Almost everyone is excited about the return of the first in-person gaming-industry event this week in Las Vegas. But perhaps no one is more anxious to be back in person than Matt Wilson, CEO of the gaming business unit for Scientific Games.
Wilson came over from Aristocrat Gaming, arriving about the same time that the pandemic shut down the industry in March 2020. While that was a year almost everyone would like to forget, Wilson says they still made a lot of positive changes at his company and this show is where it will … show.
“It’s a celebration for the entire industry,” he says, “It’s an opportunity for us to get back together again. I love seeing customers face to face while showing new products.”
If you’ve met Wilson, you know how enthusiastic he can get, especially when he has news. “This year we’ve got a big story to share with a new team here at Sci Games, a new chairman (Jamie Odell), a new vision, and lots of new product that we’re excited to get in front of the industry.”
Two of those new products are slot cabinets. Those aren’t always earth-shaking, but Scientific Games has had a good track record with cabinets. They changed the slot world forever when they first used curved video screens in almost every shape and size. Two of their revolutionary products, the TwinStar Wave XL and the TwinStar J43, ushered in a host of clones and both boxes are still ranked in the top five on all the performance indexes years after their introduction. So when they launch a new (or enhanced) cabinet, they’re always worth seeing.
One of them is Kascada, the latest evolution of the portrait J43 cabinet with several enhanced features and a strong game library building on popular themes. Perhaps the most important upgrade is a new processor, the next-generation Salem CPU that smooths animations and provides crystal-clear graphics. A host of themes is available, including spinoffs of popular legacy titles like Zeus, Dancing Drums, Quick Hits, and 88 Fortunes. Depending on the theme, the cabinet will be available “for sale” or in “premium” and wide-area progressive (WAP) configurations. The Wizard of OZ – Over The Rainbow is one of those WAPs.
It’s especially encouraging that Scientific Games has added some features on Kascada aimed at making life easier for operators, especially the techs. The main door hinge was always popular, but it has been improved by re-configuring components to place them all in plain sight for easy access. Likewise, the player-tracking mounting for this game and the new Mural (mentioned below) are all standard for easier installation.
At 129” tall, you can’t miss Scientific Games’ newest cabinet, Mural. It features two 55” curved monitors stacked vertically to give an impressive 110” of display. The stacked concept is not new, but again, the Mural executes the concept with a host of new upgrades, including a powerful processor. The touchscreen iDeck button panel has always been spacious, allowing for twin “bash” buttons and an inductive cellphone-charging feature. The main game screen is also “touchable” for great player interaction. But the big news is the themes. Mural has launched with a new 88 Fortunes – Emperor’s Coins to join the popular Willy Wonka.
Scientific Games made a radical change in their tradeshow presentations before the pandemic by debuting a completely enclosed booth. While it got mixed reviews, it was an interesting new twist that quickly became a must-see. This year, it’s completely different.
Like many manufacturers, they worked around the restrictions of 2020 by taking their products on the road with mobile marketing in customer’s parking lots. This summer, the enclosed tradeshow booth is gone. In a bit of innovation (and practicality), they’ve rolled their mobile rig onto the exhibit floor.
Their 50’ X 80’ booth also contains a host of other new products, from specialty table games, Class II machines on a new server platform, system enhancements (including Unified Wallet), shufflers, and electronic table games (ETGs).
Wilson says, “ETGs are a trend that’s accelerated off the back of COVID and assisting with today’s labor shortages. I think we’re just at the start of a bit of an aggressive phase on ETGs, and the events of 2020 pushed many to think more about them.” Scientific Games has been one of the leaders in this category.
They’re displaying all their latest ETGs, including the new Table Master Quartz, at Booth # 1023 just off the main-entrance aisle.
