CSI Slot Game
CSI Slots are based on the popular American TV show, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. CSI is a 5-reel, 20-payline slot machine from the software provider GTECH G2 (IGT). The gaming machine is available on the Internet for online and mobile casinos. The game contains wild symbols, scatter symbols, and a bonus round.
Given the fact the original CSI show was set in Las Vegas, it is a natural franchise to be converted into a slot machine. This slot machine contains CSI audio and video clips from favorite characters and the most popular episodes. The bonus games on CSI Slots stay with the theme, offering players the ability to search for evidence at a crime scene. This triggers a bonus feature, just as bonuses are awarded from the spinning reels in the main game.
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About CSI: Crime Scenes Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was an American television show which ran from 2000 to 2015. The CBS program follows the stories of gritty police investigators who used clues and scientific techniques to catch criminals. The program was criticized at times for its graphic violence, but audiences loved the combination forensic investigation and character-driven stories.
CSI starred actors like William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, Laurence Fishburne, Elisabeth Shue, and Ted Danson. It was the first in the CSI franchise of TV shows, including CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, and CSI: Cyber. The original show completed its run on September 27, 2015 with the 2-hour TV movie, Immortality.
According to the Nielson Ratings Service, Crime Scene Investigations finished among the Top 10 shows on U.S. television in its first 11 seasons. From Season 2 to Season 5, CSI finished either #1 or #2 in the Nielson ratings. Even though the program slipped in the ratings in the final few seasons, it remained in the Top 25 in all but one season, and in the Top 20 in all but two seasons.
The show was a critical success, as well. Throughout its long run, the show had 30 Primetime Emmy nominations and 6 Emmy Awards. It also secured six People's Choice Awards, winning four times. It received six nominations for the Golden Globes.
Slot Machine Variants
As of 2016, there are three versions of this slot machine. Players can choose the original CSI slot machine, CSI: Miami Slots, and CSI: New York Slots. Each game offers clips and audio from a different TV series, making this three-games-in-one. No version of CSI: Cyber exists yet.
For instance, if you play the original game, most of the clips involve either William Peterson or Marg Helgenberger or both actors. If you play the Miami version, the clips involve Emily Procter and Adam Rodriguez. If you play the New York City variant of the game, the clips involve the characters played by Gary Sinise, Melina Kanakaredes, or Carmine Giovinazzo.
The cut scenes are played in the transition between the main game and the bonus rounds.
Reel Symbols
Like the audio clips, reel symbols in each game correspond to those series' main characters. The games also have common reel symbols, including the following.
- A police badge
- Handcuffs
- A crime scene camera
- Police badge
- Photographs
- Fingerprint powder and brush
- The CSI logo
The following special symbols are also found in the games.
The wild symbols are the investigators. These substitute for all normal symbols on the game, though there are a few exceptions. The exceptions are the Free Spin, Crime Scene Evidence, and Lock 'n' Re-Spin symbols.
When you get 1 of these symbols, it triggers a bonus feature. During this bonus game, winning symbols lock in place. Symbols which don't win continue to re-spin, which creates new winning combinations.
The crime scene photograph is the scatter symbol. When three of these photos appear anywhere on the reels, it activates the "Crime Scene Pick Bonus". This activates a game in which you search a grizzly crime scene for clues. Once you overturn the clues, you receive coins and other bonuses. I'll discuss this more in the bonuses section of this article.
To activate the free spin feature, you'll need 3, 4, or 5 scatters. These correspond to 5, 10, or 30 free spins. Each free spin comes with a 2x multiplier.
Bonus Rounds
CSI: Slots has three bonus rounds: Crime Lab Free Games, Trace Evidence, and Crime Scene Pick Bonus. Each of these provides bonus coins, free spins, and other in-game advantages. Each builds the game around a forensic crime scene investigation scenario. Spin the bonus reel to activate one of the features.
When 3 crime scene photos appear on the reels in the main game, the Crime Scene Pick bonus game begins. The player must scan fingerprints at the scene of the crime, then match them in the police database. Once a match happens, you return to the crime scene to find more prints and more evidence. Tap areas of the crime scene with your finger to reveal credits.
This bonus mode has a bit of production to it. The crime scene picks are a straightforward bonus coin game, unless you find three pieces of evidence. If you do, it triggers the next bonus game: the Crime Lab Free Games.
