The Wheel of Fortune slot machine

Filed under: Hall of Fame, Slot Knowledge, Slot Machines

The Wheel of Fortune slot machine is made by IGT (International Game Technology).  They license the right to use the Wheel of Fortune name for the owners of the intellectual property of the great TV show made by the late great Merv Griffin.   King Show Games owns the rights through its subsidiary and just licenses it to IGT.wheeloffortunepatentimage

There are many versions of the slot machines available on casino floors across the US.  They range from penny games to $5 denominations.

They use the graphics from the TV game including all of the look and feel of the letters from the TV game.   The most important feature is of course the wheel itself.   It acts as a bonus round that triggers a large wheel above the screen or reels.

As you can tell, IGT is very proud of the game as it accounts for a significant proportion of its revenues.  Normally, they do not sell the game to casinos; it is only available as a share of the revenue.   They rent it out rather than sell it.

Here is the good news about the Wheel of Fortune game in casinos in the US:

  • It is everywhere, in almost every casino.
  • The wheel bonus is fun to play.
  • It often has a huge prize of half million or 1 to 10 million dollars or more.
  • Like other games with large prizes you have a chance to win enough money to really change your quality of life.

Here is the bad news:

  • Because the prize is so big your likelihood of hitting it is less than hitting a typical smaller prize.
  • Because IGT charges so much for it, it often pays less to the player.  (This varies by game type).

Here is the bottom line with the Wheel of Fortune game.  It has been the most single successful game in the business.   It has this success because of the great name, the familiarity that people have with the TV show, and the great wheel bonus.   And IGT has done something truly great with the game by continually updating it and giving it new features, giving it more reels, more lines, smaller denominations.  They even introduced a gigantic wheel that was over 12 foot across that all the players sitting around it would enter the bonus.

The “Wheel Patents” are some of the most highly contested in the gaming industry.  IGT and Bally have been in fights over this top wheel feature for years.

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