Casinos of the future will include video games (Photo: The Associated Press via Dallas news)

In a plan to raise the popularity of casinos among young adults, Vegas has come up with a new plan.

By now, we’re used to almost weekly gambling industry developments. According to Seattle Times, Nevada has come up with a new plan to boost interest in casinos. And what better way to do this, than to target the young adults who are older than 21, but still very childlike at heart? You guessed it! There is no better way to go. The introduction of arcade games in casinos as possible gambling machines  will most probably prove to be a flourishing business opportunity for Nevada gaming joints.

Let’s take a look at the statistics that this new marketing theory rests on. According to ExtreTech, up until March 2014, there was a total of 6 million PS4 consoles sold from the time it was released. Similarly, four million Xbox ONE’s were sold. So basically, the whole population of a Central-European country could have one console per person. Keep in mind that we’re only talking about the newest consoles here! There are many older models. Just imagine the total number of console users around the world! Must be a pretty large number. Based on such gigantic figures, the new strategy seems very well though out.

Vegas’ move will influence Atlantic City, too

Due to current financial troubles, Atlantic City is in dire need to boost its gambling revenue. This new tactic to woo a fresh audience will probably be successful; thus it has to be tried out to generate income. Why do people in the business, like gambling software developers, think that a move like this will definitely be good to increase revenue? Seattle Times states that slot machines are based only on one thing: luck. This makes sitting in front of a slot machine a tiny bit tedious. People, however, might like to test their skills and win according to ability rather than blind chance.

Skill-based games may mean a nice increase in profit, reported the Seattle Times. From 2007 to 2014, there has been a nearly USD 2 billion decrease in gambling revenue in Nevada casinos. Furthermore, a survey conducted by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority showed that in 2014, only 63% of people born after 1980 actually gambled on their trip to Vegas. The same figure for visitors aged between 70 and 90 was much more: 87%. Similarly to young adults, only 68% of tourists aged 35 to 50 visiting Vegas played in casinos. Notice the difference? No wonder that casinos decided that the new target audience should be younger adults.

Adapt or vanish

Eric Meyerhofer is CEO and member of the founding team, Gamblit Gaming (Photo: Gamblit Gaming)

According to the Seattle Times, many agree on the fact that the casino industry has to adapt or soon, there won’t be a gambling industry worth talking about. As Greg Giuffria, an entrepreneur working on new gambling technology told the Seattle Times: “The next wave of people aren’t going to stand there and play slots. The industry has to change or disappear.” Early predictions on the matter say that slot machine makers will probably collaborate with video game developers in order to come up with novelties in this area.

With this move, casinos want to achieve a gaming arcade setting, minus the children, in the opinion of Eric Meyerhofer, CEO of Gamblit Gaming of Glendale, California. There have been initial tries to start on skill-based games, but so far, they didn’t really manage to stand their ground.

Seattle Times reported that in New Jersey, for example, attempts to promote video gambling resulted in only one game. However, once Las Vegas starts down this road, others will most likely follow: “If it’s good enough for Nevada, then it’s good for everyone else,” stated I. Nelson Rose, a gambling law expert.