Add SGIC to the mix of movers. At a 52 week low, just announced that wide-area gaming (slots) is going live.
SILICON GAMING WIDE AREA PROGRESSIVE GOES LIVE;
Big Win Installations Begin in Las Vegas Casinos
PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicon Gaming, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGIC), the innovative manufacturer of
multi-media slot machines, is launching its first wide area progressive game, the Big Win. With its final regulatory
approvals in hand, Silicon is flipping the switch on its multi-million dollar network backbone and will begin the
rapid deployment of a limited first run of 200 units.
The Big Win is a feature-rich, multi-line, multi-coin progressive. "We feel we took the best from two of the hottest
slot categories, then added a few tricks of our own," commented Alison Stroh, Vice President of Multi-Player
Systems for Silicon Gaming. "Our product offers a familiar yet sophisticated method of play, a two-tiered,
three-game bonus structure, and a top award that resets at $250,000.
In choosing the Big Win as Silicon's first wide area link, the Company hopes to ride the wave of popularity that
the multi-line, multi-coin category is presently enjoying. "We believe the beauty of this particular game model is
that it appeals to two very different segments of the slot playing audience," observed Andrew Pascal, Executive
Vice President of Marketing and Game Development. "Depending on how the customers bet, they can play for
frequent small awards, larger jackpots that occur less often, or some combination of the two. In the past, it was
an 'either/or' proposition for the player."
The Big Win was first introduced in October at the 1998 World Gaming Congress. As a result of the game's
showing, Silicon was able to place its initial offering in 17 Las Vegas casinos. The Big Win installations,
complimented by special signage, slot stands and seating, can be found at the following southern Nevada
locations: Bally's, Barbary Coast, Frontier, Gold Coast, Golden Nugget, Harrah's Las Vegas, Imperial Palace, Las
Vegas Hilton, Mirage, New York-New York, Rio, Sahara, Sam's Town, Stardust, Stratosphere, Treasure Island,
and Tropicana.
For Silicon Gaming, the Big Win is the first product to utilize the Company's sophisticated network infrastructure.
"We brought all of our technological expertise to bear," noted Stroh, "and developed a back-end system with
capabilities that extend far beyond the network's present use. For us, the Big Win is a stepping-off point into a
potentially exciting new realm of multi-user wagering experiences."
Multi-Line, Multi-Coin Gets Better
Silicon Gaming believes it has created a significantly enhanced
version of the currently popular multi-line slot product. The most
notable enhancement is the redesigned player interface. Multi-line
games typically employ a rectangular, 3x5 grid with zig-zag paylines.
Silicon has replaced this front end with a square, 4x4 grid. The
result: Players get ten paylines and each one is perfectly straight.
"We believe this makes the game much easier to play," asserted Pascal,
"and it has allowed us to introduce other elements into the experience.
The Big Win offers players greater control over their wagers. They can
bet up to five coins per payline and can independently select which
lines are active and the number of coins wagered on each." The new
interface and game controls are only the beginning. Silicon's Big Win
offers a host of other features that include three bonus levels with a
double-or-nothing option; two scatter-pay awards; and the first ever
buy-a-symbol progressive jackpot.
Three Bonus Games
When three or more bonus symbols appear, the Big Win bonus arrow
spins and eventually stops on one of three bonus games. If Ka' Plunko
is chosen, an award puck bounces down through a field of pins and comes
to rest in one of the lucky bonus bins. Each bin is labeled with a
bonus jackpot amount. Players win the amount indicated on the bin in
which the puck lands. If the bonus arrow stops on Pik 'N Match,
players search for matching awards. When two jackpots of the same
value are chosen, that amount is paid. If the arrow points to Instant
Win, players win a randomly determined award amount. After hitting a
bonus award, if players still feel lucky, they can play the Double or
Nothing Bonus-Bonus round! With a 2-out-of-3 chance to double their
award, players can risk it all for what's behind door number one, door
number two, or door number three.
Silicon Gaming, Inc. is an industry leader in the design and manufacture of innovative slot machines. The
Company's Odyssey(R) and Quest(TM) games are found in nearly every major gaming market across the US.
Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, the Company is traded on NASDAQ as SGIC.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements
that involve risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual results may
differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking
statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are
not limited to, the Company's dependence on a single product, risk of
technical errors in the Company's product, uncertain market acceptance
of the Company's product, the Company's management of its growth,
expectation of losses, capital requirements, regulatory approval of the
Company's product, intense competition, rapidly changing technology,
dependence on key personnel and those other risks identified in the
Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997 and Forms 10-Q
for the quarters ended March 31, June 30 and September 30, 1998.
For more information on Silicon Gaming, visit our website at
silicongaming.com
SOURCE Silicon Gaming, Inc.
12/03/98 /CONTACT: At The Company:
Tom Carlson, CFO (Analysts), 650-842-9000, or Susan Berry (Investor
Relations), 650-798-7798, or For the Media: David Pascal,
650-842-9086, all of Silicon Gaming, Inc./
/Web site: silicongaming.com (SGIC)
CO: Silicon Gaming, Inc. ST: California IN: CNO SU: PDT |
