Wheel of Fortune Gets New Boost
IGT adds multiple progressive jackpots, new ways to win for casinos’ hottest machine
by Frank Legato

From across the room, you can tell it’s a Wheel of Fortune game. Get up close, though, and it’s obvious this is like no other version of the venerable Wheel you have ever seen.

Arguably, the Wheel of Fortune franchise from International Game Technology ushered in the era of the themed bonus round in video slots. It was the first game to use a famous, licensed brand in a “game-within-a-game” bonus event, and it took the roulette wheel concept pioneered by Anchor Gaming (now an IGT subsidiary) and ran with it, creating an entirely new genre of slot machine.

Since that first introduction of the Wheel in 1997, IGT has rolled out a consistent parade of sequels, from the first 25-cent version of the classic three-reel game (originally a dollar game) to the first video version, to themed versions ranging from the first “Advanced Video Platform” games featuring TV-quality images of the longtime hosts of the famous TV show, Pat Sajak and Vanna White, to quirky versions featuring famous movie stars, to the latest versions of the game—penny denominations, in both video and five-reel stepper versions, bringing the Wheel franchise into the 21st century.

Much on this MLP version of the Wheel is different than all of the many Wheel versions that came before. For instance, it is the first game to be released on IGT’s new “AVP Widescreen” cabinet. This new game style features a 23-inch color LCD video screen, displaying much sharper graphics than before on the ultra-wide display.

According to Jean Venneman, IGT’s vice president of game development, the improved visuals are realized because of the first use of an improved version of the company’s Advanced Video Platform, called AVP 2.5. “It is an updated processor,” she says, “and combined with our AVP Widescreen cabinet, it gives the game a much more progressive look and feel. Players will see a noticeable difference in the graphical content of the base game. It’s bright, it’s vivid, it’s crisp. And, it has an enhanced sound package as well.”

The video slot itself, created by game designer Paulina Rodgers, is unique in the Wheel franchise, starting out with its striking visual appearance. The beautiful wide-screen graphics are topped by a second LCD video screen in the top box, and above that, the famous wheel, with some new twists.

The top box display shows five incrementing progressive jackpots, each associated with a color. The four “MLP” prizes include a “purple” jackpot resetting at around $10, a “blue” prize resetting at around $25, a “green” prize resetting at around $75, and a “red” prize resetting at around $500. (These are stand-alone jackpots, and thus, the exact reset amounts will be determined by the individual casinos.)

The gold display reflects the top progressive jackpot, resetting at $1.5 million in Nevada and at various other amounts in different jurisdictions. This top jackpot is won in the same manner as all other Wheel games—by lining up five “Wheel of Fortune” symbols on the first payline with maximum coins wagered.

The way the other four progressives are won is another first in the Wheel series: They are won through the wheel bonus. And the best part? You can win two of them at once.

Base Game Variety
The way the top-box progressives are won—as well as the chances of winning them—is ultimately determined by how much you wager on the base game.

There will be four base games associated with Wheel of Fortune MLP, each a volatile penny or nickel base game themed sleekly to reflect locations where the Wheel of Fortune TV program has been filmed—the initial two are Las Vegas and Hawaii; two more will be released soon to reflect New York and San Francisco. Lettering and reel symbols on the base games will reflect the location—flashy casino icons on the Vegas version, dreamy island imagery and script lettering on the Hawaii version, etc.

According to game designer Rodgers, the value of the bonus round correlates directly to your initial wager. The wheel has eight pointers. These pointers light up with progressive wagers to activate an additional bonus “slice” on the wheel when it spins.

All the initial base games are 30-line penny video slots. (There will be alternate nickel-denomination games available, which will have five paylines. However, the 30-line penny game is the definitive version.) To activate one of the arrow pointers (the minimum to participate in the bonus), the player must wager 30 cents to activate all 30 paylines, plus an additional 20-cent wager to light up one arrow. So, 50 cents gets you into the bonus round at the lowest level.

However, every additional 50 cents in your initial bet activates another bonus arrow, up to the maximum bet of 400 credits, which lights up eight arrow pointers. This means that with a maximum wager, you are guaranteed to win at least one of the multi-level progressive amounts every time you enter the bonus round. Moreover, at max bet, it is possible to win two of the progressives in addition to six accumulating bonus credit amounts.

“Those eight pointers create the great gaming opportunity,” says Boris Hallerbach, IGT’s product manager for Sony licensed products. “With each additional line-bet coin wagered with the side bet covered, another one of those pointers is activated. When all eight pointers are activated, players have a chance to win up to two of the progressive jackpots on a single spin of the wheel during the bonus round, if the progressive segments land on one or more of the active pointers. It’s a buy-a-pay, but this feature definitely makes this a gambler’s game.”

Aside from the bonus game, what players will have when all the base games are released is a set of four unique video slots, all on the same progressive link—and in the same progressive bank. However, what makes this product a potential powerhouse is the same thing that has driven every other Wheel game to date—that spinning roulette-wheel bonus that crowns the game.

“Each of the primary games is unique until you get to the bonus,” says Rodgers. “All play a little differently—different volatility, a little different hit frequency—but in each of them, the focus is the wheel.”

The colors of the MLP jackpots correspond to colors on the wheel—there are purple, blue, green and red sections on the wheel, two of which can line up with arrows at max-coin.

“We think this kind of action is going to be a lot of fun for the player,” says Rodgers. “They will see a direct correlation between how much they bet and how much they win in the bonus game. Every time the wheel spins, you’ll see one of the arrow pointers always pointing to one or more of the progressives.”

Rodgers says the fun of the bonus round is enhanced by the fact it occurs more frequently than in most versions of the Wheel. She says the bonus occurs more than once every 60 spins, as opposed to an average of once every 90 spins in most versions of the game.

“Add to this a symbol-driven progressive,” adds Venneman. “The player also has the opportunity on every spin to win the wide-area progressive jackpot.”

The Rollout
According to Venneman, IGT’s new Wheel game will be rolled out to all North American jurisdictions this summer, beginning with July, when the first games should arrive in the field. She notes that games will be in the Native American jurisdictions “within days” of the manufacturer’s receipt of certification by Gaming Laboratories International.

In Nevada, the first games in the field are likely to be field-trial games, so release will be limited there at first. A field trial will be required because the game employs a new version of the Advanced Video Platform operating system, Venneman says.

By the end of the summer, the game will have stormed the entire nation.

Venneman says all the elements are present in this game for a runaway hit with players. “We think they’re going to love the new cabinet with all the associated features it brings, and we think they will find that the game play is going to be a lot of fun,” she says. “We had a lot of success recently with Wheel Of Fortune Multi-Win. We released that game six months ago, and the performance has been great. It uses three of the ‘pointers’ with the wheel in the bonus game. This new version of the game has eight pointers. Obviously, we think this game will do quite well also.”

Rodgers adds that the Multi-Level Progressive version of Wheel of Fortune will be a hit because it has something that is a first not only for IGT, but for the industry—multiple progressive jackpots won by spinning the wheel.

And, as she notes, one thing is certain in any version of Wheel of Fortune:

People love to spin that wheel.

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