Jack of all trades

Williams Interactive, usually referred to as just WMS, has been around for decades and was in the games industry long before online casinos came into play. The founder of WMS Industries, Harry Williams, actually invented the tilt feature on real-life pinball machines! I'm a little too young to remember the pinball machine era but what I do remember is playing Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam on my old Nintendo, and unbelievably WMS had a hand in this too. It seems like they just can't stop innovating in the games industry, whether it's for gambling, video games or physical machines!

However, what I'm here to talk about isn't their illustrious history but what they're up to in the online casino market. Compared to other companies they're relatively new to online casinos, having only stepped things up in 2012, but they've already made a massive impact on the market and offer a tonne of games which I think many of you will already be familiar with.

High profile games

There are lots of good software providers, but in my opinion none have the history and proven track record of WMS. Yes they are new to online casino games, but just look at all the different gaming markets they have conquered in the past and it's easy to see that they know exactly how to give customers the most entertainment possible. With this in mind I am tempted to say that all of their games are worthwhile, but I'll go through a few of my favourites for those of you who haven't tried WMS before.

Bruce Lee is a neat slot game which is naturally based on the famous martial artist from films like Enter the Dragon and Fist of Fury. Fury is actually quite a fitting word for this slot because when you hit, you hit hard. It uses an unusual system it calls 'Burst' where both of the initial reels only have two symbols. This means that it can take a while for you to land a win, so it's only suitable for players with a deep bankroll, but if you like high variance games then it's one for you. Thick red backgrounds, golden Chinese dragons and the Little Phoenix himself all make the game look very authentic.

Another big game from WMS is Wizard of Oz. There are tonnes of slot games out there now which use a major film or TV series and turn it into a slot, so what's the difference here? It's a 5-reel 30 payline slot with all of the film's classic characters including Dororthy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and everyone's favourite Cowardly Lion but there's much more to it that meets the eye. Players can spin from just 30p and win up to a 50,000 jackpot. The gameplay and payouts are quite similar to the massively popular Top Gun from Playtech except where Top Gun has a 1x free spin multiplier, Wizard of Oz has up to 50x (plus a higher RTP at 95.99%). It's obvious the game was a big hit simply from the fact it has spawned two spin-offs: Wizard of Oz Wicked Riches and Wizard of Oz Ruby Slippers.

Facebook games

WMS are probably just as well known for their casino exploits as their rich history I mentioned in video games and pinball machines, but in terms of casino alone one of their most well-known games is Jackpot Party Casino. After launching the game the company promoted it through Facebook and proved they can market games just as well as they can produce them.

High RTP

Unusually, WMS games tend to have a higher RTP than other casinos, which means more money coming back into the pockets of us gamers. This is not only a good thing but a very important one as playing on machines which are heavily geared towards losing can be an expensive business.

Another thing is the company's jackpot games. There are a fair few online software companies which are offering jackpots now, whether it's the multi-millions of Microgaming or the relatively sensible prizes offers by the likes of RTG. What WMS are able to offer that some others can't is the chance to play a physical slot machine in a casino and know that you are linked to all the other machines, meaning you can win big even when away from your computer. I once saw a guy playing Jungle Wild 3 and he hit jackpot after jackpot in the space of ten minutes, picking up a whole bunch of 3- and 4-figure wins from $5 bets, so I can tell you first-hand that the possibility of winning is extremely real!

Summary

WMS have nothing to prove to me or anyone else, as their history speaks for itself. From playing their games I can say with complete honesty that they are some of the most well thought-out games you'll find, they use a decent amount of official TV and film themes, and on top of all that they even have some higher than average RTPs. They're well worth a try online, and if you're playing in person it's a no-brainer to hunt down the WMX jackpot machines.