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Gaming Guru
Sopranos Slot a Big Hit at Global Gaming Expo5 December 2007
The Global Gaming Expo, which was held last November in Las Vegas, is the gambling industry's biggest trade show. Hundreds of exhibitors look forward to the annual event to unveil their new product lines before the movers and shakers from casinos around the world. Center stage at the annual exhibition, which is held at the gigantic Las Vegas Convention Center, always belongs to the slot manufacturers. The competition for market share is fierce, so the companies place a high priority on showcasing their games as the ones that will be most popular and therefore generate the most revenue. Every casino's inventory of slots is limited, which means slot directors are under pressure to purchase or lease only what they believe will be the highest performing machines. Hot games are always occupied by players and usually attract a crowd waiting for seats to open. Underachievers are quickly sent packing. One new game that certainly looks like it'll be a winner is a game based on the smash HBO hit, The Sopranos. It was developed by Aristocrat Technologies into a three-tier mystery progressive format that had the crowd buzzing at the Expo. Alan Woinski, the insightful analyst for Gaming USA Corporation (www.gamingusacorp.com), said in his Gaming Industry Weekly Report for Nov. 19 that "Aristocrat's new Sopranos appears to be a huge hit at the Las Vegas Hilton". Sopranos is played not in the distinctive Aristocrat video slot format but rather a new entry in the company's latest catalog titled "MAV Stepper" reel-spinning series. The base game is in a five-reel/20-line format encased in an attractive new cabinet design. The company rolled out the game with two themes titled "Top Boss" and "Welcome to the Family". A third title, "Play to Get Made", is scheduled to be unveiled later this year in what will be the first application of Aristocrat's distinctive "Reel Power" technology in a reel-spinning slot. Fans of the Sopranos will absolutely love this game, which features creative design in every aspect of the presentation. A model of the George Washington Bridge serves as a canopy for the progressive bank. Each machine is topped with a big LCD video screen, plus there's a huge overhead video display. The games feature familiar icons from the show and its associated gangster world tie-ins. Impressive use is made of the "Sopranos" logo and the images of the show's characters. The overhead video screen runs selected scenes from the series, plus the LCDs on the units are linked to run the title across all four screens, depicting the famous Sopranos opening sequence. In addition to winning credits in the base game, any one of the three mystery progressive jackpots can be awarded randomly at any time. The lowest level is "Soldier" (which is seeded with $10), middle level is "Capo" (starting at $100), and the top level is "Boss" ($500 or $5,000). When a player is awarded one of the progressives, the video screens play a scene from the show. State regulatory approval is necessary to get any new slot game approved, a process which can sometimes take a while, but I've got a hunch you'll be seeing this game at a casino near you very soon. CASINO NEWS: Construction of the spectacular 22-story, 302-room hotel tower at Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, Indiana, continues on schedule for the grand opening late next year. The facility, designed by prominent Chicago architect Lucien Lagrange, will include a spa and fitness center, restaurant/nightclub, and a 15,000 sq. ft. convention and entertainment center, the largest in LaPorte County. The pavilion at Horseshoe Casino Hammond was packed Saturday evening, November 10, for the drawing for a $175,000 Bentley Continental GT and 10 all-expense paid trips to Los Angeles to view a live taping of the Tonight Show. Almost one million entries were received for the promotion which was emceed by Billy Bush of Access Hollywood. Sylvia Fonseca of Chicago won the car but opted for cash instead. This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net. Recent Articles
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