Since casinos were legalised in Nevada nearly 100 years ago, all gambling winnings have been based on chance. Now, all of that is about to change. A historical decision has been made this week, as skill-based gaming has now been approved for electronic gaming machines in the state of Nevada. The move was approved unanimously by the Nevada Gaming Commission.

The legislation was initiated by the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM), and it promotes ‘innovative, alternative and advanced technology’ in poker machines. The idea is to attract a new generous of pokie players, who want something more from their electronic gaming in casinos. The games aim to recreate the experience of playing modern video games.

“The younger group of folks under 40 and above 21 are not engaged in slot machines that are on the floor today and this will be more like what they do at home on their Xbox,” says Dan Reaser, an AGEM lawyer. The decision to introduce this technology is based on research from the Las Vegas Convention Authority.

It found that millennials (those who belong to the generation born between the early 1980s and 2000s) visit casinos but do not spend money on gambling. They seem to be more focused on the dining and nightlife areas of Las Vegas casino venues – and, new skill-based pokies aim to get them interested in gambling again. There will be three types of electronic gaming machines in Las Vegas casinos:

  1. Traditional games of chance
  2. Skill games in which players have most of the control on the outcome
  3. Hybrid games, which combine elements of both luck and skill

For each type of skill game, there will be a different pay table based on the player’s level of skill. This will encourage players to improve their skill while offering up a fair gaming experience to all players. Skill-based gaming is a very exciting development in the world of pokie technology. We are very eager to see what developers come up with.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.