Why The Future of Gambling Is Video Games

Posted By Mark Kaelin

BreakingModern — Many video games, whether they are played on a console or a computer, require a certain amount of skill to master. Some of us are better players than others — that’s just the nature of the game. However, if the state legislature chooses to make it a reality, it may be possible for you to use your advanced video gaming skills to win money at a friendly Nevada casino.

It’s in the Game

The state of Nevada, and all of the other casino stakeholders, has noticed a disturbing trend at their resorts — the demographic of their clientele is getting older. Young people are not as enamored with the casino as their grandparents, and that presents a major problem for the casino industry.

This is why the Nevada State Legislature is considering a bill that would allow more games of skill on the casino floor. These new games would look more like video games: think Call of Duty or StarCraft, rather than the current crop of one-armed-bandits ruled by the laws of random chance.

For the younger demographic, being able to play a slot machine where the gameplay is more like a side-scrolling Super Mario Brothers or a first person shooter (FPS) like Destiny makes perfect sense. The generation that grew up with a console and a computer are going to find greater appeal in that type of game, especially when the alternative is matching randomly generated pictures of fruit.

The House Always Wins

However, before you get all excited and start mastering the art of multiplayer first person shooters, it would best to keep in mind that we’re talking about gambling. No matter how much “skill” is inserted into the games, the casino is always going to get its cut. So, this is where the innovation and creativity of the game makers come into play.

These new games have to introduce and reward skill for the players, but they also have to make the casino money at the same time. How are they going to do that?

Perhaps in a multiplayer FPS scenario, each player bets $1 to play and the players with the most kills at the end of the round get the payout. So, 20 players play and the winner gets $10, second gets $5, third gets $1, and the house gets $4. That seems reasonable and workable for all concerned.

The casinos could also add a social aspect to the gameplay. For example, the casinos could run video game tournaments where teams of players compete for prize money. This would work similar to the way the popular World Series of Poker works now. This would fit nicely with many popular multiplayer video games and could even someday be a staple on ESPN. The possibilities are only limited by the imagination. In fact, video game playoffs with huge payouts already exist, so turning it into a gambling endeavor wouldn’t be all that difficult.

Gambling

The concept of adding skill to gambling games is not new, but the idea of modernizing those games to more closely resemble video games the younger generation is most familiar with is a new development. It’s a development that is long overdue. Now, I’m not likely to gamble on my skill at Call of Duty, but there are many younger players that I feel will most certainly test their mettle at such games. Are you one of them?

For BMod, I’m Mark Kaelin.

Featured/First Image Credit: © Dmitry Ersler / Dollar Photo Club

Second Image Credit: Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment used by permission

Third Image Credit: © ellisia / Dollar Photo Club