Betty Boop's Love Meter

Manufacturer: Bally Technologies
Platform: Alpha II Pro Series
Format: Five-reel, 40-line video slot
Denomination: .01
Max Bet: 300
Top Award: Progressive; $1 million reset
Hit Frequency: 43%
Theoretical Hold: 12.22%—12.32%

This rejuvenation of the classic Betty Boop theme is the first contribution from one of the newest additions to Bally’s design team, Michael Gottlieb (of the family that was once the chief rival to Bally in the pinball business).

The “Love Meter” theme was released around a decade ago in a mechanical top-box game. Here, it appears in the new Pro Series upright cabinet, with a vertical top-box LCD screen used both for displaying multiple progressive jackpots and for the classic carnival-style “strength-test” bonus event, to measure the player’s “love prowess.”

This also is one of the first Bally slots to employ the new “iDECK” button panel, which sets up the wagering buttons on a touch-screen LCD that doubles as a third video screen for bonuses.

The base 40-line game includes a quick on-screen bonus, and this is accompanied by a boatload of second-screen events in addition to the main top-box bonus. Three purse symbols cause the screen to display three purses—the player picks one to reveal a credit award. Three “Love Meter” symbols trigger the top-box display to flash among nine possible outcomes, including the two bottom progressives.

The “Unlock Betty’s Heart” feature has the player picking from three lockets for a credit value. There are four possible free-spin features—one free spin with three wild reels, five free games at a 5X multiplier, 10 free games and 20 free games. The “Light Up Betty’s Life” feature awards the player six picks from a matrix of unlit light bulbs. As the player reveals credit awards, the “Amp Meter” moves into a red zone to award a bonus.

The main “Love Meter” bonus is “How Hot Are You?” This employs the iDECK panel as a touch-screen display—the player places his hands on the display to register a credit value showing the player’s “romantic potential.”

The top progressive, a wide-area million-dollar prize; and the secondary progressive, resetting at $1,000, are won through line jackpots with the maximum wager.