WMS Slot Machines

What was once a producer of pinball machines and other arcade-style games
has blossomed into WMS Gaming, one of the leaders in modern slot machines,
video lottery machines, and online casino software as well as software for
land-based casinos’ back-end management. WMS is based in Waukegan, Illinois,
where it was founded as WMS Industries in 1943 producing the types of
coin-operated games found in bars and retail shops. In the 1990s, as
arcade-style gaming started losing out to the home console video game
market, WMS looked to diversify by taking part in the early days of the
online gambling industry. By the year 2000, WMS Industries became WMS
Gaming, and had switched entirely from arcade games to casino software and
game development.

WMS didn’t jump into the online gambling market straightaway – its first
forays into gambling were producing state-licensed casino and video lottery
games, which were spreading rapidly across the United States in the 1990s,
just as the arcade game industry was falling apart. A move to producing
traditional casino slot machines in 1994 was a natural next step for a
company already involved in the gambling business, and it only took two
years for WMS to start making the kinds of games that would make them a
household name in the industry. When WMS designed and built their first
video slot machines for use in land-based casinos, the company started a
long run of producing some of the most popular titles in the world. Video
slots were a new phenomenon in the 1990s, and WMS made a name for themselves
by creating title after title featuring video effects and bonus rounds.

WMS is a relative newcomer to the world of online gambling, releasing its
first products for Internet casino play in 2010. WMS’ library of games
includes all the traditional casino table games as well as online slot
machines, starting off providing games to casinos licensed in the UK only.
WMS managed to move into the difficult US online casino market in 2011, and
recently earned an official operator’s license from the state of Nevada
allowing the company to run a legal online poker room to that state’s
citizens. It’s safe to say that WMS is doing everything it can to stay
relevant in the constantly changing world of online and land-based casino
gambling.

More about WMS Slots

For the most part, WMS’ slots are five-reel multiple payline video bonus
machines, the most popular variety of slots at online casinos today. While
WMS has not made the kinds of big licensing deals that some designers in the
industry have, they do offer titles such as Bruce Lee, I Love Lucy, and John
Wayne, all with themes based on those pop culture icons. WMS currently
produces five dozen different online slot titles that gamblers can find at
dozens of online gambling sites, even some that accept wagers from the US.