IGT unveils new Wheel of Fortune Slot, Double Diamond 3D

When I was a kid, growing up in a very small town, I remember the day a new franchise restaurant – not the generic fast food crap – opened up. Before 10:00 a.m. that morning, when they were scheduled to open for the first time, it seemed everyone in town was lined-up outside the doors. It was so bad, that the owners had to come out and say “sorry, we weren’t prepared for this, we’ll have to open tomorrow instead.”

This is the kind of excitement that stirs up when something new comes along, whether it be everybody wanting to eat at the new restaurant, or everyone wanting to get a close look at (if not drive) your new car. The same level of excitement tends to occur when a new slot machine hits the market.

But inevitably, after a week or so, the excitement dies down… usually. That hasn’t been the case for what’s arguably become the most popular slot of all time – the Wheel of Fortune.

Just like restaurants and that new car smell, it’s rare for anything fresh to hold such appeal for any length of time. When it does happen, you know you’ve got something special. That’s exactly what the Wheel of Fortune slot series has become for its players, and its creators.

International Game Technology introduced the first Wheel of Fortune slot in 1996. Players fell in love with the game’s uncanny ability to make millionaires out of casual, penny slots fans. The devotion from players was so strong, in fact, that IGT has since developed more than 230 variations of the Wheel of Fortune Slot, including this summer’s unveiling of its newest edition, Double Diamonds 3D.

Wheel of Fortune: Double Diamonds 3D

Wheel of Fortune: Double Diamonds 3D
photo Nick Sortal/Miami Herald

Like all of its predecessors, the new Double Diamonds 3D version features the big prize wheel at the top of its cabinetry, displaying all of the potential prizes one could win when the ultimate bonus feature is triggered. These range from $40 to $125, or one of the machine’s three progressive jackpots – the Minor, the Major, or the 6+ figure Grand jackpot.

The symbolism is rather traditional, presenting 7’s, Bars, Cherries and other classic icons across a 3×3 reel set. What stands out most, though, is the the vibrant 3D graphics – hence the name.

When a player wins, the screen depicts golden coins flying out of the machine in such crisp, 3D animation that you almost expect them to land in your lap. That’s not the case, of course, as all of today’s new slot machines use the more modern ‘ticket out system‘, spiting out vouchers that can be cashed in at the cage.

Why So Popular?

It’s not just the familiar name, or the classic game show’s iconic “Wheel – Of – Fortune!” introduction at the start of each new session that’s continuously drawn players to this epic slot machine over the years. All Wheel of Fortune Slots have a networked progressive jackpot, and with so many of them now spanning the globe, anyone’s who’s played it can understand why the jackpot grows – and pays out – so rapidly.

According to IGT’s Senior Director of Global Communications, Phil O’Shaugnessy, there are more than 7,500 Wheel of Fortune Slots spread throughout casinos in the United States alone. And with players all over the world spinning those reels every day – and a small portion of every single wager going into the progressive jackpot – this legendary slots series has been known to award some massive prizes.

In 2009, Wheel of Fortune made headlines, and the record books, when it paid out $14.4 million to one very fortunate player at the Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.