Tutorial: How to Create a Slot Machine Promotion – Easypromos - Online Helpdesk

We present to you the classic Slot Machine game, where participants spin the machine and instantly find out if they get the winning combination. This dynamic allows you to fully customize the game design with your brand’s image, configure the available prizes, and define the probabilities and assignment rules according to the campaign’s needs. Additionally, you can manage prize stock and offer an attractive visual experience that builds anticipation and encourages participation.

This tutorial will guide you step-by-step to configure a Slot Machine, customize the game board design, define the prizes, and adjust the probabilities of each outcome.

These are the contents of the tutorial:

1. How It Works

The Slot Machine is made up of three spinning panels that display different customized symbols and an action button that activates the spin.

When clicking the button, the user activates the Slot Machine and the panels start spinning.

As the symbols spin and stop one by one, the anticipation builds until the very last moment.

If the three symbols match in a line, the participant immediately wins a prize.

In each participation, the user has up to 5 spins (lives) to click the button and try to get the winning combination.

The following video shows what the user experience looks like:

The Slot Machine application allows:

Customization of the Slot Machine and game elements. You can adapt all the visual elements of the game to align with your brand identity. This includes configuring the panels, symbols, colors, images, backgrounds, and fonts. Additionally, you can incorporate lighting effects and customize the graphical representation of prizes to increase anticipation and enhance the visual impact of the dynamic.
Configuration of winning symbols and prizes. You can customize the winning symbols and prizes of the experience according to your campaign goals. You can define which rewards you want to distribute and also create multiple winning outcomes and add symbols with no associated prize, allowing you to expand possible combinations and adjust the probability level of the dynamic. You will find more information about the different dynamics and possible configurations in section 5.1 of the tutorial.
Prize assignment. Configure the number of available units for each prize and define how they are distributed among participants. You can assign prizes based on probabilities or use the instant win prize assignment to schedule deliveries at specific times or conditions.
Access control and number of participations. You can configure the number of game rounds available per user. In each participation, the user has up to 5 spins (lives) to press the button and try to get the winning combination. Additionally, you can configure under which conditions the user can access the game: access can be enabled via promotional codes, purchase tickets, or loyalty points systems, depending on the campaign.
Game experience (visual and sound effects). The spinning of the panels is accompanied by animations and sound effects that reinforce the game feeling and increase tension until the final result. The visual and sound experience adapts both to winning combinations and no-prize results, maintaining a consistent dynamic throughout the interaction.
Optimized for mobile and totem experiences. The application is designed so that the user experience is optimal on mobiles and digital touch screens, such as tablets, totems, and other devices.
Includes all the advantages Easypromos offers: configuration of user identification method, full customization of the registration form, advanced user management and statistics, integrated email platform, and much, much more.

2. What the User Participation Flow Looks Like

What will the user participation experience be like? The promotion consists of different pages that the user will encounter when interacting with the promotion to participate, such as the initial welcome page, the form page where the user registers with their data, the page where the user plays and finds out if they have won a prize, etc. Together, these different pages form the structure of the promotion and the participation flow the user will follow to complete the promotional mechanics.

Additionally, as an administrator, you can select which participation flow you want users to follow. Specifically, there are three different participation flows: Identified Mode, where the user must identify and register before accessing the questions; Visitor Mode, where the user first answers the questions, then identifies and registers; and Anonymous Mode, where the user participates without identifying or registering. The choice of one mode or another will determine how the participation and user experience in the promotion will be.

Learn in this article how each participation flow works, as well as the different pages that make up a promotion.

3. Create the Promotion

Next, we explain all the steps to create your promotion.

1. Access the Easypromos Control Panel and log in with your email and password to manage and create your promotions.

2. Then, click the "Create new promotion" button to start creating your promotion.

The available products will be presented. Select "Slot Machine" under the "Instant prizes" section.

Discover the first steps to create my first promotion.

4. Create the Slot Machine Prizes

The Slot Machine promotion allows creating two different types of prizes:

"By Probability" Prizes: These are prizes assigned based on probabilities defined by the organizer.
"By "Instant win" Prizes: These are prizes assigned based on a date and time defined by the organizer.

Important note: Prizes of the "Instant win" type take priority over "By Probability" prizes. This means that if there is a unit of a prize by Instant win available, it will always be assigned in the promotion.

4.1. Prizes By Probability

The administrator can define all the probabilities for prizes of the "Probability" type.

