Aristocrat Lightning Link
- Aristocrat Lightning Link
- Lightning Link Casino Free Slot Games
- Aristocrat Lightning Link Happy Lantern Slot
- Lightning Strikes Slot Machine
Type | Public company |
---|---|
ASX: ALL | |
Industry | Gambling |
Headquarters | , |
Key people | Trevor Croker, CEO |
Revenue | A$4,397.4 million (2019) |
A$1,162.5 million (2019) | |
A$698.8 million (2019) | |
6400+ | |
Subsidiaries |
|
Website | https://www.aristocrat.com/ |
The Lightning Link series were developed by Aristocrat, one of the biggest casino gaming companies in the world and a group of true-blue Australians. Founded in Sydney in the early 50s, Aristocrat were the creators of the first five-reel slot machine, and have been bringing their unique brand of innovation to the industry ever since. Lightning Link Casino is the app brought to you by the makers of online slots games Heart of Vegas and Cashman Casino, Aristocrat. Get ready to win big! Flip the switch and get charged up for an. Aristocrat’s Lightning Link series continues to be among the most popular in the casino, with its sequel, Dragon Link, continuing to get a lot of love as well. So it makes sense that Aristocrat would introduce a new sequel in the series, and they recently did so with Dollar Storm. Aristocrat Lightning Link pokies online, free have a high RTP index, and it reaches up to 96,5%. It means that a player can have $96 from any hundred back. The statistic shows that this RTP index works for a large number of stakes, so don’t be upset if it differs in a couple of times.
Aristocrat Leisure Limited is an Australian gambling machine manufacturer, which has its administrative and research headquarters in the Sydney suburb of North Ryde. It has marketing and development offices in South Africa, Russia and the United States.
Aristocrat is the largest gambling machine manufacturer in Australia, and one of the largest manufacturers of slot machines in the world, currently second only to International Game Technology.[citation needed]
History[edit]
The company produced its first machine in 1953, and was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in 1996. The company was founded by Len Ainsworth, whose family[1] maintains a substantial stake in the company, but is now chairman of a different gaming company, Ainsworth Game Technology. Aristocrat is licensed to distribute slot machines and other gaming products in over 200 jurisdictions (note that many countries, such as Australia, have a number of different gaming-licence jurisdictions).
Aristocrat's CEO blamed the US subprime mortgage crisis for poor financial results in 2008,[2] despite the fact that competing companies have experienced record growth[3] in the same time period. As a result of the expected drop in revenue, the CEO enacted sweeping budget cuts, including large-scale retrenchments of staff from all areas of the business.[4] The company again faced difficult market conditions in 2009 with its full year resulting in a net loss of $157.8 million.[5]
In 2011, the company reached an agreement with the AGLC to provide equipment and games for Alberta's video lottery terminal network.[6]
In July 2014 Aristocrat agreed to buy Video Gaming Technologies for about $1.3 billion to triple its North American business amid falling profit in Australia.[7] On 10 August 2017, it acquired mobile game developer Plarium for $500 million to enter into mobile gaming.[8] On 30 November 2017, it acquired mobile game developer Big Fish Games for US$990 million.[9]
Since March 2017, the CEO has been Trevor Croker, formerly executive vice president for global products, who succeeded Jamie Odell.[10][11]
In July 2019, Aristocrat sued Ainsworth, alleging that they had used proprietary code and media assets leaked by a former Aristocrat employee to produce a clone of its popular Lightning Link games.[12][13]
In 2020, Aristocrat is rebranded and now called Aristocrat Gaming (instead of Aristocrat Leisure) and changes its corporate identity to a more vibrant and colorful one.[14]
Products and partnerships[edit]
Aside from spinning reel slot machines, the company has interests in gambling systems (computerised network systems that manage slot machines), computerised card game simulations, electronic table games and linked jackpot systems (such as the patented Hyperlink systems). The company has developed the Reel Power system, where players buy reels instead of lines, win combinations in the standard configuration.
