WMS Review
By Alex Smith
Verdict
WMS – one of the world’s most well-known gambling game creators – has a steep history in the gambling sphere, and its roots date back to 1943 when they were first founded under the “Williams Manufacturing Company” name.
Known today as either WMS or Williams Interactive, WMS began their career creating video poker games for land-based casinos, and 1991 saw them release their first virtual lottery machine (the first at the time, too) to US casinos, allowing players to experience interactive gameplay for the first time.
In the early days, WMS focused on arcade machines and produced best-selling games like “Paddle Ball” and “Flash.” But as times changed, so did WMS. They noticed the decline in arcade games and shifted their focus to slot machines, which became increasingly popular in American arcades. Their slots found their way into almost every American arcade, and they became known for their high-quality games with impressive graphics and engaging game concepts.
The company didn’t stop at land-based casinos but ventured into the online casino market. In 2010, WMS started offering online slot machines in the UK, and a year later, they expanded to the United States. They even developed a Facebook game called “Lucky Cruise,” which was free to play.
While WMS has been slow to adapt to the online scene, many of their games are now available in HTML5 (ensuring full mobile compatibility), and their new releases tend to operate on substantially more stable frameworks than their early games. Whether you’re looking for free Montezuma play, free Super Monopoly Money games, free Kronos play links, or simply want to learn more about the online slots from this game developer, this article aims to give you all the info you need!
WMS Slots List Of Casinos
Bob Casino
Accepts US players but won't pay out
Accepts US players but won't pay out
Vikingheim
Sends shills to the forum
Exploiting our player community with unethical marketing tactics
WMS Games: The Software Platform
WMS has also been a pioneer in gaming technology. They introduced Transmissive Reels, a gaming platform that combines video animations with mechanical reels. Their CPU-NXT2 and CPU-NXT3 platforms run many games and feature advanced tech like 3D ATI graphics cards and Intel Pentium Processors.
WMS slot games – including the free Amazon Queen – play well on mobile devices today, although this wasn’t always the way. Thankfully, WMS mobile casinos can now offer most of the game developer’s slot machines, so you don’t need to worry about not finding your favorite titles!
WMS Gaming: Slot Machines
WMS has been a big name in land-based slot machines for years, and now they’re making waves in online casinos, too. If you’re a fan of slot games, WMS slot machines offer a wide range of options, from classic themes to unique layouts and bonus games. Whether you’re looking to play WMS slots like Montezuma, or you’re interested in free play options like free Fire Queen play, free Cool Jewels play, or free Brazilian Beauty play, WMS has you covered.
Their online slots are as exciting as their pinball machines and other Scientific Games offerings. You can even find free-play versions of popular titles like Raging Rhino, Dragon’s Inferno, Goldfish, Amazon Queen, Glitz, Lunaris, Bier Haus, Super Monopoly Money, and Kronos.
Below, we will look at some of WMS casinos’ most popular slot machines.
Montezuma
Montezuma is one of the game developer’s most successful titles, available to both on and offline players, and the success behind the slot primarily comes from the generous free-spins feature, which comes with an unlimited re-trigger, and a multiplier, which can see wins multiplier by up to 10X.
The Aztec theme is brought to life through crisp graphics and immersive sounds, transporting players deep into the jungle setting. With stacked wilds and scatters that trigger the free spins, Montezuma offers big win potential even in the base game, and it’s become a “staple” at most online casinos featuring the software provider’s online casino slot games.
Ruby Red Slippers
Another popular game, Ruby Red Slippers, uses an older game engine than Montezuma. Still, despite this, it continues to be one of the developer’s most-played slots, and three exciting features can trigger on any spin, with real audio and visual clips from the Wizard of Oz movies!
There’s also an in-game randomly-triggered feature, which sees Dorothy turn between one and five reels wild – and wins are then multiplied by either 2X, 5X, or 10X! Players can follow the Yellow Brick Road to big wins with stacked wilds, multipliers, and clips from the classic film bringing Dorothy’s journey to life.