For example: if you have 3 prizes and want to control that one of them has a higher chance of being assigned, you can define the probabilities as follows:

Prize 1: 60%.
Prize 2: 20%.
Prize 3: 10%.
No prize: 10%

To start creating prizes, from the Editor > Prizes > Prize Inventory section you can create prizes by Probability:

Advance to section 4.3 of this tutorial to see all the configuration options for prize properties.

4.2. Prizes by Instant win

You can add prizes to the promotion that are not assigned by probability but are assigned at a specific date and time defined by the administrator.

Instant win prizes can be combined with Probability prizes and this option is recommended when you have higher-value prizes with few units and want to precisely control the frequency and timing of their awarding.

In this case, the system guarantees that the prize will only be assigned when the scheduled instant win is activated.

To enhance the user experience within the Slot Machine, these prizes are also represented by a symbol on the machine, so that when the prize is assigned, all three slots show the same symbol corresponding to the winning prize.

The promotion manager has a tool that allows defining the exact date and time for each unit of instant win prizes:

To create a prize by Instant win, from Editor > Prizes > Prize Inventory click on "By Instant win":

4.3. Configure Prize Properties

Once the prize is created, click the pencil icon to edit its properties:

You will find the following configuration tabs:

A. "Options" Tab. From here, you can configure the prize properties, such as:

Name and image.
Description.
Number of units.
Etc.

B. "Winner Message" Tab. Presents all options to customize the design and presentation of the message shown to users who win the prize.

C. "Delivery Conditions" Tab. By default, the prize is assigned to all participating users. Conditions allow creating assignment rules based on user participation criteria. For example, giving the prize to users who select a specific option from a dropdown list in the registration form.

Check all configuration and customization options for the prize in detail in this tutorial.

5. Configure the Slot Machine

Before configuring the Slot Machine, it is important to decide which prize assignment dynamic you will use in the promotion. The application allows working with different configurations depending on the type of experience you want to offer participants.

5.1. Slot Machine Dynamics

The Slot Machine promotion allows working with two different dynamics depending on the type of experience you want to offer the user.

In both cases, the Slot Machine operates with three slots where symbols associated with the prizes configured in the promotion are displayed. The main difference between the two dynamics is how the prize is determined and how these symbols are used within the game.

Depending on the type of prizes configured in the promotion, the Slot Machine can behave in two different ways:

A. Probability-Based Dynamic (Standard Configuration)

In this dynamic, each prize configured in the system has a probability of being assigned to the user.

The symbols shown on the machine directly represent the available prizes, and the result is determined based on the previously configured probabilities.

When the three slots show the same symbol, the user wins the associated prize.

Usage example

This type of configuration is ideal for promotions where all prizes have the same weight within the game experience.

For example, a pet products brand can create a Slot Machine with different prizes such as a pet bed, a cat scratching post, a bag of pet food, or a surveillance camera. Each prize is represented with its corresponding symbol on the machine, and the user plays with the expectation of getting any of them based on the defined probabilities.

Here you can try a DEMO with this dynamic.

The keys to configuring this dynamic are:

In the Prize Inventory, you must create the different prizes you want to assign to users. The prize assignment type must be "By Probability".
In the Slot Machine game configuration:
- For each prize, upload its image, which will be the symbol shown in the slots.
- Customize the final message in case of no prize, configured in the "No prize" option.
Then, follow section 5.4 of this tutorial to learn how to assign the probabilities for each prize.

B. Instant Win-Based Dynamic (Advanced Configuration)

In this dynamic, the prize does not depend on probability but on a prior scheduling at a specific date and time.

The symbols appearing on the machine can represent both real prizes and decorative elements that help enrich the visual experience of the game.

When there is an active instant win, the system assigns the prize at that instant and the three slots show the symbol associated with that prize.

Usage example

This type of configuration is especially useful for campaigns where you want to precisely control the timing of awarding higher-value prizes while adding a more exciting and anticipatory experience.

For example, a travel agency might offer a unique daily prize (such as a flight to a specific destination). To increase the excitement of the game, decorative symbols like a car, a train, or a boat with 0% probability can be added. The real prize (the flight) is represented by a plane and assigned as an instant win. When a user participates at the scheduled time, the three slots show the plane and the user receives the prize.

Here you can try a DEMO with this dynamic.

The keys to configuring this dynamic are:

In the Prize Inventory, you must create all the visual elements you want to show on the machine (these can be real prizes or decorative symbols):
- Real prizes: create them as "Instant Win" type.
- Decorative-only prizes: create them as "By Probability" type.
In the Slot Machine game configuration:
- For each prize (both real and decorative), upload its corresponding image, which will be the symbol shown in the slots.
- Customize the final message in case of no prize, configured in the "No prize" option.
Follow section 5.4 of this tutorial and assign 0% probability to the prizes that are only decorative, since they should not be winnable.
Finally, follow section 5.5 of this tutorial to learn how to assign instant wins.

