First NFL slot machines to hit casino floors as season begins

The first NFL-themed slot machines will touch down on casino floors ahead of the 2023 football season kicking off.

The NFL Super Bowl Jackpots slots, developed by Aristocrat Gaming, will mark the first of six planned league-branded slot machines that will roll out over the next several months.

After announcing the partnership in 2021, Aristocrat and the NFL have been developing ideas for NFL-licensed games.

The game will be played on Aristocrat’s new King Max cabinet, with players having the chance to win a $1 million progressive jackpot. Before playing the slot machine, a player will be able to select their favorite NFL team, which will serve as the theme during that session.

“They have identified this opportunity that includes a feature of the game that allows a player to pick one of their 32 favorite teams,” Mark Wadley, chief marketing officer with Aristocrat, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “When they walk up to the machine on the Vegas floor — or anywhere else this machine will be distributed in the United States — players will be able to press the button for their favorite team and it will be art-packaged and the game play will be transitioned to that team, giving that fan a new way to engage and be entertained by their team.”

Having the ability to allow the player to pick among 32 designs is unique in the slot space and it was challenging to make that option come to fruition, according to Wadley.

“To some extent you have to think about it as essentially 32 games, mixed in with 32 art packages, in an actual slot machine,” he said. “The scale and size and magnitude of this investment and the development time was quite extensive.”

The game also includes six licensed fan-favorite stadium anthems that play during key moments in the game.

Aristocrat will use their partnership with the Raiders to advertise the slot machine on Allegiant Stadium’s giant media mesh screen facing Interstate 15 and inside the facility during NFL games.

While the NFL steered clear of the gambling space for decades, the league in recent years has embraced the space, first starting with partnership deals with gaming companies and leading to the NFL’s first slot machine.

“The unveiling of the first NFL-themed slot machines represents an opportunity to bring the League closer to our fans in a new area,” Joe Ruggiero, NFL senior vice president of consumer products, said in a statement. “We have valued collaborating with Aristocrat to bring their vision and responsible gaming resources to fans during the 2023 NFL season and beyond.”

Five additional NFL slot games will begin to roll out later this year and into 2024 including Overtime Cash, Super Bowl Link, NFL Kickoff, Winning Drive, and Rings of Victory.

“Once we start in the first part of the NFL season we’ll get those games on the floor, scale them and provide an entertaining experience for players,” Wadley said. “We’ll always continue the development engine to provide the most relevant, fan-friendly, content that we can provide on the casino floor over years to come.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.