Slot
machine manufacturers are constantly challenged to produce games
that appeal to an adult audience, and have generally been very
creative in coming up with recognizable and popular themes. The
Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, Elvis, and Betty Boop machines are
just a few examples where popular culture or game shows provided
the inspiration.
When
WMS Gaming introduced the Monopoly-themed slot machine to tremendous
acclaim two years ago, slot machine manufacturers began to focus
on board games that might bring back fond memories for today’s
adults. Mikohn Gaming, a conglomerate that includes signs, player
tracking systems, electronic meters and security equipment,
recently introduced Yahtzee, the dice game familiar to almost
every Baby Boomer.
The
game was introduced by the E.S. Lowe Company in 1956 and sold
to Milton Bradley in the early 1970s. It’s simple to play—all
you need are five dice and a piece of paper. The “board”
version of the game included a custom cup to shake the dice,
and a score pad to record the various combinations of dice results.
The
slot machine version simply converted the dice results to reels
and added a couple of twists. The game was introduced last year
in two versions, manufactured by Sigma Games, and based on the
company’s popular “Treasure Wheel” game.
Yahtzee
Bonus is a three-reel machine that has been reworked to increase
the hit frequency. Casinos can choose a payback rate of anywhere
from 89 percent to 94.5 percent.
On
Yahtzee Bonus, the bonus feature is triggered by the Yahtzee
symbol on the third reel, which occurs about once every 60 spins.
The
action takes place in the top chamber where five large mechanical
dice are located. This is where the game gets exciting. While
most slot bonus features are controlled by luck, Yahtzee’s
bonus builds in a skill factor. Players at this level can “hold”
and “discard” different combinations in an effort
to improve their payback, very similar to a video poker game.
And the player gets two chances to improve their dice results
at this level—quite a bonus. Payoffs range from 30 coins
to as high as 1,000 coins for five 6s.
The
second version of the game eliminates the skill of Yahtzee Bonus.
Yahtzee Take A Chance adds an interesting element: the goal
is to roll the “Chance” result (one with no straights
or matching values) as many times as possible. Once reaching
the bonus round (the elementary chances of reaching the bonus
round remain the same as with Yahtzee Bonus), the player simply
has to push the button to spin the dice. Payoffs for straights
and matched values range from 15 to 100 coins, but when the
“Chance” decision is rolled, a multiplier kicks in,
growing incrementally—up to 12X—as each additional
Chance is rolled. If the player reaches the 12th level, the
jackpot of 1,200 coins is awarded.
Video
Yahtzee has only increased the popularity of the game. Adding
the popular multi-line feature, Video Yahtzee is a nine-line,
45-coin machine with two separate bonus events.
For
the first bonus, the video panel uses an animated dice character
Mikohn calls “Mr. Pips,” which is one of the reel
symbols. If three or more Mr. Pips are scattered anywhere in
the pay window, he appears on the video screen as a caped “superhero”
in an animated bonus sequence. Spinning around on the reels,
the dice values are revealed on their “bellies,” and
the player is paid the total of spots on the dice times the
total coins bet for the bonus. Mikohn says the average multiplier
is between 10.5 times (450 coins for max bet) and 17.5 coins
for the total bet.
The
second bonus is triggered by animated dice shaker cups on a
lit pay line. Five dice roll around on a baseball field with
the scoreboard highlighting the Yahtzee pay table (complete
with a brilliant Las Vegas skyline beyond the ballpark’s
brick outfield fence). Like Yahtzee Bonus, the skill factor
is included, with players touching the dice to hold or discard
them. The bonus payoff multiplies the number of coins bet per
line by the pay table value, with a top jackpot of 5,000 coins
possible. The attraction of this bonus feature is that it gives
players the opportunity to play a full round of Yahtzee, just
like the board game.
One
of the two bonus features on Yahtzee is triggered once every
34 spins on average, and the hit frequency is approximately
41 percent, according to Mikohn, meaning the game is very attractive
to players who enjoy continuous action. The payback range offered
to casinos is between 88.5 percent and 94.5 percent.
Mikohn
says it plans to offer new versions of the Yahtzee games each
year to keep players coming back. A second version of Video
Yahtzee should be released sometime late this year.
Yahtzee
is clearly a winner with the players. The combination of the
dice game with a slot machine has proven to be very popular,
and Mikohn claims to have tripled sales projections. By adding
it to the multi-line product, Mikohn has made the product irresistible
to nickel players.
Yahtzee
is now available at most major casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic
City and on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, as well as onboard
many riverboats in the Midwest. ´
