Elizabeth Taylor slot machine leads latest offerings by IGT

By Liz Benston (contact)

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2003 | 11:01 a.m.

The star of the classic films Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Cleopatra and Butterfield 8 will be making her latest debut in casinos nationwide.

Slot maker International Game Technology has signed a deal with actress Elizabeth Taylor, 71, to create a slot machine that will feature her name and image.

The machine would be one of the first to feature a celebrity outside the context of an entertainment program. IGT already offers a series of collective jackpot slots called "Diamond Cinema" that use images of Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart and James Dean. The company also has Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra slots.

In recent years, many of IGT's new slot machines have used themes from vintage television sitcoms and game shows such as "Bewitched" and "The Price Is Right." The comic strip "Beetle Bailey" has even made it onto casino floors.

Taylor is likely the most famous person to grace an IGT slot machine, the company's head of game design Joe Kaminkow said.

IGT approached Taylor several months ago to explore the idea of developing a slot machine. Taylor was comfortable with the idea, Kaminkow said.

Terms of that deal are confidential, though Taylor requested that some of the machines' profits go to charity.

"IGT has such a great reputation of doing such a high quality product and treating stars with great respect and dignity," he said.

Representatives for Elizabeth Taylor could not be reached for comment by press time today.

The company was drawn to Taylor because of her cross-generational appeal and her status as an "international phenomenon," Kaminkow said.

Two machines will emerge from the deal, including a megajackpot slot and a game that will give players a chance to win jewelry that she has designed in the style of her extensive jewelry collection. Taylor recorded voice messages so that the machine will "talk' to players. The machines are expected to be available for sale next year.

"Designing a game called Elizabeth Taylor is like designing a game for Helen of Troy, so we're working overtime to make it extraordinary," Kaminkow said.

A book Taylor published last year chronicling her jewelry collection, "My Love Affair With Jewelry," caught IGT's attention, he said.

The British-born actress has received five Academy Award nominations and has won three Oscars. In later life, she co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research and launched a series of perfumes.

The Taylor machine will accompany other celebrity-packed IGT games set to debut at next month's Global Gaming Expo trade show in Las Vegas.

They include a game based on the 1977 "Star Wars" movie and slots based on the 1960s television comedy "Gilligan's Island" and 1970s sitcom "Laverne & Shirley." A Steve McQueen machine also will debut under the Diamond Cinema series, as well as new versions of existing "I Love Lucy," "I Dream of Jeannie," "Wheel of Fortune" and Frank Sinatra machines.

IGT also this month unveiled plans for a machine based on the "Terminator" movie that won't feature Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The company sometimes test markets certain machines. But the Taylor machine has been kept from the public eye until now, Kaminkow said.

"It's a big to-do," he said. "Everybody knows Dame Elizabeth Taylor."