No one generation owns Willy Wonka. However, FanDuel Casino has the exclusive rights to Willy Wonka slots. That means only its 21 and older online casino gamblers can play the game and “find the rich candy centers in the Chocolate River,” romp with Oompa Loompas, and open the Wonka Bar to find the Golden Ticket.
Backstories behind the game features may only make sense to filmgoers who saw the 1971 namesake movie Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. For instance, the likeness of the late Gene Wilder appears on the Willy Wonka: World of Wonka slots game Bonus found starring in the Pennsylvania FanDuel Casino lobby on March 5. However, the mechanics of the game also starring Wilder seem intuitive to slots players, like wheels, wilds, and jackpots.
On March 4, FanDuel’s LinkedIn post about the FanDuel Casino game said:
We are excited to officially announce FanDuel Casino has become the exclusive home of WILLY WONKA™ slots. In collaboration with Light & Wonder, the first game launch — World of Wonka — is now available to play at FanDuel Casino.
Offering our players beloved and exclusive games is a key priority for us and we cannot wait for our players to enjoy this casino floor favorite — exclusively available on FanDuel Casino. A world of sweetness awaits!
Already successful as a retail slot, Willy Wonka slots entered the online casino world through a July 2023 partnership between Light and Wonder (LNW) and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment.
LNW (Light & Wonder Inc 109,62 +2,65%) said then that more Warner Brothers characters would be appearing in online slots.
However, it’s now clear that Willy Wonka will only be appearing on FanDuel Casino screens.
Willy Wonka Slots Game
Seemingly referencing those retail casino Willy Wonka slots, FanDuel Casino opened the game for me in Philadelphia with this note:
Greasing the slot reels …
I saw the slots icon three times in the FanDuel Casino lobby, including as the most popular game in Pennsylvania.
Clicking on the icon for the game Willy Wonka: World of Wonka, I saw an Oompa Loompa pull back the screen to the secret world.
Then, an instrumental version of the Pure Imagination had me humming along with the following lyrics from the Roald Dahl adaptation:
Come with me and you’ll be/In a world of pure imagination
That Negative Comment
As is always the case, one negative comment sticks out below FanDuel’s nearly universally well-received Willy Wonka slots announcement on LinkedIn, a social media site for professionals.
Below the 325 reactions that communicated “like,” “celebrate,” and “love” were five positive comments from well-wishers, then this from UK B2B SaaS Founder Dan Dukeson:
Using characters from children’s fiction to promote gambling, you must be so proud of yourselves.
It’s unclear which children he means because actor Peter Ostrum, who was 12 when the 1971 movie debuted, is 66 years old. FanDuel Casino only allows those 21 and older to gamble.
Meanwhile, the target audience of the 2023 prequel, the PG-rated Wonka, isn’t even old enough to vote. However, its star — Timothée Chalamet, 28 — isn’t depicted anywhere in the FanDuel Casino game.
As for Dukeson’s assumption that Willy Wonka fans are children, even Wonka proves that false.
Fortune reported in December:
Moviegoers under the age of 25 accounted for 36% of the audience, which was split evenly between 51% females and 49% males.
Also, not all moviegoers are online gamblers and vice versa.
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