Online games pioneer Zynga builds on casino-style play with Elite Slots

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Facebook games pioneer Zynga on Wednesday said it was expanding its casino-style offerings with an Elite Slots title that weaves social and story elements with luck-based play.

"It's kind of like going to Las Vegas and sitting around a social slot machine with other people," Zynga design director Josh Gause said while demonstrating the new game for Agence France Presse. "Unlike Vegas, everyone is a winner."

Mr Gause and fellow game design director Nate Ratcliffe built role-playing and mini-game elements into Elite Slots, which Zynga promised would be available at Facebook soon.

Players are represented on screen as animated pets that progress through levels and find in-game treasures based on outcomes of spins at virtual slot machines.