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Kentucky Derby Themed Slot Hits Winner's Circle

27 January 2010

In spite of the fact casinos and race tracks are related through gambling, slot machine manufacturers have been unsuccessful in developing a game that incorporates the excitement of horse racing.

That could be about to change now that one of the world's leading gaming companies, Aristocrat Technologies, Inc., has joined forces with historic Churchill Downs to create the first Kentucky Derby themed slot machine.

The company unveiled the product at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas late last year. The game is expected to be launched in casinos just prior to the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 1.

Nick Khin, president of Aristocrat, expressed delight in the partnership, saying: "We are thrilled to be the first company in the gaming industry to license the iconic Kentucky Derby brand".

"This has been a collaborative development effort with both our U.S. and Australian research and development teams working on creating an exciting game and product concept around this worldwide recognized brand."

The new Kentucky Derby slot is a five-reel unit that will be launched with a choice of two unique, theme-launched base games: Oaks Day and Run For the Roses. The games will allow players to "race" for a four-level interactive jackpot with a Hyperlink trigger.

If for nothing else, casino goers who love the slots know Aristocrat for its popular platform of games introduced in the United States in late 2002.

You may not recognize the name of the platform, but you'll certainly recognize the game titles, such as Scatter Magic, Flame of Olympus, Geisha, Tiki Torch, and Double Dolphins.

That's only scratching the surface of a portfolio of well over 100 themes that Aristocrat's prolific game developers have unveiled.

Those games, and many more, including Pompei, Queen of the Nile, Wild Cougar, and Penguin Pays, enjoy enduring popularity among gaming fans who favor low denomination, multi-coin/multi-line games.

Aside from their longevity, the most amazing quality they have in common is simplicity. No elaborate electronic platforms, enhanced audio/visual capabilities, engaging interactive touch-screen bonus features, or marquee top boxes.

Just back-lighted cabinet and top box glass with game graphics and title, a video grid of symbols that is surprisingly uniform with many of the titles, and a bonus that gives players what they apparently want most of all from slot games: free spins and multipliers.

Perhaps what's most familiar among all the game components to players is the "fire alarm" bell that sounds when a player enters a second screen free spin bonus round, not to forget the celebratory electronic tunes that play when a big payoff is hit, or the prompts that pop up on the screen congratulating players on "Dream Result" or "Sensational".

John G. Brokopp

John G. Brokopp's gaming column appears in Chicago Sun Times (Chicago, Illinois), The Times (Northwest Indiana), The Quad City Times (Davenport, Iowa), The Courier News (Elgin, Illinois), The Gazette (Southwest Suburban Chicago) and Senior Wire (Denver, CO). He's also a regular contributor to The Colorado Gambler, Midwest Gaming & Travel, Casino Player and Strictly Slots. John possesses 28 years of experience as a professional handicapper, publicist, freelance writer, and casino gaming correspondent. He is also the author of two very popular books, The Insider’s Guide to Internet Gambling and Thrifty Gambling.

Books by John G. Brokopp:

> More Books By John G. Brokopp

John G. Brokopp
John G. Brokopp's gaming column appears in Chicago Sun Times (Chicago, Illinois), The Times (Northwest Indiana), The Quad City Times (Davenport, Iowa), The Courier News (Elgin, Illinois), The Gazette (Southwest Suburban Chicago) and Senior Wire (Denver, CO). He's also a regular contributor to The Colorado Gambler, Midwest Gaming & Travel, Casino Player and Strictly Slots. John possesses 28 years of experience as a professional handicapper, publicist, freelance writer, and casino gaming correspondent. He is also the author of two very popular books, The Insider’s Guide to Internet Gambling and Thrifty Gambling.

Books by John G. Brokopp:

> More Books By John G. Brokopp