The gambling industry is always trying to find new ways to entertain their players. In the last few years, we have witnessed an enormous expansion in this field, mainly due to the growing popularity of online gambling and the rising number of new software providers serving as competitors to industry stalwarts like Microgaming and NetEnt. Overall revenue in the USA climbed 2% in 2016, according to Rubin Brown (.pdf), the 7th year in a row that casino income increased in the country
While the popular perception of the high-rolling casino game likely involves well-dressed gamblers stood around a craps table or a roulette wheel, much of the money earned from casino games actually comes from slot machines. However, that figure has been in decline; the 12 casinos in Pennsylvania, for example, experienced a 6-year low in revenue from slots last year, largely due to the fact that the generational baton recently passed from Gen X to millennials, who have no love for luck-based games.
In an attempt to attract a new generation of gamblers and increase the overall revenue from slot machines, casinos are turning to skill based slots. So, let’s take a look at our first major trend of 2018:
Skill-based Slots
One of the first skill-based slots in the world is Danger Arena. The main goal of this kind of game is to make the humble slot more interactive and meld skill-based mechanics with the more traditional chance-based ones. This basically means that the better you are at playing a game, the bigger your chances are of winning. However, the standard slot strategy as outlined by Betway is still relevant; betting, paylines, bonus features, and stacked wilds aren’t going anywhere just yet.
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So, what’s the impetus behind the introduction of skill-based games? Gamers from the younger generation grew up with video games like Call of Duty and Angry Birds, titles that reward performance over prayers to Lady Luck. Creating a video slot game that is interactive and requires a certain level of skill to be played right is almost guaranteed to attract a bigger number of young players than the traditional slot machine, whether mechanical or computerized.
Comic Book Slots
Another trend we are witnessing this year is the increasing number of video slot games inspired by comic books, mainly from DC Comics this is evident in 2017 the Playtech and Warner Bros exclusive content deal. This is a clever strategy that online casinos are implementing to attract new players and, at the same time, freshen up their existing collection of video slot games. The older generation of slot players grew up with comic books so it’s natural that a DC or Marvel themed slot will be attractive to them. However, with a raft of modern blockbuster movies inspired by the same comic characters, including the $623m-selling Marvel’s The Avengers, casinos have found a way to reach out to the younger generation too.
As a quick aside, the trend for comic book slots like The Dark Knight mirrors the one governing the design of a slot machine game like Starburst, which is inspired by match-3 mobile titles like Candy Crush and Bejewelled. In the former case, appealing to millennials may be as straightforward as borrowing imagery that they are familiar with to get them onboard, rather than uprooting the foundations of a long-established established genre.
VR and HTML5
If you’re a long-serving casino gamer, you surely remember the first online casinos and their design. If you wanted to play Microgaming slots, you had to use the Viper platform and download all of the casino games afterward. But, today, a lot has changed. When NetEnt made their comeback on the gambling throne, they redesigned all of their casino games with the HTML5 protocol. This enabled the user to play all of their casino games directly from the browser, without the need for a Flash player. This development opened the way for a whole new era in online gambling – the mobile casino.
The development of mobile devices and internet access allowed the mobile casino concept to flourish. Players today can access almost all casinos on the go, either through an iOS or Android app or via a mobile browser. The fact that gamers can make deposits and withdrawals with the touch of the screen, in currencies as weird and wonderful as bitcoin, is a testament to the sophistication of the modern casino environment. The potential for mobile virtual reality (VR) is also worth considering, given that a VR version of the slot machine game Gonzo’s Quest already exists. Could the world be about to see virtual slots on mobile dethrone the desktop game?
So, there you have it; our three biggest slot trends for 2018 and a few questions that still need answering. What do you think could be the next big thing in the life of the long-serving slot game?
