gamingtrends
Traditional and Electronic Gaming Trends: Old games, new tweaks and shifting demographics By Andrew Coppolino
Given their long history, traditional tables games remain popular in gaming venues because of players’ habits and idiosyncrasies. But thanks to electronic tweaks and hybrids and fusions of technology, many old games are new again. That same technology has also resulted in new electronic table games (ETGs) that fill niche demands at casinos, including those venues where gaming regulations prohibit live dealers. But any game—new or a new take on tradition—can be successful only if gaming operators can manage the volatility of the game, the house advantage, and the speed. That’s according to Cameron Uhren, Vice President Gaming Operations with Ontario Lottery and Gaming. “With new games, we need to evaluate curb appeal and ease of play because new, or non-skill, players who come into sites are playing these games. How attractive are the games and how easily can new players understand and play them?” Uhren sees the player base shifting toward the dynamic group activity of table games and away from slots. The key here? A younger clientele, he suggests, citing the example of the way Atlantic City’s Borgata has designed their gaming floor. “It’s a younger demographic looking for a challenge and a social aspect where they’re cheering at a table. It’s an area operators should be considering if we want to grow that market,” he noted. 18 | March 2009
Poker and blackjack still in the gaming constellation Technology and new games have not necessarily eclipsed traditional games, however. Caribbean Stud and three-card poker are very popular, but traditional poker—thanks in part to heavy media saturation—has showed continued growth. Doug Wilson, President of International Playing Card Company of Richmond Hill, Ontario which produces over 150 million decks of playing cards for all gaming sectors annually, says poker has yet to reach its gaming apogee. “We had an excellent [2008], so poker still seems strong from our perspective, including for U.S. casinos.” From his vantage point in London, England, Luke Davis of TCSJOHNHUXLEY marvels at poker’s ubiquity. “You can’t turn on the television without seeing coverage of a poker tournament. The media has fuelled its popularity in casinos across the globe.”
As for blackjack, at U.S. tables the 6:5 game is picking up momentum over traditional 3:2 blackjack, according to Uhren. Yet Dan Pronovost, President of DeepNet Technologies in Kitchener, Ontario and editor of Blackjack Insider says Canadian blackjack is more static due to “tighter regulations and our more conservative approach to gaming.” Kirsten Clark, Shuffle Master Inc. Vice President of World Wide Marketing, says “where there has not been a lot of innovation in the past with traditional live table games has been with blackjack or baccarat, both games that command a lot of floor space.” But versatile new hybrid tables like their standard size blackjack table-top with embedded touch-screen player positions “can provide casinos with 30 percent more hands-per-hour, added security, and dispute resolution along with increased game speed,” says Clark.