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SILICON GAMING, INC. AND MGM GRAND, INC. LAUNCH NEXT GENERATION GAMING EXPERIENCE: FAMILY FEUD SLOTS

6/1/2000

June 01, 2000
LAS VEGAS (June 1, 2000) – Las Vegas tears another page from the theme park playbook as two of the gaming industry's most forward thinkers transform the topography of the slot floor. Guests of the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino will soon get their first taste of a new class of wagering experience, Family Feud Slots.

MGM Grand, Inc. has joined forces with Silicon Gaming to create Family Feud Slots, an elaborately themed casino installation based on Pearson Television's again-popular game show. The high-end attraction extends the traditional slot-playing experience well beyond the boundaries of the physical device. In addition to the actual machines, the attraction includes custom signage, lighting, seating, carpeting, and other fixtures, all of which reinforce the Family Feud brand and heighten the game playing experience. Never before has a casino created such an elaborate environment in support of a single product.

“This work represents the cutting edge for us,” declared Andrew Pascal, CEO of Silicon Gaming, Inc. “These ‘Attraction Packages' we're developing are the expression of everything we've learned over the past five years.”

Silicon, long known for its highly innovative products, approached MGM Grand with the joint development deal. Silicon would build a state-of-the-art game, and MGM Grand would kick in the floor space and the promotional support. Silicon would get to showcase its latest handiwork at an A plus location, and MGM Grand would get a knock-your-socks-off product with a Nevada exclusive. “It was bold idea,” recalled Pascal, “and it required a strong, visionary partner in order to pull it off. MGM Grand was our perfect choice.” The MGM Grand and its affiliated casinos, New York-New York, Primadonna, Whiskey Pete's, and Buffalo Bill's, will be the exclusive Nevada venues for the Family Feud attraction.

“We're always seeking new and exciting ways to entertain our guests,” said Bill Hornbuckle, President/COO of MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. “Silicon Gaming's Family Feud idea fit the bill. What they proposed was not only a great experience, but it also fit exceptionally well in branding ‘The City of Entertainment' into a casino experience.”

At the heart of the Family Feud slot experience is a gaming device that is perhaps Silicon Gaming's most innovative creation to date. The machine features three, high-resolution video displays; an industry-first, video capture system; and, a physical enclosure that incorporates 40 individually choreographed lights, all controlled by a proprietary scripting language.

The impressive hardware is well matched by the company's faithful recreation of the popular television game show. "Family Feud is a very successful brand for Pearson Television around the world,” noted Simon Spalding, EVP Worldwide Licensing at Pearson Television, owners of the Family Feud brand. “This deal underlines the off-air potential of our brands and their ability to transfer from the small screen. Silicon Gaming's ability to translate Family Feud into a slot experience and MGM's execution of the themed environment supports our objective to bring consumers high quality game playing opportunities across a broad range of platforms and media."

The Family Feud games are based on three of Silicon's most popular product types, two of which are reel slots: the multi-line, multi-coin and the multi-spin. The third is a multi-deck poker implementation. What remains consistent across the game variations is the Family Feud Bonus.

When players hit the designated bonus jackpot, the entire machine appears to shut down. As the device goes dark, a red siren starts to spin atop a studio camera mounted to the side of the machine. A stage director appears on the camera's video display and instructs the player that he or she is, “On in five…in four…in three…” The stage director points at the player and on cue, we cut to the camera's video feed. This time, it is the player who appears on the screen. A snap shot is taken, the camera goes dark, and the machine comes back to life with the instantly recognizable Family Feud theme music.

It's the bonus round, and it's time to meet the first family. The familiar stitch work panel slides back to reveal the contestants. Now it's time to meet the challengers. A second panel slides back to reveal the image of the player that the camera had just captured.

The game proceeds as a question is randomly selected from the game's database of over 1,000 questions. The top answers are “on the board” and players' guesses appear on a rotating placard. Hitting the “Answer” plunger on the machine's button deck makes the selection from among the randomly generated guesses. Then, the player sees what the “survey says.” The more popular the guess is, the larger the award. Players continue until they guess all the answers or get three strikes. Their awards are totaled, and they return to the game.

MGM Grand, Inc. is an entertainment, hotel and gaming company headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, which owns and/or operates through subsidiaries 18 casino properties on three continents. Its U.S. holdings include: the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino – The City of Entertainment, Bellagio, The Mirage, Treasure Island, New York – New York Hotel and Casino, the Boardwalk Hotel and Casino and 50% of Monte Carlo, all located on the Las Vegas Strip; The Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas; Whiskey Pete's, Buffalo Bill's and the Primm Valley Resort in Primm, Nevada as well as two championship golf courses at the California/Nevada stateline; The Golden Nugget in Laughlin, Nevada; the Beau Rivage resort on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; and the MGM Grand Detroit Casino in Detroit, Michigan. The company is a joint venture partner on a resort under development in Atlantic City, New Jersey and also controls several development sites in the ocean-front resort community. Internationally, MGM Grand owns and operates the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Darwin, Australia and manages casinos in Nelspruit, Witbank and Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.

For more information on MGM Grand, Inc. and its operating subsidiaries, visit our websites at www.mgmgrand.com and www.mirageresorts.com.

Silicon Gaming, Inc. designs and manufacturers a full line of innovative wagering products, including the Odyssey and Quest slot machines, and an extensive library of game applications, including Phantom Belle, Eureka, Cash Cruise, Banana-Rama, and Hot Reels. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, the Company is traded on the OTC Bulletin Board as SGIC.

Family Feud is a trademark of Grundy International Operations BV. Licensed by Pearson Television Inc. The Family Feud Slot experience is a wagering attraction by Silicon Gaming.