Forget about fruit slot machines and money wheels. Online casinos games are more and more resembling video game arcades to appeal to the new generation of Millennial.
Some of the most popular casino software companies like Microgaming, NetEnt and others are working hard to mirror some of the most popular video games and give them a gambling spin. This is the reason why if you look around at some of the best online casinos you will find some video slots that have excellent graphics and storytelling that is very close to the ones in video games consoles.
‘The online casino industry is growing at an enormous pace, and if this is good for players as they do benefit from the competition, it is very challenging for operators to stay afloat’, said John Pentin Editor in Chief at leading Casino Bonus aggregator site CasinobiggestBonus.com. ‘Offering a great casino bonus goes only to a certain length: it will attract the player to give a go at the platform. If the games, however, are not satisfactorily the player will move on to the next casino website as soon as the free credits are exhausted. This will leave the operator only with the costs of running the bonus promotion.’ continued John Pentin.
But how are online casinos thinking to introduce skill-based games into their platforms? ‘In addition to the most modern video slots which are already based on gaming themes, there will probably be separate gaming sections where you have specialised skill-based themes’ John Pentin said.
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Online casinos are very keen to attract a younger demographic of players for obvious reasons: they are going to be around for longer, have more time at their disposals and less responsibilities if they are singles.
This trend is not only online. Casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City are also studying to introduce land-based versions of skill-games to appeal to a broader audience. In addition to the online threat, traditional casinos in Las Vegas are also worried that recently casino hotels and resorts have improved their amenities: the consequence is that people stay more in the hotel facilities and gamble less.
In Las Vegas and Atlantic City tourists can now go to nightclubs, spa, sporting events, top restaurants and all those things are getting them away from playing at casinos. A report from 2015 indicates that casino revenue was down 58% compared with 1990: gambling is now only 37% of the total income of Las Vegas Casino and Hotels.
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Young people are continuing to go to Las Vegas but the main issue for casino operators is that they tend to spend more time away from the casino floors. The problem of selling casino games to newer generations is apparent: in 2017 millennials were 27% of all visitors to Vegas but only 63% of those ended up gambling.
So introducing new games that will appeal to millennials, it is not only important for online casinos but also for land-based casinos that are experiencing the same challenge. ‘The majority of visitors to Las Vegas is below 50 years old, but the majority of those who play slots are over 50’ said Mayrhofer which is the Gamblit Gaming executive. So casino floors are wired for a group of the gambling population that is not anymore the majority: without innovation and with the threat of online casinos, land-based casinos are surely at risk of extinction.
Another thing to consider is that even if everything else in Las Vegas has been innovated, slot machines have remained nearly the same since the 1970s: you enter the coins, you push a button, and you hope to win.
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The concept is also the same online however in recent years software companies have been able to create bonus features that significantly improve the situation and look like video games. Those have obtained excellent results in attracting younger audiences.
Land-based casino operators have tried to upgrade some visual displays with plasma screen, but at the core, the technology has remained precisely the same.
‘We need to remember that millennials have grown up in an era populated of games and digital media. Traditional slots machine provide a passive experience that doesn’t resonate with this generation. It looks like online casinos and mobile casinos are making huge efforts to provide games that will be more attractive to them; if traditional casinos do not do the same, things are looking rather gloomy for their near future businesses’ Mr Pentin said.