The crime scene in the game features video game style animated cut scenes. Funny enough, the voiceovers sound like some of the cheesy banter on a video game, too. I would have imagined the game designers would have used dialogue from the 3 TV series, or at least used better voice talent.
This is a free spin game. Like many slot machines, its free spins are called "free games". This is a gambler's favorite, because it's playing with house money--you risk nothing.
As the reels begin spinning, if DNA strand icons appear, they act as multipliers. When 5 DNA strands appear throughout the course of this bonus game, the multiplier value climbs even higher. Sometimes, extra wilds are triggered in this mode. If it does, you win even more free spins.
The different ways to collect free spins and multipliers means you have a good chance for a big haul of coins in this bonus game. 10,000 coins is not out of the question.
When a "Trace Evidence" icon appears on the last reel, the Trace Evidence bonus game is activated. The trace evidence symbols appears as a flash light. The reason this is the icon is revealed once the bonus game begins. The screen is darkened, so the player needs a flashlight to reveal clues. The biggest payouts on this game happen when you uncover extra wild symbols.
Betting Options, Payouts & Jackpots
Gamblers can bet for one cent for payline. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation had mass appeal, so IGT made the right decision to design this game for mass market players. With 20 paylines and 40-credit multidenominational, the max bet on this slot machine can get relatively high, but it is not a high roller slot machine.
$$25,000 is the maximum fixed jackpot on the game. The maximum bet is $100, while the minimum is $0.01. The max coins per line is 1. The big star on each program is the max payout for the basic reel symbols. For instance, Ted Danson is the max payout of 25,000 coins in the original game, as you likely guessed.
Mobile Versions of CSI Slots
WWhen IGT debuted CSI Slots, it also released a mobile version of the same game. Downloadable versions of the mobile app can be found on IGT-powered casinos for Android and iOS. Players with Android smartphones and tablet computers have no trouble playing. Real money gamblers using iPhones and iPad tablets should have no problem, either. IGT just won a respected award for the best mobile gaming software of 2015, so these are top-rated games.
Gameloft Mobile Game
PPlayers might come across a mobile casino CSI slots game from Gameloft. This is available on Google Play (formerly Android Marketplace) as a $1.99 download. Further upgrades cost $0.99. The game receives 4.1 stars out of a possible 5. Most players enjoyed the game, though a common complaint was the upgrades cost too much.
To move to the next level, players need to solve clues. Apparently, to many of the CSI players, the clues got too hard too soon, so they ended up having to buy upgrades to make the clues easier.
For those interested, the Gameloft CSI slots machine is considered a mini-game. Mini-games are browser-based games played in a second tab or window while playing a main game. Mini-games are popular with people who gamble at sportsbooks or betting exchanges, because of the long wait times between races, games, matches, or in-play betting opportunities.
The Connection between IGT and GTECH
Online gamblers might not be as familiar with GTECH as they are IGT, Microgaming, or Net Ent. That should not scare them away. GTECH is one of the biggest gaming companies in the entire world.
GTECH S.p.A. is an Italian lottery corporation. Since its $6.4 billion dollar purchase of International Game Technology, it is the largest online gaming company in the world. GTECH controls over 63% of the world's lottery gaming. It is active on six continents and has lottery operations in 52 different countries.
The American division of the company is GTECH Corporation, based in Providence, Rhode Island. Less than a year ago, GTECH Corp was combined with IGT under a London-based holding company called International Game Technology PLC. Thus, all references to GTECH slot machine software is likely to be replaced with IGT references. At the moment, you'll still see references to one or the other.
Some Final Words
IGT has refined the art of developing licensed slot machines. No other set of game developers capture the essence of a TV show better than the IGT designers. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Slots appeared around the same time as the Judge Judy and Family Guy Slots. Like those gaming machines, this is a top-rate slots game which fans of the show should love.
Those who prefer progressive slots will be disappointed. The top fixed jackpot of $25,000 might not be enough action for some gamblers. Penny players and mid-stakes players should be pleased. Gamblers need to understand that fixed jackpots usually mean more realistic chances of hitting the top prize.
That's the case on CSI Slots. This game should entertain a maximum number of gritty police detective fans. The ability to play with three different sets of characters put this game over the top.