Aristocrat's most prominent products have been game setups which place large progressive jackpots over a number of machines, including its Lightning Link series. The series has seen substantial popularity, to the point that Aristocrat has licensed branded areas at several North American casinos dedicated exclusively to the machines.[15][13][12][16]
The company has a number of distribution partnerships, including Sammy Corporation in Japan.[citation needed]
In the U.S., Artistocrat has licensed titles to Grand Vision Gaming of Montana for use on video lottery terminals.[17]
References[edit]
- ^'RICH PICKINGS: Len Ainsworth'. Business Spectator. 10 May 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
- ^'Aristocrat feels pain in US'. Fairfax Digital. 30 April 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^'Bally Technologies, Inc. Announces Record Earnings for Third Quarter Fiscal 2008 on Record Revenues of $233 Million'. The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. 12 May 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2008.
- ^'CEO & CFO Presentation, Macquarie conference'. asx.com.au. 7 May 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2008.[dead link]
- ^'CEO and CFO Presentation Script - Full Year Results 2009'(PDF). 23 February 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
- ^'Canadian lotteries infuse Nevada's slot industry with sales opportunities'. Las Vegas Review-Journal. 30 May 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^'Aristocrat to Buy Video Gaming for $1.3 Billion'. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ^'Plarium acquired in $500 million deal'. gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^'Kentucky Derby operator Churchill Downs selling Big Fish Games for $990M, just three years after initial purchase'. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
- ^'Trevor Croker named chief executive of Aristocrat Leisure'. Gaming Intelligence. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
- ^8 March 2017 at 10:00 PM (8 March 2017). 'Aristocrat CEO Trevor Croker flogs shares, pockets $2m to manage 'tax liabilities''. afr.com. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
- ^ abBegley, Patrick (15 July 2018). ''A little bit of magic': The pokie that took over the world'. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- ^ abSimmons, Author: David. 'Pokies giants Ainsworth and Aristocrat to duke it out in the Federal Court'. Business News Australia. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- ^'Aristocrat changes the name and style of the brand'. New Casino Australia. 23 August 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ^Hatch, Patrick (5 July 2019). 'Pokies maker says rival had access to secret maths codes for slot machine'. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- ^'WinStar World Casino and Resort inaugurates Lightning Link Lounge'. World Casino News. 29 August 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- ^'Grand Vision Gaming renews VLT cross-licensing deal with Aristocrat'. Gaming Intelligence. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
External links[edit]
Most Popular Online Slot Games
All Aristocrat Slot Games
The Original Hold and Spin Bonus Features with Distinctive Themes
Go to any US casino and you’ll find multiple slots with variations of ‘hold and spin’ features. These involve symbols with cash awards instead of the regular ones. You’ll have 3 spins to continue hitting them – run out of spins and you win whatever is on the screen.
This idea was pioneered by slot maker Aristocrat. The first games to feature a ‘Hold and Spin’ bonus were the ‘Lightning Link’ and ‘Dragon Link’ titles – first released in 2015. There were also ‘Lightning Cash’ variations, which had stand-alone jackpots instead of shared ones.
Here are the most popular Lightning Link slot machine games:
- Wild Chuco (Wild West)
- Magic Pearl (Under Sea / Mermaid)
- High Stakes (Vegas / High-Roller)
- Happy Lantern (Asian)
- Tiki Fire (Hawaiian / Volcano)
- Sahara Gold (Desert / Oasis)
- Best Bet (Horse Racing)
Each has its own free spins bonus game in addition to the hold and spin. Each Lightning Link slot machine has a linked jackpot. You can win the biggest – or Grand Jackpot – by filling the entire screen with symbols during the hold and spin bonus feature.
This guide to Lightning Link slots shows you how the games work and where you can play them at legal casinos around the US.
Lightning Link Slots: Setup and Basics
These slots kick-started a new phase of innovation from many slot studios. You might be surprised to know that they did not use a crazy reel setup or other gimmick to do this. All the Lightning Link slots have a simple 5×3 reel setup.
