5 fun things seen at the Global Gaming Expo’s show floor
In an industry competing for customers’ attention, gaming and other related products are ripe for innovation and interesting concepts.
Vendors at this year’s Global Gaming Expo, which ends Thursday, made sure to highlight the latest technology on the trade show floor at The Venetian Expo. Attendees were able to browse thousands of products that were bright, colorful, entertaining and bold.
Here are five fun things the Review-Journal saw on the trade show floor:
Fruit Ninja Frenzy by Everi Holdings Inc.
Fans of the popular mobile game Fruit Ninja will be able to take their slicing skills to the bank with Everi Holdings’ Fruit Ninja Frenzy. The slot machine’s bonus round asks players to slice as many fruit as they can as it floats across a touch screen to maximize their credits.
Cashless solutions
Several casino technology companies promoted their cashless gaming solutions to trade show attendees, as the industry pushes for more integration of the technology onto the gaming floor. London-based IGT showcased its IGTPay and Resort Wallet modules that integrates cashless payment options for consumers with its casino management system.
Meanwhile, Acres Manufacturing touted its cashless solution’s integration with its Foundation technology, which processes real-time gaming data and conducts cashless transfers that are adaptable to each property’s casino management system.
“We’re like the invisible hand in the casino,” Acres Chief Technology Officer Patrick Bland said. “The slot machine doesn’t know we’re here, the CMS doesn’t know we’re here. But we’re providing that real-time data funnel to be able to do unique things with.”
VIP slot machine chairs
Several companies such as Austria firm Novomatic AG and Bulgaria-based company Euro Games Technology Ltd. displayed their VIP slot cabinets with specialty chairs that allow a player to sit further away from the screen and push buttons placed in the arm rests.
Ocean Phoenix by Jumbo Technology and Gaming Arts
A popular game across Asia hopes to make a splash in the North American market. Ocean Phoenix is already in several tribal casinos across the continent but a partnership between Taiwanese game developer Jumbo Technology and Las Vegas-based manufacturer Gaming Arts is intended to increase the game’s profile.
The group slot game allows up to six players to shoot at fish and other underwater creatures for credits, using a joystick and button. Four larger targets act as levels between the game and each of the “beasts” have different themes and music that trigger rewards. Players can work together to shoot at the creatures on screen, but only one will win the reward.
Though it looks like an arcade game, the foundational math is still a random number generator. Each time a player shoots a bullet it’s a new bet — and it moves fast. The player can fire five to seven times a second.
“This is more of a community game,” Maggie Chen, sales representative for Jumbo Technologies, said. “This is very new compared to the slots and (electronic table games). It’s a novel game on the market.”
Rock Paper Scissors by Aruze Gaming America Inc.
Aruze Gaming’s new game Rock Paper Scissors brings an engaging choice to slot players.
Users choose between the three signs, each with their own button. Players receive a rotating prize with each win. A tie results in a rematch at no extra cost. Instead, the prize value rises with each tie, up to five times.
The game is one of Aruze’s examples of “active play,” or random number generator-based games that involve the player beyond the “bet” button.
McKenna Ross is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Contact her at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on Twitter.
