Most of the world’s major slot machine makers are based in the United States, and they export their games all over the world. Among them are such powerhouses as IGT, Bally and WMS Gaming. But they do face regional competition from providers like Komani in Japan, Aristocrat in Australia and Germany’s Atronic Slots, among others.
In the United Kingdom, slots manufacturers have long been something of a cottage industry, concentrating mainly on the production of “pub slots,” or so-called “fruit machines,” which are hugely popular in British taverns. Following are some the U.K.’s most famous brands and a sampling of their games, most of which are rarely seen globally. Many of the makers offer products for both the AWP (amusement with prizes) and SWP (skill with prizes) markets.
OnlinePokerRealMoney.co.uk tries to dispel some legal confusions stemming from passage of George Bush's UIGEA of 2006 . Federal status seems to depend on interpretation of the wire act and other laws which were crafted many years ago and which remained high level in nature. The United Kingdom has much clearer laws including their own real money gambling commission .
ACE – Based in Cardiff, South Wales, Ace Coin Entertainments Ltd. (ACE) pioneered such classic pub slots as Pot of Gold and Robin Hood. Today, their top sellers in the U.K. are “Multi-slots,” such as Multi Vegas and Multi 500, containing a compendium of games for all categories of application from casinos to pubs, bingo clubs and arcades. Most recently, ACE has branched out to Spain, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, too.
Barcrest – Recognized as one of the U.K.’s foremost manufacturers, this company was founded in 1968, grew rapidly through acquisitions and has been a subsidiary of Scientific Games since 2011. They started with citrus themes for the arcade, bingo and pub game markets and branched out to pop culture slots, such as Austin Powers and television’s Big Brother. Their current best sellers are the hugely popular Triple 7 and Encore products, along with such iconic games as Rainbow Riches, Ca$ino, Monty’s Millions, Money Mad Martians and Captain Jackpots.
Bell-Fruit Games – Here is another industry leader, immediately recognized by its famous three bells logo. Since 1963, they have been supplying machines for the pub, arcade and bingo markets from an established base in Nottingham. The company currently employs around 200 people and develops new games for European and worldwide markets, as well as the U.K. Familiar slots include Public Enemy, Stag Night, Football Crazy, Cash n Fruit and Red Hot Ibiza, to name a few. In July 2012, The Bell-Fruit Group was acquired by Astra Games Ltd, part of the Novomatic Group of companies.
BWB – This company founded by Bonner, Willson and Bonner was responsible between 1996 and 2001 for the creation of such classic pub slots as Secret 7’s, Heaven & Hell, Jackpot Jokers, Super League Rugby and the Rack’em Up trail game. Their machines can still be found in many pubs (and for sale on eBay), although the business was sold to Barcrest and merged with the brand known as Vivid Gaming prior to 2006.
Impulse Gaming – From a base in Birmingham, West Midlands, this slots maker introduced Cash Ahoy, Funny Money, Gold Fever, Wipeout, Grid Runner and numerous other popular fruit machines. The brand was sold in 2002 en route to the formation of the Barcrest Group.
JPM International – Established in 1972, JPM can count well over 1,000 games in its portfolio. Themes like Pinball Wizard and Viva Rock Vegas, which has a Flintstones cartoon theme, endeared the company to U.K. slots enthusiasts. Between 1988 and 2009, their output of fruit machines was prolific, along with SWP trivia games like Monopoly. In 2005, they began introducing online versions of their most popular themes, too, under the brand JPMi. Today, hot JPM slots include Casino Crazy, Red Alert and Magic 6, plus a unique line featuring comedian Al Murray. The JPM brand is also dominant in the Czech Republic and immediately recognizable in Spain as well as the U.K.
Maygay Machines Ltd – This Wolverhampton company began manufacturing amusement machines in the mid 1970s. They were responsible for the creation of such highly popular pub slots as The Great Escape, X Marks the Spot, The Simpsons and Homer’s Meltdown. In 2002, the company became part of the Barcrest Group.
Mazooma Games – This noted manufacturer started out in the 1990s as a supplier of land-based casino slots before turning their skills to developing online casino software in 2010. They developed many enduring fruit machines, such as Revolver, Stir Crazy, Top Gears, Royal Family, Disco Inferno and Tetris, among others. Today, like Bell-Fruit, Mazooma Interactive Games is part of the Novomatic Group of companies.
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