Internet Gambling News #6

If your most recent visit to a Nevada casino left you feeling inexplicably groovy, you may have been experiencing an infusion of Austin Powers' mojo.

The "International Man of Mystery" is now shagging slot players in Nevada casinos courtesy of International Game Technology (IGT), a Vegas-based gaming machine manufacturer.

IGT announced this week that its Austin Powers^TM game, which received approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board April 4, made its debut in Nevada casinos yesterday. The game, developed with the intention of attracting the younger player, is based on the smash hit Austin Powers movies starring Mike Meyers.

The idea behind the making of Austin Powers, the game, was to make playing slots a humorous experience (which is quite a feat considering the majority of players will walk away from Austin with less money than they had when they started playing).

"We had a lot of fun developing the game and designed it with the goal of making players laugh, maybe even gasp," said Joe Kaminkow, IGT's vice president of product development.

The design team, says IGT, took technology near the limit, using numerous clips from the two Austin Powers' movies and filling nearly 100 percent of the audio card with scores of different sound bites. To ensure that players get to enjoy all of the game's zany antics, the designers built in a high-hit frequency and, thanks to the large cast of bonus scenes, the gaming experience is never the same twice.

One bonus round features the alluring Fembots and their weapons of choice. In the Henchman Bonus, players help Dr. Evil eliminate his incompetent subordinates by flipping selected henchmen backward into a pit of flames. Throughout, appearances by the movies' characters, from Frau Farbissina to Vanessa Kensington, keep the energy and amusement levels high.

"Our goal was to make the game easy to play, difficult to master," Kaminkow continued. "The objective is to keep players returning, time and again, because playing is both fun and challenging."

Curious players seeking the new game will have no problems finding it. In another departure from tradition, IGT is offering the game with a bright yellow cabinet; the "shagadelic" oval "Groovy Baby!" topper makes it easy to spot in crowded casinos.

The company has received orders for more than 1,300 of the new machines for casinos throughout North America. The various approvals clear the way to expedite installations in just about all markets.