Imagine a Las Vegas casino floor 10 years from now, where the games look less like traditional slot machines and more like the video games millennials grew up playing on Xboxes and PlayStations.
That vision may be on its way to becoming reality. A state Senate committee is considering a bill that would let gaming regulators allow more skill, as opposed to chance, on the casino floor. The bill suggests, among other things, that regulators outline requirements for games of skill and allow flexibility in payout percentages or a game?s outcome.
If the bill becomes law, it could pave the way for a flood of slot machines with games that play more like Super Mario than Wheel of Fortune.
Such a shift is underway. Game developers have created video game-like products.
Bally Technologies, for example, introduced a slot based on the arcade game Skee-Ball, while Gamblit Gaming debuted products that resemble popular games such as Angry Birds. Skilled players, though, aren?t necessarily rewarded with bigger payouts.
Changing the regulations would push the market even further. And casinos have a major incentive to offer such games: They?d be a big draw for younger generations that increasingly shy away from slot and video poker machines. Many millennials aren?t enticed by games that require only the push of one button repeatedly, despite the possibility of winning a jackpot.
?The younger demographic is just interested in a different type of gaming than the older demographic that was used to, and is still comfortable with, the traditional slot machine and video poker machine,? said Sen. Greg Brower, a Republican from Washoe County who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is considering the bill.
Brower said he didn?t anticipate problems getting the bill passed. Then it would be up to the state?s two regulatory bodies for the casino industry ? the Gaming Control Board and the Gaming Commission.
Regulators seem equally receptive to introducing more skill on the casino floor. Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett said the days of ?grand casino openings with people rushing to play the slots? are gone.
?Now have come the days of huge, integrated resorts offering hundreds of entertainment options found nowhere else on earth, from the finest dining and entertainment anywhere to clubs that cater to a younger demographic,? he said. ?So everyone recognizes that gaming must keep up, and to do that, the old style of slots simply needs to change. ? This means adding skill and social elements to the slot mix.?
That vision may be on its way to becoming reality. A state Senate committee is considering a bill that would let gaming regulators allow more skill, as opposed to chance, on the casino floor. The bill suggests, among other things, that regulators outline requirements for games of skill and allow flexibility in payout percentages or a game?s outcome.
If the bill becomes law, it could pave the way for a flood of slot machines with games that play more like Super Mario than Wheel of Fortune.
Such a shift is underway. Game developers have created video game-like products.
Bally Technologies, for example, introduced a slot based on the arcade game Skee-Ball, while Gamblit Gaming debuted products that resemble popular games such as Angry Birds. Skilled players, though, aren?t necessarily rewarded with bigger payouts.
Changing the regulations would push the market even further. And casinos have a major incentive to offer such games: They?d be a big draw for younger generations that increasingly shy away from slot and video poker machines. Many millennials aren?t enticed by games that require only the push of one button repeatedly, despite the possibility of winning a jackpot.
?The younger demographic is just interested in a different type of gaming than the older demographic that was used to, and is still comfortable with, the traditional slot machine and video poker machine,? said Sen. Greg Brower, a Republican from Washoe County who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is considering the bill.
Brower said he didn?t anticipate problems getting the bill passed. Then it would be up to the state?s two regulatory bodies for the casino industry ? the Gaming Control Board and the Gaming Commission.
Regulators seem equally receptive to introducing more skill on the casino floor. Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett said the days of ?grand casino openings with people rushing to play the slots? are gone.
?Now have come the days of huge, integrated resorts offering hundreds of entertainment options found nowhere else on earth, from the finest dining and entertainment anywhere to clubs that cater to a younger demographic,? he said. ?So everyone recognizes that gaming must keep up, and to do that, the old style of slots simply needs to change. ? This means adding skill and social elements to the slot mix.?