Win-lines and the size of the coins you spin for are changeable. You can choose 25 or 50 win-lines (fewer at the high-roller level denominations), and coins from 1c to 10c are standard. You will notice the Mini and Minor jackpots change as you move up the coin sizes.
Each of the games has wild symbols in play to connect additional wins. There are stacked symbols on the reels, making it common to cover one or more reels with the same symbol. Your biggest wins will come from those times you cover the entire reels with one of the higher paying symbols.
How the Hold and Spin Bonus Feature Works?
The main attraction of the Lightning Link slot family of games is the Hold and Spin bonus. Each game has symbols which show either numbers or the words Mini, Minor or Major – which are the 3 smaller jackpots. The symbols containing the numbers are themed.
For example, pearl symbols in the Magic Pearl game and Horseshoes in ‘Best Bet’.
Sometimes, these will simply block the regular symbols, getting in the way of your wins. What you need is 6 or more to land on a single spin. This triggers a ‘Hold and Spin’ feature.
You now see the regular symbols fade away, so they are barely visible. You get 3 spins with your cash awards held in place to hit more of them. Each time you hit one or more new awards, the number of spins resets to 3. If you spin 3 times with no extra wins, then your bonus ends, and your winnings count up with lightning strike effects.
To win the big linked Grand jackpot you need to fill all 15 spots on the reels with these special symbols.
Free Spins Bonus Games on Lightning Link Slots
Aristocrat developed free spins bonuses which help keep these games varied. These variations are shared with the Dragon Link and Lightning Cash games. The amount of free spins you win varies by game, with a minimum of 3 bonus symbols needed to trigger.
Aristocrat Lightning Link
These can be profitable bonuses, which is reflected in the lower level of free spins you get on some of the Lightning Link titles.
Here are some examples of Lightning Link slots free spins feature:
Lightning Link Casino Free Slot Games
- Magic Pearl: You get 6 free spins with giant symbols. Here the middle 3 reels turn into one big one. You’ll get a 3×3 symbol – which always lands flush with the reels. This can be a wild (mermaid), a bonus symbol, or a pearl. Hitting a pearl will trigger a Hold and Spin bonus.
- Best Bet: This free spins bonus removes all the lower paying symbols from the reels. This not only give you a better shot at hitting bigger wins, it increases your chances of hitting 6 horseshoes for a hold and spin.
- Wild Chuco: This wild-west themed game features ‘reveal’ symbols in the bonus. While you spin, long lines of symbols with ‘Wanted’ posters will appear. They open to reveal matching symbols when the spinning stops. It is possible to reveal gold coins for the Hold and Spin.
- High Stakes: This free spins bonus is the same as for Magic Pearl. The symbols are all Las Vegas themed. If you get a giant chip, then you’ll start the Hold and Spin.
- Sahara Gold: You need to pick a chest to get this bonus started. You’ll find out how many free spins you won, and how many camel silhouette symbols are added to the reels. These are wilds, giving you plenty of potential for bigger wins.
There are expanding wild symbols during the base game in many of these titles too. Grand Jackpots are linked between the games in each casino. The ‘Major’ jackpots accumulate on individual machines.
Where to Play Lightning Link Slots in the USA?
You’ll find these slots in land-based and riverboat casinos from coast to coast. Many casinos Lightning Link slots in banks, where you’ll find all the titles in a group. You’ll find these in casinos in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Iowa and, of course, in Las Vegas.
Online these games can be found in the form of play-money only apps, though have not yet appeared in the regulated online casinos rolling out across the US. Many Aristocrat slot titles are appearing online in mobile casino apps and websites – so hopefully we will see Lightning Link slots games at legal US casinos in the near future.
Aristocrat Lightning Link Happy Lantern Slot
Many Copies – Only One Original: Lightning Link Titles
This range of slots captured the imagination of players around the country. The Hold and Spin bonus and jackpots is the common theme. Each title then has a distinctive theme, and different take on how to run a free spin bonus round.
Lightning Strikes Slot Machine
If you enjoy those Hold and Spin bonuses, you’ll have plenty of variations of game to enjoy while you wait for that full screen – and resulting Grand Jackpot.