History: The MERKUR KOMET

When humanity gets to see a comet, it’s always something truly special. The same goes for the MERKUR KOMET. The successor to the famous MERKUR B played a major role in the success and rise of the MERKUR GROUP (then Gauselmann Group) during the 1980s and 1990s.

And because it was so successful and popular among players, the KOMET was produced in many different versions. These included the RUBIN KOMET, BRILLANT KOMET, SUPER KOMET, and BLITZ KOMET.

As with the MERKUR B, the game surface of the KOMET featured the so-called “MERKUR bag” – a winning symbol with three reels that tapered like a bag. But what truly made the MERKUR KOMET special was the comet’s tail emerging from the MERKUR sun, which for the very first time displayed the risk ladder, patented by Paul Gauselmann in 1979.

Perhaps precisely because the KOMET was so “big” in business terms, MERKUR built a slot machine in 1983 that was 64 times larger than a regular one. It took four months to complete the giant. At 3.5 metres high and 2.5 metres wide, it earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records. To be able to exhibit this special machine at trade fairs, a custom vehicle had to be purchased to move the 1,300 kilograms. In addition to the MERKUR KOMET, other machines from the Gauselmann company were also rebuilt in oversized form. Unfortunately, these giants no longer exist – transporting them turned out to be too cumbersome. And so, the era of the MERKUR KOMET came to an end, burning out in the sky of history into stardust.