Last month, lawmakers in Nevada passed a bill that would allow poker machine manufacturers to add skill-based elements to their games. Now, gaming regulators are getting together to determine exactly how this new gaming law will work. The Las Vegas Review Journal notes that state gaming regulators and gambling equipment manufacturers are now in talks.
They want to determine the best way to introduce skill-based gaming elements into poker machines and slots games. It is quite a large job, as they are essentially re-inventing the way that slots operate. Up until now, pokies and slot machines were luck-based games that relied on a random number generator to determine the outcome. Now that an element of skill is involved, pokie gameplay will be turned on its head.
As such, it will take plenty of meetings before the group of regulators and games developers will be able to make any final decisions. Before the year is up, they will meet several more times to iron out the details. “The game may not look like a slot machine,” says Dan Reaser, a representative of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers. “It’s about bringing the next big thing to the gaming market.”
The introduction of skill-based elements into poker machine gameplay is a tactic that aims to attract a new demographic to casinos. Games manufacturers want to see younger, more modern players at casinos – so, that means bringing entirely new gameplay into the picture. The market is changing rapidly, and it is time for casino operators and games developers to keep up.
A drastic change is needed, and this could be the answer. Who knows what skill-based poker machines will look like or how they will operate? It is a very exciting development for the gambling industry, and we can’t wait to see what the first skill-based pokies have to offer.
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