TRADITION ON THE FLOOR
Mechanical reel-spinning games are here to stay
By Frank Legato
Quick. Envision a slot machine.
To many of our readers, the image coming to mind is probably a video game with multiple paylines, a pot collection feature and a hold-and-spin bonus. But to the general public who may not frequent modern casinos, the same vision of a slot machine persists: Three mechanical spinning reels, bar and “7” symbols, and maybe even a handle.
Twenty-five years ago, the traditional mechanical reel-spinner— known in the trade as the “stepper slot” due to the mechanical stepper motor spinning the reels—was on the endangered species list for many who study the casino industry. The big new thing was the multi-line video slot, with themes ranging from cartoons (Lucky Larry’s Lobstermania, Reel ’Em In) to TV shows, movies, music and other icons of popular culture (The Beverly Hillbillies, Michael Jackson).
Many industry pundits said mechanical-reel stepper slots couldn’t compare, and some wondered aloud if the traditional slot model would soon disappear. It did not. In fact, play on stepper slots remained pretty much constant or slightly down to make room for the new video games at first, but by the current decade, a definite revival was under way for the spinning reel.
It started when major slot manufacturers sensed demand among players for the classic slot experience, but in an updated version. Traditional games like Bally Blazing 7s and IGT’s Double Diamond and Red, White & Blue had maintained consistent popularity over the years, with both suppliers creating new versions of those iconic games, and using them as the base games for themed progressives (see Wheel of Fortune).
In the late 2000s, while IGT and Bally (now Light & Wonder) were resurrecting and revamping their classic reel-spinner libraries, Multimedia Games, which would become Everi Holdings in 2014, launched the Player Classic series of mechanical reel-spinners.
Everi designed its mechanical-reel cabinet from the ground up, and added new cabinets like the Player Classic Signature, which added features like a simplified four-button deck, a clear digital touch meter panel and wider, more powerful spinning reels. Player Classic Signature took the genre to a tall format, with the reels as the lower portion of a nine-foot cabinet that includes monitors for pay tables and the progressive jackpot meters.
Everi’s reel-spinners were a modern, improved presentation of the best of traditional slots combined with great new ideas like Cash Machine, the hit game with the “what you see is what you get” pay scheme. New versions of that modern classic are still being released by Everi, now part of IGT.
Meanwhile, Light & Wonder and IGT were improving on their stepper formats. Light & Wonder released a new version of the iconic Blazing 7s theme on its new Landmark 7000 mechanical-reel cabinet. Blazing 7s 2X3X5X added multiplying wild symbols to the familiar “7” and bar combinations.
IGT released a modernized version of the familiar S2000 cabinet with S3000, and launched new stepper cabinets like DiamondRS, featuring the “Diamond Glass” transmissive overlays that add multipliers and other bonuses to reel-spinners. Classic themes from Double Diamond to Top Dollar are now offered on this presentation. The CrystalWheel cabinet offered up new versions of Wheel of Fortune.
Most recently, AGS and Aristocrat entered the mechanical-reel business. AGS is still building a game library for its Revel stepper cabinet, and Aristocrat just released a version of its famed Buffalo theme on the Marquis mechanical-reel cabinet.
The one thing that’s common in all these new mechanical reel games? A devotion to re- creating the classic reel-spinning experience. To the player, the most elaborate setups in these new cabinets still feel like playing a traditional reel-spinner. The reels are large and illuminated, they’re surrounded by shiny bezels, and most of the games feature that familiar pay table listing of all the line wins.
Even the new reel-spinners with hybrid video elements use the monitor just above the reels to reproduce an authentic version of the pay table that you’ll find on the silkscreened slot glass of the old mechanical games. The haptics mimic the feel of hitting the spin button on the old machines, and even the handles, if you choose to use them, feel like you’re cranking a spring-loaded handle on a machine in 1980.
The games themselves follow the same spin-and-win rhythm of the old reel-spinners, with modern elements sprinkled in. There are games with video-style cash-on-reels symbols that add up for wins. The use of transmissive panels allows for instant bonus awards and multipliers. There are various “nudge” features that turn losing spins into winners. There are free-game bonuses.
But at the core, the resurgence of the spinning reel is due to the fact there are many gamblers out there who prefer this simpler style of slot play. And kudos to the manufacturers for understanding that, and for sticking to the script while applying the newest technology to these new stepper games.
Here’s to the mechanical reel. May it live long and prosper.
