Gambit Gaming is one of the innovative skill-games gaming machine designers Vegas Strip execs hope will lure millennials into casinos.
The younger generation is coming to Las Vegas in record numbers, though they do not always gamble when they arrive. Instead, the big draws are concerts, the club scene, and pool parties.
The millennial scene is substantial enough that Wynn Resorts has attractions both for 20-something visitors and older millennials. For instance, The Chainsmokers in concert draws the 30-somethings, while tourists in their 20s go to a club DJed by Marshmallow, Wynn Resorts’ in-house DJ.
Record numbers of visitors sounds nice, but the millennial generation is infamous with casino executives for their lack of interest in casino gambling. In particular, millennials dislike slot machines, which they view as boring and anti-social.
MGM Grand’s Level-Up Arcade
Playing the traditional slots is a solitary activity, while millennials crave social experiences. Also, the slots are games of pure chance, while millennials grew up playing games which require skill or strategy. That is a huge problem for casino operators, since slots rows has generated as much as 70% of casino gaming revenue over the past generation.
The big casino companies have different strategies to change the younger generation’s play habits, but each one has a strategy. For instance, MGM Grand uses the Level-Up Arcade to draw in millennials. Level-Up is described by News3LV as “part arcade, part sports bar, part casino.”
Caesars Smartphone Leaderboard
Caesars Entertainment, which created the wildly popular Playtika social gaming platform (before selling it), has a more interactive strategy. Caesars CEO Mark Frissora described his company’s strategy to create loyal customers, “We’re actually working with a lot of the game manufacturers, and we are introducing a slot product that allows you to plug your phone in.”
“Automatically, it recalibrates to the game you were last at, and then shows you a leaderboard and where you rank on that leaderboard.”
Gamblit’s Tristation: Into the Dead Slots
Skill-based gambling machine manufactures have tried out a variety of gaming machines, hoping to find the right combination of skill and profitability. Gamblit Gaming’s Tristation game machine is the latest attempt to lure millennial gamblers.
Tristation offers several game choices. The one most likely to gain popularity in Vegas casinos is probably “Into the Dead,” a licensed zombie-themed game which has more than 40 million downloads in the smartphone category.
Eric Meyerhofer, CEO of Gamblit Games, said of the early results, “We’re super pleased to report the average age of our players, 35, 36, which is a 20-year shift from what you see for the average electronic game player.”
Esports Arena in Las Vegas at The Luxor
The Luxor installed the Esports Arena, a 30,000-square-foot, multilevel arena which houses all kinds of competitive gaming. The Luxor describes the venue as “an unrivaled esports entertainment experience for both casual and professional gamers, or even non-gamers who want an insider’s look at what’s quickly becoming one of the world’s most popular spectator sports.”
The arena hosts eSports tournaments throughout the year, but it also welcomes eSports aficionados at all levels: experts, amateur players of all skill levels, and beginners. The Esports Arena at Luxor has PC and console gaming stations for play, along with telescopic seating and a 50-ft LED video wall for fans. When events happen, a network TV-quality production studio produces a world-class eSports entertainment event.
Las Vegas Golden Knights – Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas is a hub for eSports competitions and the fans who enjoy such gaming, thanks to Luxor and the Downtown Grand’s eSports gaming arcade. In the coming years, Las Vegas will become a sports hub altogether. The Las Vegas Golden Knights made a huge splash in season one, as the underdog squad reached the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. If the Golden Knights can build on its successful first season, sports enthusiasts should flock from nearby states to the city during hockey season.
In 2020, the Oakland Raiders will complete their move to Las Vegas. While the team’s 2017 season was a disappointment, young stars like Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, and Khalil Mack should make the team competitive by the time they arrive in 2020 (or, under certain scenarios, in 2019).
Along with the shows, exhibitions, and landmarks on the Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas is becoming a major non-gaming destination. But even though the Vegas Strip now generates 60% of its revenues from non-gaming activities, casino executives will continue to find ways to lure millennials onto their casino floors.
