Slot manufacturer American Gaming Systems announced it has entered into a licensing agreement with International Gamco, Inc. to use the “Cherry Master” brand of video gaming titles in Illinois. AGS will reconfigure the titles to meet the requirements of Illinois’ Video Gaming Act.
AGS has been proceeding with its plans to be a major supplier under the 2009 video gaming law, even though the law is tied up in the state Supreme Court in a constitutional challenge. Should the challenge fail, bars, taverns and other locations would be authorized to operate a total of 40,000 to 50,000 machines throughout the state.
The Cherry Master titles are already popular in the state’s bars, with an estimated 30,000 titles placed as grey-area amusement games over the past 15 years. AGS plans to take graphic elements and game-play mechanics from the games, already familiar to players, and place them into video lottery terminals for placement under the 2009 law.
“We listened to our customers—those who will be placing machines throughout Illinois—and it was clear that they believe retaining the Cherry Master brand and re-launching it for the VGA will strike a familiar chord with players all over the state,” said Robert L. Miodunski, CEO of AGS. “We believe adding the Cherry Master series of titles to our already-growing library of content specifically for Illinois will provide superior entertainment for players and a strong revenue stream for operators.”
