Land-Based Casinos Are Adding Skill to Their Slots to Keep Millennials

12.04.2019, 11:50

Slot machines in land-based casinos are the top money-makers. Roughly two-thirds of casinos income in both US and Europe come from the slots, making them a center of attention for both operators and the houses themselves.

This explains the worries of the casinos, as statistics show that the average age of the slot player is 58. This is in sharp contrast with the average age of 36 for casino visitors in general and showcases that if something is not done soon, there will be no one to play physical slots.

The solution is innovation, which might have been inspired by online slot game developers, such as NetEnt, with their heavy focus on working with popular brands and making slot games more interactive, as they did with the recent Wild Worlds.

Slot machine innovators seem to be taking the last method to heart in their own way, offering machines that require more interaction, skill and concentration to win. Some regulators oppose that, stressing that RTP are set for every game starting from a certain percentage so that all gamblers would have the same chance of winning, not having to rely on skill.

Right now, new types of controlled slots are entering the market in the US States of Nevada and New Jersey, as well as in Europe’s Monaco and Finland.

The so-called “Hybrid Slots” are already proving to be more lucrative than regular ones, generating as much as 10% more revenue than good ol’ one hand bandits. Increased interaction also keeps the player’s attention focused on the game, resulting in higher chance of them sitting behind a slot longer.

Most importantly, however, they seem to achieve the most crucial goal of reaching younger audiences. The representative of Gambit Gaming, slot machine manufacturer, says that the average hybrid slots players are 15-20 years younger than regular slots players.

The long-term development and adoption of such slots remains to be seen, but it is certainly a move in the right direction to keep up with the online market, especially with more and more US states moving to legalize online gambling.

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