WMS Gaming is one of the most renowned slot machine manufacturers in the world and a subsidiary of WMS Industries. This Chicago-based company has also established a strong presence in the online gambling industry by producing internet versions of its slots and designing software that could help internet casinos in managing their operations.
The first WMS products were spinning reel machines, but the company was quick to move on to video slots and kept innovating ever since. In the early noughties, WMS introduced series of more interactive participation slots. Over the years, the company acquired numerous licenses allowing it to manufacture high quality branded slots.
WMS Online and Land-based Slots
WMS slot machines can be found in all kinds of brick and mortar gambling establishments all over the world. The latest slots designed by this company are browser-based. This technology makes it easy to integrate them into pre-existing open software platforms and allows for maximum compatibility with all kinds of hardware, including all the popular desktop computers and mobile devices.
It’s worth pointing out that despite the fact that WMS is a US-based company, its online products aren’t available on offshore US-facing sites due to the strict anti-gambling regulations passed on the federal level in 2006.
WMS Slot Game Reviews
As briefly touched on above, WMS has built a massive library of branded slots, such as Van Helsing, Elton John, KISS, Bruce Lee, Ferris Bueller and many, many more. Despite the fact that the company has obtained so many high-profile licenses, most of its slots are actually based on original concepts.
Regardless of the theme, the graphics in WMS slots are absolutely amazing – in fact, most slots look almost like modern console video games, even in motion. WMS actually was one of the first companies to introduce complex on-the-reel animations in its games. For example, the WMS Transmissive Reels technology allowed for video animations to emerge on and over the mechanical reels of land-based slots.
Furthermore, WMS developed numerous operating platforms for live slot machines throughout its history, including the CPU-NXT2 and CPU-NXT3 systems, which had almost as much power as gaming computers of their time.
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Reception by Players
It’s hard to say whether WMS slots are more popular in land-based casinos or in the online gambling space, but one thing is obvious: regardless of where they are placed, they always attract plenty of casino enthusiasts. WMS slots appeal to all kinds of player demographics.
Inexperienced gamblers can enjoy exciting animations and enjoy seeing their favorite characters in a slot game, while casino veterans will be happy with the neat return to player rates and progressive jackpot slots. All in all, WMS slots are available in over 20 premium online casinos.
Most Popular WMS Slot Machines
All WMS slots are good, but some are better than the other. Quite obviously, when it comes to visuals the games that were released recently have an edge over the older titles – if you want to experience the WMS eye candy in all its glory, we recommend checking out Star Trek: Trap a Tribble or Blade s23.
If you’re looking for a solid progressive jackpot game, give the Life of Luxury games a few spins, both Jungle Cats and Riches of Rome are great. If you’re looking for games that were really popular among casino aficionados at one point in time or another, Top Gun, The Wizard of Oz, Hollywood Squares, Powerball, Clint Eastwood or Lord of the Rings are guaranteed to do the trick.
Company History
The roots of WMS Gaming’s parent company, which was initially known as Williams Electronics Manufacturing Division, date back to 1943 and the founding of Williams Manufacturing Company. Nevertheless, it’s worth remembering that formally, WMS Gaming’s parent business was launched as late as 1974 and was rebranded to WMS Industries in 1987.
In the eighties and nineties, the company designed pinball machines and arcade video games. In 1991, WMS Industries created a new division, Williams Gaming. The initial goal of that division was to secured a foothold in the state video lottery markets, but ultimately it ended up producing spinning reels slot machines. In 1996, Williams Gaming released its first video slot machine, Reel’em In, which was a resounding success.
The company quickly followed up with additional video slots, such as Jackpot Party, Boom or Filthy Rich. The industry experienced significant growth throughout the nineties, as numerous states were allowing the Native American tribes to build their first casinos. As a result the Williams Gaming division was incorporated as WMS Gaming one year before the turn of the century.
In 2003, WMS Gaming started working on the CPU-NXT series of operating platforms, which were more advanced than any cabinet available on the market at the time. Throughout the noughties, WMS Gaming started worked on securing and expanding its foothold in the online gambling industry and acquiring licenses that’d allow it to produce slots based on popular brands, such as Men in Black, Star Trek or Lord of the Rings.
The company experienced a period of unobstructed growth, which culminated in 2011 when its revenues grew to over $780 million. By 2012, the revenues dropped to about $690 million, but WMS was still one of the most successful and respected companies in the entire gambling industry.
In late 2013, WMS Industries became a subsidiary of Scientific Games, which was a result of a $1.5 billion deal. Fortunately, WMS Gaming was allowed to continue operating under its old name and the company continues to be one of the dominant forces in both online and land-based gambling industry.
Outlook and Latest Developments
Being purchased by Scientific Games didn’t hurt WMS Gaming and the company continues to be as productive and successful as ever. New slots are being released with every passing year and the revenues generated by WMS Gaming once again continue to increase with every passing year.
As a result, most experts agree that WMS Gaming is probably one of the most stable companies in the industry right now.
