The hot-button issue in the slots world over the last year has been skill-based slots. Casinos recognize that millennials largely don’t play slots, and they want to find a way to draw these younger people.
So putting some skill into the equation seems like a good idea. And considering that slots payback could shoot up to 98%, with good skill involved, it seems like a win-win for everybody. But according to a millennial writer, not even skill-based slots are going to bring younger people into casinos.
Writing under the VegasFanBoy blog, their argument hinges on the fact that millennials have grown up on skill-based games like poker and sports betting (throw fantasy sports in here too), so they’re not interested in machines that will take $20 from them within 15 minutes.
They also discuss how the much-cheaper smartphone gaming has created another alternative that stretches one’s money further and makes casino slots even less attractive. Here’s one excerpt from the post:
“Frequently called the video game generation, many of us already own consoles, including phones which allow us to get our fix. They’re small, convenient, and relatively inexpensive. It’s why arcades are no longer popular. That, and partially because casinos like Excalibur refer to them as the “Fun Dungeon”, which sounds less like an electronic gaming establishment, and more like a Law and Order: SVU crime scene location.”
So are slots doomed to eventually fail because people enjoy playing on their mobile devices and casinos are inconvenient?
I wouldn’t quite go this far, especially when you consider that Vegas casinos are still drawing visitors by the millions every year. And considering that slots makers have done a great job of developing games around hit movies and TV shows, people are bound to sit down and make a few spins.
But one thing that I think we can all accept is that the slots world will continue evolving more rapidly than ever before. Gone are the old days when people would sit around with buckets full of quarters and play for hours. The new slots era will be a lot sleeker, offer more entertainment for your money, and contain some skill.