Raging Rhino
Possibly the developer’s most popular release in history, Raging Rhino was one of the first slots to feature a ‘Bonus Guarantee’ – a minimum amount you’re guaranteed to win from the bonus… and while it comes in more than some players would like, the win-potential within the slot is huge, thanks to the 2X and 3X multipliers present during the free-spins round.
The African savanna theme is vibrant and engaging, and the 4096 ways to win ensure regular payouts. The bonus guarantee, while only worth 10X, ensures you’re guaranteed a win no matter what – and like many popular video slots from Scientific Games, it’s also recently been made into a Megaways version!
Frozen Inferno
Frozen Inferno is a slot game developed by WMS that offers a unique blend of fire and ice themes. You get to choose between two modes: the fire mage or the ice wizard. Each mode has its own set of wilds and features. The game has five reels, four rows, and 40 paylines. The minimum bet is £0.40, and the maximum is £200. The game has a medium volatility and an RTP of 96.36%. One of the standout features is the autoplay option.
While there’s no jackpot, the game offers plenty of opportunities to multiply your payout. The game is visually stunning, with symbols including parchment spell scrolls, enchanted rings, and wizards’ staffs. It’s available to enjoy on most mobile devices, and Williams Interactive has made the slot machine available at most of its online casinos.
Amazon Queen
Another of WMS’ slots to still use one of their older game frameworks, Amazon Queen, has long been a popular hit with players, thanks to the exciting free-spins feature triggered by landing 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols anywhere in view. During the feature, the highest-paying symbol – the Gorilla – pays both left-to-right and right-to-left – and there’s HUGE win potential for matching even 4-of-a-kind of the symbol!
The jungle theme is immersive, and the Gorilla symbol can lead to enormous wins when it pays both ways during free spins. If you play video slots online, there’s a good chance you will have seen this title at a WMS casino before.
88 Fortunes Megaways
If you’re looking for a slot game that offers a blend of traditional and modern features, 88 Fortunes Megaways is your go-to. This game is an extension of the original 88 Fortunes but with the Megaways mechanic, which means more ways to win.
The game is rich in Asian symbolism, featuring golden symbols and a red background that screams luck and prosperity. The Megaways mechanic increases the number of symbols on each reel, giving you up to 117,649 ways to win. The game also features cascading reels, replacing winning symbols with new ones, offering more chances to win on a single spin.
The game is medium to high volatility, so while wins might not be frequent when they do come, they’re often significant. The RTP is around 96.27%, which is pretty decent. Like most slots machines on this page, you’ll find this game at almost all Williams Interactive casinos.
Black Knight 2
A follow-on game to the already successful ‘Black Knight,’ Black Knight 2 is another of WMS’ most notable releases, again, thanks to the bonus round found within. Triggered by landing 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols on consecutive reels from left to right, the bonus can see the middle three reels turn wild and STAY fully wild… leading to fantastic wins.
As a sequel, Black Knight 2 improves upon the original with even more ways to win big through locked wild reels during free spins. Unlike free OMG Kittens play or free Dragon’s Inferno play, Black Knight 2 is a little harder to find online – but the slot machine can be found if you know where to look!
Bruce Lee
Few souls on earth haven’t heard the name Bruce Lee… and while you may not have necessarily seen the movies, you can almost certainly picture the martial arts ‘god’ in your head. WMS’ slot of the same name may not be quite as famous as the man himself – but amongst slot enthusiasts, it’s become a popular game of choice, thanks to the two exciting bonuses, which see wild reels added and up to 20 free spins awarded.
Bruce Lee fans will enjoy seeing the martial arts master spring to life in this slot, and the two thrilling bonus features provide plenty of free spins and wild wins. Like all of the WMS slot games we’re covering today, Bruce Lee is widely available at online casinos today, and while there’s no jackpot party, so to speak, the slot does offer massive win potential, especially if you’re lucky enough to trigger the super bonus!
