Manufacturer: AC Coin & Slot
Platform: Mega Bonus Slots; IGT S2000
Format: Five-reel, 25-line stepper slot
Denomination: .01, .02
Max Bet: 25-500 (configurable)
Top Award: 4,500 times line bet
Hit Frequency: Approximately 50%
Theoretical Hold: 10%-12%

This is the latest incarnation of AC Coin's popular "Big Game Show" series of slots that contain bonus rounds set up like a game show board. The base game is the five-reel, 25-line penny stepper version of IGT's "Triple Stars," which features multiplying wild symbols and multiple "7" combinations in the pay table.

The bonus round plays out on a 21-inch LCD video screen in the top box. The bonus board displays a giant reel containing seven award values and a devil character. The big reel is surrounded by 14 squares displaying the same values and devil character.

When the bonus is triggered, the machine's sound system blares the 1970s KC & the Sunshine Band hit "That's The Way (I Like It)" as a number of spins appears on a meter. The large reel spins as the squares flash bonus values at random. When the reel stops, if the value matches the game-card amount, it is a "spot hit," and that value is added to an accumulating bonus. If the devils match, the award is determined at random. Devil awards range from 60 credits to 1,000 credits.

Additional credit awards are won by completing the displayed amounts in a row on the board, or completing the entire game card. If spins on the reel remain when the game card is full, an additional 50 credits are awarded.

The Big Game Show slots have generally received heavy play because of the frequency of the bonus rounds. They occur every 45 spins on average, with an average bonus pay of 362 credits.

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.