Why Licensed Slots Continue to Dominate

Online Casino Market experts will discuss the latest market trends and talk about the importance of offering certified gambling entertainment.

Today, some manufacturers have chosen to downplay the role of licensed products and focus on developing proprietary solutions with unique themes, and some of these releases have become extremely popular among players.

Companies like Aruze Gaming, Cadillac Jack, Incredible Technologies, and Multimedia Gaming have followed this path, largely abandoning the use of content based on licences or dedicated to third-party topics. Nevertheless, many providers continue to look for inspiration in certified media streams.

Moreover, slot machines built on official game shows or table entertainment remain in high demand, as the experience of Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader from American Gaming Systems and Konami Gaming's product line dedicated to dungeons and dragons demonstrates.

Blockbuster movies and commercial TV shows are also a valuable source of new ideas, as evidenced by WMS Gaming's Lord of the Rings and Ellen DeGeneres Show, released by International Game Technologies.

Pop stars are also fertile ground, for example, Aristocrat’s Britney Spears-themed slot and Bally Technologies' product line dedicated to Michael Jackson.

Recently, there has been a boom in licensed games based on successful TV programs, such as WMS Gaming's Mad Men solution and The Walking Dead entertainment by Aristocrat.

In an attempt to tap into the nostalgia of middle-aged players, manufacturers are acquiring previously licensed properties and developing slots based on old films, such as Ainsworth Technologies' The Magnificent 7, and TV shows, most notably Bally's Wonder Woman.

The desire to create skill-based content for younger gamblers has also led to the appearance of new devices that obtained permits from well-known video franchises, such as Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies from GTECH.

In fact, the list of licensed slot machines offered by providers seems endless and constantly growing. To help organise this chaos, Online Casino Market experts have compiled a brief summary of the most popular slots presented by different companies.

International Game Technology (IGT)

The list of the vendor’s successful products includes:

• Avatar;
• Jurassic Park;
• Ghostbusters;
• Jeopardy;
• Sex and the City;
• Dolly Parton;
• Batman;
• Centipede;
• Beverly Hillbillies;
• Family Guy;
• Back to the Future;
• CSI.

Throughout its history, IGT, part of the GTECH group, has been focused on licensed slots. The brand experienced a significant business breakthrough nearly 20 years ago when it signed a contract with Sony Pictures to obtain a permit for the Wheel of Fortune television game show.

Since its launch in 1996, 200 versions of this entertainment have been created, generating over $3 billion in jackpots, including the largest payout ever ($14 million), and making 954 players millionaires in 19 states.

The catalogue of IGT also includes 2 licensed slots about The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The provider worked closely with the program leaders to develop unique content. It took them almost a year to achieve this goal.

Tokidoki releases are another attempt by the company to use a licensed product to attract the target audience. These cartoon characters decorate clothing, bags, cosmetics, accessories, and other lifestyle products, mostly in Asia.

WMS GAMING

The most popular slots of this brand are:

• Iron Man;
• Wizard of Oz;
• Battleship;
• The Lord of the Rings;
• Clue;
• The Price is Right;
• Star Trek;
• Game of Life;
• I Love Lucy;
• KISS;
• The Jetsons;
• Top Gun;
• Yahtzee;
• Willie Wonka.

Like IGT, WMS Gaming struck gold with a series of slots based on Monopoly back in 1997. The last solution in this series is Monopoly Luxury Diamonds, released in the summer of 2014.

Thanks to an additional agreement between Hasbro (the creator of this product) and Scientific Games, the company and WMS Interactive can now create online and social entertainment based on its first hit.

The brand also expanded its lottery offerings and launched Monopoly Millionaires Club, an interstate game that incorporates elements of the TV show.

Playing on the feeling of nostalgia, WMS released The Flintstones slot, which contains all the sounds, scenery, and characters of the beloved animated series of the sixties.

The Gamefield xD solution features a 42-inch horizontal screen above a 32-inch vertical one with a mechanical wheel and a main round that includes the Bamm-Bamm and Dino the Dinosaur bonuses.

The company also released new slot machines based on the Gremlins film and the sitcom Austin Powers that was popular in the 1990s.

Pop stars were in demand as well, with WMS releasing entertainment dedicated to Elvis Presley and Elton John. The provider also acquired the licence for Mad Men, the famous TV show.

Bally Technologies

The brand is known for such releases as Titanic, David Copperfield, Michael Jackson, Grease, NASCAR, Betty Boop, ZZ Top, Pawn Stars, and The Beach Boys.

The enterprise, recently acquired by Scientific Games, was not as big a player in the regulated industry as IGT and WMS, but it has quite successful products.

For the past 15 years, Bally has supported a licensing agreement with Playboy Enterprises International, the media company popularised by Playboy magazine. This collaboration has resulted in a set of content, including Playboy Hot Zone, Playboy Muy Caliente, Playboy Platinum, Playboy Prizeball, and Playboy Club.

The manufacturer recently expanded this product line with themed slots dedicated to superstar singer Pitbull, who has entered into a marketing partnership with Playboy Enterprises.

Bally also created a buzz at the G2E event with the debut of the Wonder Woman release, based on the legendary 1970s TV series of the same name.

Aristocrat Technologies

The list of the vendor’s certified content includes:

• The Walking Dead;
• Tarzan;
• Batman The Classic TV Series;
• Rolling Stones;
• Phantom;
• The Mummy;
• Flashdance;
• Mission Impossible;
• Jaws.

After the success of The Walking Dead, the company presented another solution based on the television series Sons of Anarchy. The slot boasts ultra-high-resolution graphics, panoramic, adjustable 3D sound, and an ergonomic design that enhances the betting experience.

Aristocrat also created such extremely popular options — The Big Bang Theory and Game of Thrones.

GTech

Its most popular slots are Deal Or No Deal, King Kong, Bejeweled, Zuma, and Plants vs. Zombies.

Thanks to cooperation with PopCap Gaming, the company is focused on 2 types of products: television shows and social video entertainment.

American Gaming Systems (AGS)

The brand is known for the following releases:

• Ripley's Believe It or Not!;
• Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader.

AGS's licensed content is devoted to the theme of trivia, which is offered at the end of bonus rounds.

Konami Gaming

The Dungeons & Dragons-themed release that can be found within the framework of the Podium Monument slot machine is based on the classic 1970s table entertainment. Neo Contra was the first solution to demonstrate gambling options created by the parent company.

Ainsworth Game Technology

The list of the most in-demand products includes:

• The Magnificent 7;
• Showgirls;
• The Sound of Music.

The first item of the catalogue is dedicated to the classic Western of the same name. It is characterised by a standard four-level progressive jackpot and a Wheel Winner bonus. The game was so successful that the company released a new version, The Magnificent 7 Reloaded.

The Main Things about Licensed Slots

They are still considered the most reliable and popular solutions in the gambling industry. To achieve success, operators should definitely include these products in their portfolios.

The Online Casino Market studio offers its clients the most modern content of the highest quality.

From us, it is also possible to order the following useful options:

• turnkey platform;
• White Label portal;
• security software;
• marketing tools, and much more.

Order a service