One could call this game a showcase of Bally’s new technology. Money Vault features the manufacturer’s new Alpha 2 platform, on the new “Hammerhead” upright cabinet. That’s the cabinet with the 32-inch horizontal top box, designed so the top boxes touch when several are lined up side-to-side, to create a unique visual spectacle.

The top box is centered by a display Bally calls the “Super Pointer,” a large top-center arrow that sends out full-color LED lighting effects, high-definition video and customer game sounds.

The game also includes a 3D version of “U-Spin, the “gesture control” technology that allows the player to physically spin a video bonus wheel, which spins at a speed determined by the force applied by the player.

All of this is applied to a base 40-line video slot featuring “Directional Wilds,” wild symbols sporting an arrow, which expand in the direction of the arrow to make other symbols wild. According to the manufacturer, this occurs every six spins, on average.

The U-Spin Wheel Feature occurs every 72 spins, on average. The player gets one spin on the 3D wheel, to win credits or free spins. If the player has bet the maximum 200 credits, the top wide-area progressive is available on the wheel. It resets at $1 million.

If the player lands the free-spin slice on the bonus wheel, the initial award is 10 free games. However, that can increase by landing bonus symbols on a free spin, up to a maximum of 50 free spins. Additionally, there are stacked wilds in the bonus round—according to the manufacturer, they take up 10 percent of the bonus reels.

Manufacturer: Bally Technologies

Platform: Alpha 2

Format: Five-reel, 40-line video slot

Denomination: .01

Max Bet: 200

Top Award: Progressive;

$1 million reset

Hit Frequency: 41.65%

Theoretical Hold: 6.05%—14.57%

By Frank Legato

Frank Legato is editor of Casino Connection and also editor of Global Gaming Business magazine. He has been writing on gaming topics since 1984, when he launched and served as editor of Casino Gaming magazine. Legato, a nationally recognized expert on slot machines, has served as editor and reporter for a variety of gaming publications, including Public Gaming, IGWB, Casino Journal, Casino Player, Strictly Slots and Atlantic City Insider. He has an B.A. in journalism and an M.A. in communications from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. He is the author of the recently published book on gaming, How To Win Millions Playing Slot Machines... Or Lose Trying.