5.2. General Stage Configuration

The first step is to configure the general options of the stage. To do this, follow these steps:

Go to Editor > Pages > Participation, where the Slot Machine participation mechanics have been automatically created. As a first step, click the pencil icon to configure participation properties:

You will then find the following configuration tabs:

A. "Options" Tab: Contains the general stage options. From this section, you can configure how many times users can participate in the Slot Machine, as well as the participation frequency granted to users.

You can configure the option so that the same user can only win 1 prize. By marking this option, once the user has won a prize, they will no longer be able to participate:

B. "Segments" Tab (available with a White Label plan): The User Segments functionality allows applying tags to promotion participants to group users. You can create several user segments to group them according to your criteria. This way, you can apply specific actions to the created user segments. Discover how the User Segments system works in this tutorial.

C. "Requirements" Tab: Optionally, before participating in the Slot Machine, the promotion can present Requirements as a complement to user participation, which are additional actions users must perform obligatorily before participating, such as validating a code, uploading a purchase ticket, or watching a video. Discover all the available requirements you can apply in the promotion.

D. "Slot Machine" Tab: In this tab, you will find all options to customize the Slot Machine game. We explain the Slot Machine configuration in detail in the next tutorial section.

5.3. Customize the Prizes on the Machine

To start customizing the Slot Machine game, click on the following tab:

Upon entering, you will see the list of prizes created in the Prize Inventory:

For each prize, you will find the following editing options:

Title. This is the name of the slot shown on the Slot Machine.
Image. You can upload an image or symbol to identify each slot of the machine. This is the image that will spin on the panel when the user clicks the play button. Recommended size is 300x300px.
Color. If no image is uploaded, the slot title will appear with this background color on the Slot Machine panel.
Final message. This is the text shown if a prize is won.

5.4. [Prizes By Probability] Assign Probabilities to Prizes By Probability

Once you have customized the slots of the Slot Machine, the next step is to assign the prize probabilities to determine with what probability each prize should be awarded in the game.

To do this, from the same "Prizes" tab at the top you will find the "Edit probabilities" option:

Note: The probability manager calculates over 1,000 instead of 100 to allow defining a more precise probability.

5.5. [Prizes by Instant win] Schedule the Date and Time for Prize Assignment

If you have created prizes with "Instant win" assignment, from Editor > Prizes > Instant win you can define the date and time for assigning these prize(s).

First, you must enable the Instant win tool:

Next, the instant win management tool will appear, allowing you to schedule the date and time for assigning each of the Slot Machine prizes of the Instant win type.

To start, click the "Add instant win" button and a pop-up window will open where you can schedule the date (day and time) for the prize assignment:

You can follow this tutorial that explains in detail how to create instant wins for each prize.

6. Customize the Design of the Slot Machine

Next, click on the "Design" tab to customize the design and style of the Slot Machine where the game is presented.

Here you will find the following customization options:

General Options

1. Hide light frame. This option allows disabling the light frame that surrounds the Slot Machine.

2. Hide slot border. This option allows disabling the border that surrounds the slots.

3. Slot display. Defines the type of symbol display during the slot animation of the Slot Machine:

Reel view: Each slot shows the full sequence of symbols moving during the spin.
Single symbol: Each slot shows only one symbol at a time during the animation.

The following video shows how the slot animation looks in each available mode: Reel view (left) and Single symbol (right).

Color Customization

You can customize the color of the following elements appearing on the Slot Machine:

Background color.
Slot border color.
Highlight color.

If you enable the light frame around the Slot Machine, you will also find the following customization options:

Frame color.
Inner frame color.
Frame border color.
Light color.
"Preview lights on" option.

Play Button

You can customize the following options of the Play button:

Label.
Text color.
Background image. Recommended size: 600×140px.
Text over the button.
Text color.

Lives

You can customize the image that represents the lives, which are the number of spins available to the user in each participation.

Recommended size: 70x70px.

Advanced

Here you can customize the following options:

Show outer border.
Background image. Recommended size: 800×1200px.

Sound Effect

Here you will find the "Disable sounds" option, which allows turning off the default sound effects in the game.

Below is a sample screenshot of the level of customization you can achieve with the Slot Machine:

7. Customize the Design and Finish Configuration

Once you have configured the game, the next step is to finish configuring the other promotion options, such as customizing the design template with your own colors and texts, adding the legal terms, configuring viral content, etc.

Check the tutorial to finish configuring and customizing your promotion.

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