Best Linked Progressive Game
Just as the divisions between standalone and linked games may blur over time as the floor becomes a network rather than discrete zones of product, so the divisions between volatile and progressive games may also become less distinct as the industry develops. There’s already evidence in the Macau market that many of the most popular linked progressive games—while retaining Supplier Awards the attractive accumulated jackpots that appeal to mass market players—also have significant volatility in their bonusing and in their award of smaller jackpots.
| Nominees | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Title |
| Aristocrat | 5 Dragons |
| Aristocrat | Fa Fa Fa |
| Aristocrat | Cash Express (MK6) |
| Bally | Blazing 7s Hot Shot |
| IGT | Wheel of Fortune |
Winner: Aristocrat – Fa Fa Fa
Fa Fa Fa is an Asian-themed Hyperlink, launched into the region’s markets on Aristocrat’s Viridian cabinet in the autumn of 2008. It includes three of Aristocrat’s strongest performing games in Asian markets—Choy Sun Doa, 50 Dragons and 5 Dragons. In March last year, Wynn Macau and MGM Grand Macau reported that Fa Fa Fa’s performance was already exceeding that of Aristocrat’s classic hit Cash Express among mass-market players.
Honourable Mention: Bally – Blazing 7s Hot Shot
Asian players love the value for money provided by the spectacular free games in Blazing 7s Hot Shot. Those free games are truly random, being triggered at low bet multiples as well as high and max bet levels.
The original Blazing 7s concept goes back more than three decades to the 1970s. But the idea has been brought bang up to date for the digital age. Modern versions including the seven-reel Blazing 7s on Bally’s CineVision widescreen video format, and the five-reel blazers on Blazing 7s Hot Shot progressives.