Friends Video Slot
The Friends slot game is like a trip down memory lane, bringing together all the beloved characters from the iconic TV show. This five-reel slot features stacked symbols, iconic moments from the show, and a wheel bonus with big prize payouts. The game is high variance, so it’s a bit of a rollercoaster, but it’s very customizable, and you can play from as little as 40 cents per spin at any WMS casino offering it.
The game also features various bonuses like the Thanksgiving, Wedding, and Party Bonus, each offering free spins with different wild features. If you’re a fan of the show, you’ll want to give Friends a go for yourself – so check out any WMS casino accredited here at Casinomeister to play today!
Kiss: Shout It Out Loud!
One of the few WMS games to feature a branded theme, Kiss: Shout It Out! Is a game based – unsurprisingly – around the band of the same name, and while it’s essentially a clone of another WMS title – Spartacus – the rock-inspired slot offers ferocious gaming, thanks to the background soundtrack and the bonus round – while hard to land – can often prove lucrative, too.
The legendary rock band KISS brings its theatrics to the reels with cool graphics and a hit song soundtrack. Scatters trigger up to 25 free spins with expanding wilds for big win potential, and it’s available at most WMS casino sites running today.
The Wizard of Oz
Road to Emerald City: Capitalizing on the popularity of their other Wizard of Oz slots, WMS chose to release another title in the series – The Wizard of Oz: Road to Emerald City – and while the game has yet to see the same levels of success as the earlier releases, many players find it more exciting, given the six bonuses which can trigger on any spin.
Following the Yellow Brick Road again, this sequel delivers all the magic of the original tale across five reels. Like all casino games from the software provider – and like most WMS slot machine games – The Wizard Of Oz is fully mobile optimized so that you can enjoy the action from your mobile device now, too!
Zeus III
Regarded by many players as one of WMS’ ‘best games,’ Zeus III is a follow-on from the original Zeus, and the game features a highly unique layout, with reels increasing in size as you move from the left-hand side to the right-hand side. While hard to trigger, the bonus can pay 1,000X + wins fairly easily, and expanding wilds helps to nudge those big wins along.
The unusual layout with expanding reels makes gameplay incredibly exciting – and unpredictable – and while the free spins bonus can be tough to trigger, it’s often worth waiting for, especially if you manage a re-trigger or two!
Bier Haus
Bier Haus is a 40-payline slot from WMS, and while it’s not one of their most well-known releases, it’s still pretty popular. The Bavarian beer hall theme features fun characters, music, and plenty of bonus triggers. Wilds can lock in place during free spins, leading to colossal win potential from the bonus game.
It’s possible to win anywhere from 5 to 50 free spins initially – and if any of the pink scatter symbols trigger the feature, they’ll transform into wilds and lock in place for the duration of the bonus directly from the base game, too!
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WMS Gaming: Pros and Cons
Regarding WMS slots, one of the biggest pros is the high maximum-win potential. While their casino games were better back in the day for max win potential (today, many game developers offer slots with 10,000X+ wins), WMS has always designed their games to be high variance and packed with potential. They’re also highly innovative; you’ll rarely find clones or re-skinned versions of older titles, which means each slot offers a fresh and unique gaming experience. Most of their casino games can be played for low stakes; it’s not unusual to see a 10-cent minimum bet.
However, there are some downsides to consider. For UK players, the absence of an ‘Autoplay’ function due to licensing issues can be a significant drawback, especially if you’re used to letting the reels spin automatically. Another area for improvement is poor mobile optimization. In today’s world, where mobile gaming is more popular than ever, providers of casino games like WMS, who lag behind, will increasingly find themselves pushed out of the market by those who favor mobile-optimized gaming.
Still, WMS games are, and always have been, solid – and their casino games continue to be among the most popular online, as titles like Raging Rhino and Montezuma have shown.
WMS Casino Games: Company Information
Pros
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Games tend to have much higher maximum-wins than slots from other developers.
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Slots are almost ALWAYS unique
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Staking-options are diverse
Cons
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Players in the UK are currently unable to use the ‘Autoplay’ function
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The mobile-optimization of their games is poor.
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Some of their games look very dated
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