She’s the Queen of the Court and the Casino – The New Judge Judy Slot Machine [Kicking Back with Jersey Joe]

I’M THE BOSS, APPLESAUCE! She certainly is! Not only is she queen of the courtroom, she also the queen of daytime TV! Judge Judith Sheindlin’s ruled her TV court for 17 seasons and now she’s getting into the casino business! Introducing the Judge Judy slot machine! Oh yes – this is certainly real!

Judge Judy passed the New York State bar in 1965 and was a prosecutor in family court. She was promoted to judge by Mayor Ed Koch in 1982, first to criminal court, then back to family court. Her no-nonsense attitude on the bench caught the eye of the Los Angeles Times in 1993. Followed up by a special profile on 60 Minutes, producers approached her to host her own court show with real cases and real rulings.

After tooling with several names including Hot Bench and Judy Justice, Judge Judy hit the daytime TV airwaves on September 16, 1996. The show, which airs on local stations in various time slots, quickly clicked with viewers.

Her “Judyisms” or snide phrases she uses to call out the litigants on the bench, have become part of American cannon. A few of these include:

“I’m the boss, applesauce.”

“Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining!”

“Do I have ‘stupid’ written on my forehead?”

The show features real cases that are taken from civil court disputes around the country. Researchers for the show scour upcoming court appointments and select cases that they feel will make good television. In order to appear on the show, both parties sign a waver, agreeing to be bound by Judy’s ruling. Technically, the show is not an official court, but “binding arbitration,” although the set and dressing appear to make the show a traditional court.

Any funds that Judy orders to be paid are not actually paid by the litigants. The producers maintain a fund up to the $5,000 small claims court judicial limit. If there are any physical items, such as a car or appliance that are to change hands, Judy signs an order and the transaction is carried out by a local sheriff. After that, each person receives $35 per day they are on set for the taping. In addition, litigants receive between $100 – $500 for their appearance on the show, airfare, and hotel.

The combination of cases and Judy’s no-nonsense attitude leads to captivating television. Her show is the highest rated and longest running television court show. The show is also the highest rated show currently airing in daytime TV. Judge Judy has been renewed through season 19, which will air during 2014-2015.

But, in addition to handing out rulings in the court – now Judge Judy is handing out jackpots!

Slot machine company, IGT is always looking to create new games that will attract players to gamble on a casino floor. IGT has had great success with television themed slot machines, including their most popular slot machine of all, Wheel of Fortune. Each year, they select multiple TV series and create slot machines to cash in on the popularity of the show.  This year, new machines also feature hit TV shows Cheers and, Family Guy.

The Judge Judy slots hit casino floors a few months ago. The large setup features two side by side machines that are connected to enter a joint bonus round at a random time.

The machine features two sets of bonus rounds. One is triggered by three BONUS symbols lining up on the reels. The three rounds include:

Judge Judy Rules – 25 file folders are presented and the player keeps picking until they find 4 matching multiplier coins to win

You Make the Call – The player picks three coins from a group displayed on the screen and credits are awarded. After each pick, a mini court case is presented and the player chooses GUILTY or INNOCENT. If your choice matches Judge Judy’s, the bonus is multiplied and continues to multiply with each correct pick from three cases.

Enter the Courtroom – The player is presented with three court room doors. The player picks a door and wins the credit amount behind it.

There are also three group bonus games that are awarded at random and both players enter this round at the same time.

Spin for Justice – A large wheel appears on screen and awards a credit amount or entrance to two other bonus rounds

Free Spins – This bonus will award a number of free spins to the player, with Judy faces on the reel as WILD spaces

Plead Your Case – The player will play as either the PLAINTIFF or the DEFENDANT and three cases are read. After each scenario, the player is instructed to select an action or reason for the case, such as “I didn’t see that car making a left turn,” or “I gave him the money, here’s my canceled check and I’m innocent!” If Judy agrees with your argument, you’ll win a multiplier and large credit prize.

The icons on the video slot machine reels are all court related, such as a bench, scales of justice, and law books.  Different images of Judy also appear on the reels and landing on multiples will launch a hilarious video clip or quote. You can hear Judy half way across the casino!

I dropped a $100 bill in the machine at the Planet Hollywood casino in Las Vegas. The machine is in the penny denomination and I was betting $3 per spin. The more you bet, the more a multiplier meter goes up on the left side of the reels, which will multiply your winnings by that amount in a bonus round. My meter stayed between 3x and 6x.

The wheel bonus hit a few times for me and the player to my right, but mostly spun low amounts of credit wins. Once, we got the free spin bonus, which awarded us each 10 spins with multiple Judy faces as wild spaces on the reels.

I played for about 30 minutes and cashed out at $50. It was fun, but the winnings on this particular bank seemed to be a little tight. While we did get a few minor wins, the three individual bonus rounds never came up on either machine. I did get to see a ton of hilarious Judy clips.

Upon cashing out, the slot will give a 30 second countdown for any possible time left to trigger the random group bonus. That did work for the woman who was sitting next to me. She was broke and had only a few bucks to cash out. With about 14 seconds left, the bonus triggered, and she made $10 from the group wheel spin.

The slot machine also features authentic music and graphics direct from the show. I only wonder what Judge Judy herself thinks about being on a slot machine.

THE 411

What: Judge Judy slot machine
Manufacturer: IGT gaming
Released: 2013
Denomination: Pennies

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

This is a really fun game, but it took me a few minutes to accept that it’s Judge Judy. I never thought I would see a court show as a slot machine, but this one works. I did have a great deal of fun and the video clips are hilarious. You can tell they took their time designing and refining this machine.

For max payouts, you will want to play max coins (which is $3 per spin), and it adds up fast. Always make sure your player’s card is inserted, so the casino can give you all the comp offers and room discounts you are entitled to.

While this machine wasn’t a winner for me, it was still fun to try, and worth the cost of my money for the entertainment.  Just remember, Buck-o, bet with your head – not over it or you may end up owing someone money in Judge Judy’s court!

Image credits: JSF539 & billypalooza