I used to play an IGT quarter machine called, "Wild Cherry Pie". The idea was that each time the "Wild Cherry Symbol" came up on, above, or below he pay line, it would fill in a piece of a pie, until all 9 sections were complete. While the symbol came up frequently, you had to get all 9 sections before you could review the (usually) minimal prize below the pie. Bottom line, this little incentive would suck you in -- and sometimes, it would be 500 spins later, and the elusive piece of pie would not come up.

IGT did something similar with their version of video "Wheel of Fortune" where a bonus kept building until you "solved" all of the pieces of the puzzle.

WMS was not without fault. On, "BIG BANG PIGGY BANK BANKING", a coin was thrown into the bank every time you bet the max coins and got no symbols on the pay line.

You can understand why the manufacturers like the idea ... it keeps you playing beyond the time you normally would have given up on a machine. In the case of IGT's games, the bonuses were relatively nominal (you could never win close to a jackpot). In the case of BIG BANG PIGGY BANK, you could actually win the bonus with a single coin bet --- although the bonus would only rise if you are playing 3-coins. As well, if a person does not understand the rules of the game, it was easy to sit down on a machine with 80 coins in the bank, and win the 80-coins with a few single coin bets.

For the most part ... it seems like the manufacturers have trended away from this type of incentive. Let's hope they keep it this way!

/\/\/\/\ the Shamus /\/\/\/\