The IGT Slot Machine Guide

The year 1981 was a pivotal year in gambling history. Not only did that year usher in a new player in the gambling industry, International Game Technology (IGT), but it also marked the first year that slot revenues exceeded revenues from table games. This shift ushered in a new age of casino gambling - away from the James Bond table game casinos and into the age of the slot machine. This shift also marked the rise of IGT. Today IGT the largest manufacturer of slot machines and video poker machines in the United States. However, this wasn't always the case.

Slot Machines Before IGT

Prior to the 1980s, slot machines were mostly mechanical affairs. Mechanical slot machines worked well but were limited in a number of ways. Mechanical slot machines offered limited jackpots because the number of reels and pictures on those reels were limited by size constraints. To decrease the odds of winning a jackpot, more combinations were needed. However, in a mechanical slot machine, the combinations were dictated by the size and number of reels. Larger reels offered more combinations but their sheer bulk was prohibitive. A new system was needed to take slot machines out of the mechanical age.

Slot Machines in the Digital Age

Enter the random number generator. The random number generator was and still is a computer chip that does exactly what it says - it generates random numbers. These random numbers could then be used to determine the outcome of a slot machine pull. In other words, the outcome of a play was no longer mechanically determined. It was decided the instant the random number generator generated its numbers. These numbers then corresponded to pictures on the reels. The reels would stop where the numbers determined. This little chip revolutionized the casino business, turning casinos into mazes filled with slot machines.

Despite the advance in technology, most slots manufacturers still made slot machines that looked and sounded like the older slot machines. IGT would come along and change that.

IGT Thinks Progressive

In 1986, IGT introduced the first progressive slot machine - Megabucks. Where once slot machines were tied to their reels to limit jackpot size, now IGT had a machine in which every time someone played the machine, no matter where they played it, the jackpot would increase (until of course someone won the jackpot.) Progressive slots with their growing jackpots enticed more players to play slots. This in turn increased demand for IGT slot machines.

IGT Expansion

IGT began growing to meet the increased demand for its products. As IGT grew it began purchasing other slot machine manufacturers. During the 1990s, IGT formed a partnership with Anchor Gaming and then acquired the company outright in 2001. As slot machine companies consolidated during the 2000s, IGT led the way. Silicon Gaming and Acres Gaming were purchased by IGT in 2003. In 2005 IGT purchased WagerWorks.

The IGT Formula

IGT quickly realized the opportunities that new digital technology created within the slot machine industry. In addition to progressive slots, video slots offered players bonus rounds, fun animations, more lines and more playing combinations. All of these features coupled with IGT's aggressive move to incorporate TV and movie franchises into slot machines, helped make IGT the leader in slot machine manufacturing today.

Some Popular IGT Slot Machines

Chances are, if you've played a casino slot machine, you've played a machine made by IGT. Some of the most popular IGT slot machines include:

Wheel of Fortune

Cleopatra

Double Diamond

Elvis Slots

Red White and Blue Slots

Alien Slots

Enchanted Unicorn

Texas Tea

The Price is Right

Indiana Jones Slots and many more.