Are Cabinet Slots Alive? What Are the Top Providers of Modern Cabinet Slots?
Online slot machines make up the most popular games in the gambling industry. They are so popular that almost all new studios develop slot games exclusively for online casinos. But if you are an old-school player and want to continue playing on classic slot machines, don’t worry – the biggest companies in the industry still continue to produce games for land-based casinos. In fact, some big brands like IGT choose to develop new games first for land-based gaming, then adapt them to online gaming. So, if you want to play offline slots, which developers should you choose? Which companies still offer these games today? We have selected the most popular cabinet slot providers for you.
Aristocrat Gaming
Aristocrat Gaming is one of Australia’s largest companies and has been manufacturing games and equipment for land-based casinos for almost 70 years. We can even say that it is almost the largest company in the world in this regard. Although it started developing online slots in the 2000s, land-based cabinet slots still remain the company’s core product. Aristocrat was founded in 1953 and has gained a reputation throughout Australia with the “Clubmaster” brand. It also produced the world’s first poker machine with fully lit reels and a scorecard.
The company started producing for Nevada casinos in 1960 and developed many legendary games. Wild West, in 1979, was the first game to bring the company international success. In the 1980s, Aristocrat started to produce cabinet slots under the “Microstar” brand. You can still see this brand in some Las Vegas casinos. In the ’90s, the company started to work with European casinos under the “MK Gaming System” brand and became one of the first companies to offer wide-area jackpot machines with “Hyperlink” technology. The Hyperlink was so successful that it enabled Aristocrat to be traded on the stock market. Aristocrat still continues to produce offline slots today and owns the license rights of many famous brands such as The Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy, Game of Thrones and Big Bang Theory.
Ainsworth
Ainsworth is another company based in Australia, and it places more emphasis on cabinet slot machines compared to online games. It was founded by Len Ainsworth in 1995 and had been producing classic cabinets until 2001. This year, with its product line called Ambassador, it gained worldwide popularity and started to be used in both European and USA casinos. The Ambassador offers players an immersive experience thanks to its unique design using vertical and high-resolution screens. Nowadays, you can see these machines (or their upgraded SL models) in almost every casino in the world.
With the introduction of A560SL and A600 branded cabinets, New Zealand and Latin American casinos also started working with Ainsworth. Players Paradise, Quadshot Wide Boy, and Reels of Wheels are among the most famous games using these cabinets. Unlike many other companies, Ainsworth continued to manufacture in 2020 and developed the A-STAR series: these double-screened cabinets take up almost no space thanks to their ultra-thin form. When land-based casinos reopen after COVID-19, you can be sure that you’ll see A-STAR cabinets almost everywhere.
IGT
International Game Technologies entered the gambling industry with cabinet slot machines and still continues to produce them. In fact, this is the main goal of the company. As we mentioned above, it develops new slot games primarily for land-based casinos and adapts the most popular ones to online casinos. In other words, you can find the latest IGT slots only in land-based casinos. There are many famous cabinet series produced by IGT: the S3000 series includes classic cabinets with a lever on the side. The PeakSlant series offers cabinets with curved screens, while the Mage Tower series offers flashy terminals with double screens. It is also possible to find many other cabinets with different features such as AXXIS, Cobalt and Crystal Curve.
IGT’s most famous cabinet game, Megabucks slots, is using CrystalDual technology: developed only for land-based casinos, this progressive jackpot slot has a grand prize of $10 million. IGT offers a wide variety when it comes to classic clots, and you can find any theme you like: from pirates to pharaohs, the possibilities are truly limitless.
In addition to cabinet slots, IGT produces poker terminals, electronic table games and casino management systems. It also offers betting terminals to land-based casinos. If you like to play in Las Vegas, you already played at least 10 offline slots made by IGT: being a US-based company, IGT is the largest provider of cabinet slots and other casino equipment in this country.