Millennials Are Changing Casinos
There is little doubt that through the ages the younger generation has had a profound and lasting impact on culture. Most often their influence can be seen in areas such as music, style, film, and other forms of entertainment. The influence of younger consumers can also be seen in such areas as shopping and banking.
Today’s millennials have made their impact in the same areas. However, for the first time their influence and habits are having a profound effect on an industry that has remain basically unchanged for centuries; casino gambling.
The basic casino games have remained virtually unchanged since they were first introduced. As one generation literally died off, the next generation was there to take their place. However, millennials are not showing the nearly the same level of interest.
This is somewhat surprising when looks at the top money winners and final tables of World Poker Tour and World Series of Pokertournaments where a majority of players are in their 20s and began to play the game at online sites.
Casino operators, both online and land-based, are looking for solutions to make casino gaming more attractive to younger players.
Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS)
One area that casinos are exploring is Daily Fantasy Sports.
The DFS market is the natural outgrowth of rotisserieand fantasy football (both US and EU types) leagues. Online marketers discovered that the ability to participate in leagues which offered large cash rewards was a lucrative idea. The league members became worldwide instead of just among coworkers or friends.
The online operators also offered a wider range of sports options including virtually every game played professionally. Online record keeping and league management was also a major benefit.
One of the key ways that online fantasy league sites was able to capitalize was in the offering of daily events, which eliminated the need for a season-long commitment.
Brick-and-mortar casinos are looking for ways to tap into this lucrative market. Several have hosted conventions, special live competitions, and other events in hopes of drawing a new generation of players to the casino floor.
Slots
Somewhat surprisingly one of the “old school” casino games that is changing dramatically due in large part to the influence of millennials is the slot machine.
Slot games are a huge segment in the social gaming spectrum. Social gaming and the ability for game designers to try out new games and concepts at online casinos has not only led to new innovations but has also made a visit to a brick-and-mortar casino familiar to younger slot players.
Marvel characters slots and movie and TV slots, such as the Walking Dead and the Simpsons, often made their first appearance at popular online UK casinos and now are making their way to the land-based casino floor.
Playing video games was a major part of growing up for millennials. Casino companies are tapping into that experience in a number of innovative ways.
Skill-based slot games are slowly beginning to appear on casino floors.
Frogger is one of the first of this video game/slot hybrid. When the game’s bonus round is trigger players are taken back to the classic Frogger video game and are given three lives and must cross rivers and roads avoiding the traps and hazards from the original game. Centipede and Pong are also scheduled to make their debut soon.
Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is also starting to appear in land based and online casinos. The D&D slot has multiple paylines and interesting bonus levels. Just as in the classic video (and board) game players have to select an avatar and a character type before spinning the reels.