WHEEL…….
OF…….
FORTUNE!
Yes, it’s the 20th anniversary of the Wheel of Fortune Slot Machine.
When the casino is quiet, you can hear it call out to you ….. “Wheel of Fortune.”
It has been twenty years since players first heard that familiar audience chant—“Wheel…of…FORTUNE!”—come out of a slot machine. It’s manufacturer, International Game Technology (IGT), now owned by Scientific Gaming, has released sequel upon sequel, in video, reel-spinning and hybrid versions, and with every new version, the original concept seems brand-new.
This three wheel video slot is popular in casinos at this time.
Peter Hand is quoted as saying “The innovation that made this game a success was the wheel secondary game. When the WoF was introduced, very few slots had a secondary game. The video slots with secondary games that are common today didn’t exist back then and the addition of the wheel was a great attraction. WoF was not the first slot with this feature, but combining it with the popular and instantly recognizable Wheel of Fortune theme and a huge wide area jackpot set it apart from the rest.”
The original slot machine has the look and feel of a standard slot. The slot game had 3-reels with a “spin the wheel” moment when presented with a chance to win the jackpot. The button featured on the slot game is like the one used in the actual TV game show.
It’s not just playing it that attracts people, it’s a people watcher as well. Upon hearing that famous chant “Wheel…of…FORTUNE!” people usually turn to see where the wheel will land, literally stopping to watch the end result.
Stan Rogers, in his article “HISTORY OF WHEEL OF FORTUNE SLOT” states that “There are over 200 land-based slot variants of Wheel of Fortune. The more basic games include Five Times Pay; Double Diamond; and Red, White and Blue. It is not easy to determine the actual dates the variants came out but some of them are listed below. Note that Wheel of Fortune slot machines have bets of 1¢, 25¢, $1, $5, $25 and $100.
The first video version.
Wheel of Fortune variants played in most brick and mortar casinos have so many different variations in reel numbers, reels vs. video, sizes, and number of screens that any casino, small or large, usually has many different games on the property. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a traditional land-based casino that doesn’t feature the Wheel of Fortune slots game (in some form) prominently on the floor.
One of the newest coming to casinos soon – Wheel of Fortune® Double Diamond® True 3D
You might find that it’s well worth playing; most fans of the game show also love the slot machine. The bonus features and design of the game are as slick and polished as any other gaming machine you’ll see anywhere in the world.
Online variations, or free online versions of your favorite WofF are also available at the click of a keystroke.
PLEASE NOTE – as in all linked progressive slots, you MUST play MAX bet to have a chance at the big Jackpot.
This franchise of slots can be expected to continue to re-invent itself with additional 3D, player control, and interface innovations that keep pace with the ever changing slot machine landscape. But today, we can say “Happy Anniversary” to IGT and
“Wheel…of…FORTUNE!”
That’s all for now.
Binbin