In those days, the size of the jackpot you could potential win playing a game was directly paralleled by the physical size of the device. Larger slot machines could fit larger reels inside, with more symbols and less chance of winning – therefore, a higher potential jackpot. Physically smaller machines held smaller reels, so your shot of winning was higher.

Continue to part 2 here.

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