Meet The Casino Or Arcade Of The Future

LAS VEGAS -- If family entertainment centers sometimes look a little bit like casinos, then be prepared for casinos to start looking a lot like FECs. Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has signed a bill into law that would allow for variable-payback percentages in skill-based amusement equipment.

According to the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers, which pushed for the new law, Nevada's casinos can now include true skill-based gameplay, arcade-game elements and hybrid games, among other technological attributes associated with amusements, on the casino floor for the first time.

"This bill allows gaming manufacturers to use cutting-edge technology to meet the challenges prompted by a younger, more technologically engaged visitor demographic," Sandoval said. "Passing this legislation into law is an important step forward in providing new opportunities for this critical industry to progress, while ensuring that Nevada remains the global epicenter for gaming innovation and development."

The new legislation, at least in part, was spurred by the aging player base of traditional slot machines and similar games of chance. According to AGEM, players of those types of games typically skew in an older demographic with estimated ages between 50 and 55, and a core age range from 45 to 65. Women tend to play the games more than men by a significant 60-40 margin. Videogames, as one expert pointed out, can slant exactly the opposite.

Boots And Pants

Marcus Prater

Initial reports suggest that gambling equipment manufacturers may be preparing to borrow heavily from traditional arcade game concepts, including shooting and driving games. It will be the first time, according to AGEM, that players will know they can have a material financial impact on the outcome of the game.

"This bill would allow for a Candy Crush-type game," said AGEM's executive director Marcus Prater. "But we're looking at all of the platforms; arcade, Xbox and mobile."

The new generation of casino game would also draw from licensing of new, as well as classic arcade games, Prater told VT. This strategy would expand the player appeal to the widest possible demographic. Frogger, for instance, which was introduced by Konami in 1981, would attract boomers who remember it from their misspent youth and well-spent quarters.

Industry observers point out that the new law is aimed at capturing a new generation of potential casino players raised on videogames and in FECs. Game manufacturers are expected to push similar bills in states with casinos. According to one expert, there has been intense interest from many of the 40 states that now allow some form of gambling. Whether this new trend will put casinos in direct competition with FECs offering redemption and prize merchandisers remains to be seen.

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