[ Home ]

[ Slots News ]

Slot Manufacturer Profile: IGT (Part 3)

There’s no way to overstate the impact that the RNG made in the world of slot machine gambling. Overnight (or as long as it took for these new machines to be distributed far and wide), size restrictions disappeared. The size of the reels in a device no longer mattered, as long as they carried adequate symbols to form the combinations the manufacturer wanted. Jackpots shot up exponentially, and the highest-stake slots broke the million-dollar barrier for the first time, adding a whole new dimension of appeal and excitement to gambling prizes. Mechanical devices became obsolete, and ITG led the charge towards a new day in gaming. They were the first company to really experiment with the possibilities brought forward by the RNG.

Five years after the first RNG was inserted into an American slot machine, IGT unveiled the Megabucks title. Up until that point, slot game makers hadn’t really begun to get creative with the new technology in a way that was any different from just simulating the look and feel of the older, mechanical pokies. Megabucks broke the mold, as the first-ever progressive slot machine. Like the powerball or megamillion state lottery games that were already familiar to and loved by gamblers, the jackpot attached to the Megabucks device grew every time a player made a bet and did not win. The pot would keep growing “progressively,” until some lucky stiff came along and hit it big! There’s a major attraction to a progressive jackpot prize, and Megabucks skyrocketed to popularity.

Continue to part 4 here.

Back to October 2008 Archive.