Poll: Can skill-based games become a valuable source of revenues?

Millennials don’t play slots. Or at least that’s the logic behind changes to Nevada regulations in December last year that allowed casinos to offer skill-based games in an effort to attract a younger demographic.

It’s the same logic that has seen several start-ups creating skill-based games for online and mobile casinos even if none of the major operators have jumped on-board yet.

The sector is so young that people have yet to come to an agreement on exactly what constitutes a skill-based casino game.

Some call for a traditional slot game with a skill element added in during the bonus round, for example, while others call for monetary reward to be added to versions of popular social games like Angry Birds and Candy Crush.

The first option could be a valuable retention tool for existing customers by extending the pleasurable bonus round aspect of the game, while the latter is more likely to attract a whole new demographic into online casinos.

The genre is not without its drawbacks. Both slots and social games are hugely popular in their own right, but will combining them diminish both?

Regulations in the UK are currently unclear, while there are obvious difficulties in setting pay scales. Will someone with enough practice be able to consistently beat the games? Will novices have no chance of winning at all?

These kinks are still being worked out by the pioneers in the space, but with big developers set to enter this market in the next two years, operators could soon find themselves with a decision to make.

With this in mind, this week’s EGR poll asks whether skill-based games will prove to be a good revenue generator for operators or whether investment in this area may harm standard casino game turnover.

Have your say on the right hand side of the page.