When she was a child, Jennifer Whitaker would sometimes play the hand game rock, paper, scissors with her brother to determine who would do which household chores.
On Friday, Whitaker, now grown up and on vacation with her mother, played the popular game not with another person but at a slot machine at the downtown Circa Las Vegas.
“I don’t know what they’ll think of next,” Whitaker said before she put about $30 into the slot machine, which is made by Las Vegas-based Aruze Gaming.
The minimum bet on the game is $5 but can go up to $100. The biggest jackpot on this day was just over $5,000.
The game, which is only available at Circa for now, starts by allowing the player to choose a rock, paper or scissors button.
A computer-generated hand then materializes. As the old game goes, scissors cut paper, rock crushes scissors, and paper covers rock.
If the player wins the round, they get a spin on a game’s wheel of prizes, which can lead to anything from a $5 win to the jackpot.
If it’s a tie, the game — a Rock Paper Scissors Instant Win — resets and another round is played.
Prize values go up for the following round if there’s a tie.
The game, introduced at the Global Gaming Expo this month in Las Vegas, is the latest twist on the slot machine by Aruze, which also has an arcade-style claw game on the market and is the company behind the popular Paradise Fishing game.
Aruze calls its brand of interactive games “active play.”
The rock, paper, scissors game was introduced Oct. 12 at Circa, so Whitaker, on a visit from South Carolina, and her mother were among the first to play it.
David Ramos, a visitor from California, also tried his luck at the new machine.
“I have skills for this game from way back,” he said jokingly. “Nobody can beat me at rock, paper, scissors.”
Ramos, however, wasn’t able to take any winnings away. For his final game after a few spins, rock beat his paper on a $5 bet.
“It’s a good idea for a game,” Ramos said. “At first, I didn’t really know what was happening, but that’s with any new game you play. I liked it, though. It was fun.”
Rahmi Chagouri, Circa’s director of operations, said the cluster of three rock, paper, scissors games got quite a bit of attention after it was introduced.
“Aruze has been a really good partner for us,” Chagouri said. “They’re not afraid to put something new out there, and we like to partner with them to put some different options on our casino floor.”
Lesley Hodges, head of marketing for Aruze, said the slot machine offering is a way for the company to “take a traditional game a step further in innovation.”
“We’re not afraid to do things a little bit different,” said Robert Ziems, president of Aruze, which is owned by Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada. “We have a history of putting out innovative products.”
The “active play” games aren’t skill-based, but they are more participatory than classic three-reel slots.
“It’s a way to engage the customer,” Ziems said. “With rock, paper, scissors, just about everybody played that game as a kid, so there’s a certain amount of nostalgia, too.”
Aruze’s next game set to hit the market will be based on the old “whack-a-mole” concept, company executive Alan MacArthur said.But the game, likely to hit its first casino floor next year, will feature alligators.
“What I’ve noticed when I’ve observed people playing these types of games is there really isn’t a learning curve,” MacArthur said. “And people like to watch other people play, partly because they understand what’s happening in the game.”
Aruze officials said they’re working on deals to put the rock, paper, scissors game in other casinos.
Ziems said Aruze plans to keep the fresh ideas coming.
“Our industry is very competitive,” he said. “Nobody is relaxing to give us a break.”