WMS Gaming Installs Hollywood Squares™ Themed Participation Gaming  Devices in Harrah's Casinos

Launch of Third Major Branded Participation Series Begins in Five Casinos 

Waukegan, Illinois.
January 30th, 2002

    WMS Gaming Inc., a subsidiary of WMS Industries Inc. (NYSE: WMS), announced today that it began installation of its new Hollywood Squares™ themed participation gaming machines at four Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: HET) properties in Iowa and Missouri, and the Rincon Band temporary facility in California.

    In addition, Hollywood Squares is expected to debut in thirteen additional Harrah's properties in Nevada, Arizona, Louisiana, Kansas, and Indiana next month, pending regulatory approvals. Hollywood Squares is the third major line of participation gaming machines to be introduced by WMS following the success of Hasbro, Inc.'s MONOPOLY™ and the Puzzle Pays™ branded slot machines. Pursuant to an agreement announced last year, Hollywood Squares branded slot machines will have a limited exclusivity period in all jurisdictions in which Harrah's operates.

    Licensed from CBS Consumer Products, Hollywood Squares is modeled after the popular television celebrity game show starring Whoopi Goldberg as the "center-square." Now in its third season of first-run syndication, Hollywood Squares delights audiences with the perfect blend of changing celebrity panels and timeless game concepts.

    "The star power and continuing popularity of Hollywood Squares, combined with game play elements that are among the most engaging of any slot machine offering, will increase the visibility of this new participation line and help it to become a hit for WMS, CBS Consumer Products and our casino partners," said Brian R. Gamache, WMS President and Chief Executive Officer. "Players have come to expect exciting and entertaining game play from WMS, and our product development team has once again delivered a game that will surpass those expectations. Additionally, by premiering Hollywood Squares exclusively at Harrah's properties in North America, we have the added benefit of working with a partner who is committed to bringing its customers the newest and most innovative slot machines available in the market. Harrah's is one of the top marketers in the industry and our combined efforts to promote this new machine to their slot players increases the likelihood that it will be a hit right from the start.

    "WMS' pipeline of new participation games is robust. In 2002 we expect to introduce PICTIONARY® as the next installment of our Puzzle Pays™ line, SURVIVOR™, a wide-area progressive slot based on the popular reality-based television show, and PAC-MAN™. These new games, combined with planned refreshes for our MONOPOLY line and the roll out of Hollywood Squares, provide a solid base for WMS to increase its market share in this important business segment."
 

Hollywood Squares Game Play

    Hollywood Squares is a five-reel, nine-line video slot available in 45 coins, featuring clever character animation and interactive game play. Colorful reel symbols include an animated Whoopi Goldberg, the Hollywood Squares logo, dollar signs, X's and O's and Wild Stars. By lining up the Wild Star symbol on both the first and fifth reels, the player receives the Wild Star bonus. The first and fifth reels will lock, and the player is awarded a number of free spins on reels two, three and four. The Wild Star symbols act as wild symbols during these
free spins.

    Lining up three or more Hollywood Squares logos kicks off the Hollywood Squares bonus round. Here, players enter the famous game show set with nine popular celebrities, including Whoopi Goldberg. The players pick a celebrity to reveal an "X", followed by the machine
picking a celebrity to reveal an "O". This play continues until there are three "X's" in a row vertically, horizontally or diagonally (a win); three "O's" in a row (a loss). The bonus round ends in the case of a "cats-game" tie after all of the celebrities have been chosen.

    A win in the first bonus round triggers a second bonus round, the Question Bonus. Here, just like the contestants on the TV show, players are asked a question and must pick the celebrity they think will answer it correctly. The celebrity gives the answer and a number
of credits are displayed for that celebrity. A correct answer doubles the credits for that celebrity.
    
    WMS Gaming is headquartered in Waukegan, IL with regional offices in all major domestic gaming jurisdictions, as well as Barcelona, Spain, Johannesburg, South Africa and Sydney, Australia. WMS Gaming Inc., a subsidiary of WMS Industries Inc., designs,
manufactures and markets video and reel-spinning gaming devices and
video lottery terminals.

    Hollywood Squares ™ is a registered trademark of King World Productions, Inc.
    MONOPOLY™ is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc. ©2002 Hasbro, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
    PAC-MAN™ & ©1980 Namco Ltd. All rights reserved.
    PICTIONARY® is a trademark of Pictionary Incorporated, Nevada, U.S.A. All rights reserved.
    SURVIVOR™ is a trademark of Survivor Productions LLC, used under license from CBS Consumer Products. 
    Puzzle Pays™ is a trademark of WMS Gaming Inc.©2002 WMS Gaming Inc. All rights reserved.
 
 

    This press release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning future business conditions and the outlook for the Company based on currently available information that involve risks and  uncertainties. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward looking statements as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the financial strength of the gaming industry, the expansion of legalized gaming into new markets and legislative and regulatory changes in existing gaming markets, the development, introduction and success of new games and new technologies and the ability to maintain the scheduling of such introductions, the occurrence of future software anomalies that affect the Company's games and the ability of the Company to correct such anomalies, the ability of the Company to qualify for and maintain gaming licenses and approvals and other risks more fully described under Part I. Item 1. "Business - Risk Factors"
in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K.
 

CONTACT: 

WMS Industries Inc. 
Scott D. Schweinfurth, 847/785-3760
sschweinfurth@wmsgaming.com
 - or -
Jaffoni & Collins Incorporated, New York
Joseph Jaffoni, Richard Land 
212/835-8500 
wms@jcir.com