IGT Slots
International Gaming Technology, better known as IGT, is a casino software design company. IGT was at one time the biggest slot game manufacturer and designer in the world, thanks to the purchase of one of their biggest competitors, WagerWorks, in 2005. WagerWorks officially became part of IGT in 2011. As of this writing, IGT offers more than 100 slot titles at dozens of popular online gaming sites. Thanks to their Reel Touch line of slots available in land-based casinos, they are one of the more innovative gaming designers; touch screens are all the rage in all sorts of tech, from handheld phones to interactive retail store kiosks. Their online slots also contain the most-loved features of Internet machine gamblers such as stacked wilds, multi-way winners, and lots of chances for free spins.
IGT is an American company with headquarter in Las Vegas. Though they are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol IGT) and based in the US, Americans no longer have access to online IGT titles because of the language in the anti-online gaming UIGEA bill in 2006.
IGT lists their return to player percentages on their website, though it is unclear how recently these figures were tallied. Still, this sort of transparency is nice, even if the info is a bit out of date. As of this writing, each game’s RTP is between 90% and 98%, but you should take these figures with a grain of salt. After all, it is in International Gaming Technology’s best interest to make their games look as profitable as possible.
Play IGT Slot Machines
IGT & Traditional Casino Slots
Most of the land-based slot machines you’ll find on casino floors around the world are produced by IGT. The company does a wonderful job of porting their most popular brick and mortar games to online versions, so it is easy to find an Internet title based on a slot you played and enjoyed in a real casino.
If you spend much time playing traditional slots in land-based casinos, you’ll recognize most of IGT’s online titles right away. This company has a few progressive slots as part of their online game network, known as MegaJackpot progressives. IGT has fallen behind their competition in terms of offering progressive jackpot games, with other designers listing dozens of progressive jackpot titles, so this is one area where IGT could improve.
Examples of IGT Slots
Lucky Larry’s Lobstermania – Lucky Larry’s Lobstermania is one of IGT’s land-based slots that has made its way to the online gaming world. This machine pops off the screen thanks to the weird theme; a strange-looking lobster character that constantly appears as part of the game’s action. Lucky Larry’s Lobstermania is a five reel slot with twenty-five paylines. Betting options go up to three credits per line, meaning you can wager as much as 75 credits per spin. The top jackpot listed on the payout table is 10,000 credits, but you can multiply that total by five if you line up five Lucky Larry symbols, so in reality the best win on this title is a nice prize of 50,000 credits. This game offers multiple bonus chances, and thanks to that top payout of 50,000 credits, the lack of a progressive jackpot doesn’t make the game any less exciting for slot gamblers.
A word about the main character: Lucky Larry is a sort of lobster/pirate/fisherman hybrid: he smokes a pipe, wears a sailor’s traditional uniform, and exhibits the unpredictable behavior of a pirate. He has to be seen to be believed.
In land-based casinos, Lobstermania slots are one of IGT’s Reel Touch games, so the player interface is different from what you get at traditional slot gaming. You interact with the game by literally touching different areas of the play screen.
There are two bonus games: you trigger the Great Lobster Escape game by lining up three or more caged lobster symbols anywhere on any active payline. These are the game’s scatter symbols that trigger a fun bonus game in which you attempt to help the lobsters get away from the lobster fishermen’s pots.
The other bonus game is called Buoy Bonus, and it is triggered when you line up three Lobstermania symbols from left to right on an active payline. The game works like this: buoy symbols appear on the screen, and tied to each is a lobster trap. When you pick a buoy, you’ll catch a certain number of lobsters, each of which leads to a different bonus prize. These bonuses add up over time to increase your payout. Pick a buoy that reveals a Game Over logo, and the bonus is finished.
Little Green Men – IGT’s Little Green Men game is a five reel machine with twenty paylines. You can play as much as 100 coins per spin, so high rollers that like to gamble at slots can literally bet hundreds of dollars per spin. Of course, you can also spend far less than that, meaning the game’s cost is quite flexible, and gamblers with bankrolls of all different sizes can play.
This video slot machine doesn’t require a maximum bet to qualify you for the top prize. The max bet is five coins per line, but playing just one coin on each of the twenty paylines will still earn you a shot at the top jackpot of 50,000 coins.
As you might expect from the name, Little Green Men has an alien theme. Like other IGT titles, this game has a main character, a cute little alien named Purple Flash. Purple Flash has three eyes and even though his name might imply otherwise, he is indeed a little green man driving a cool looking convertible UFO around the screen.
The appearance of Purple Flash should get gamblers excited, since he can trigger big wins. When Purple Flash shows up, he’ll start shooting his ray gun at the symbols on your reels, which morphs them into wild symbols that can turn losing spins into winning combos. If you are lucky enough for Purple Flash to match three wild symbols, you win a special bonus, which varies depending on your bet size and the symbols you spin.