I assume that most of us have, at one point or another, asked the question “Why are slots so limited? I’m sure that they would be a lot more fun if they added a lot more features, such as more varied mini-games”. After all, in Japan (where gambling is prohibited, but Pachinko machines – which are basically slots – can get around that limitation by listing themselves as arcade games) video slots enjoy tremendous amounts of success, and many of them are practically built around stuff like skill-based videogames and storylines that play out as you win. That sounds fantastic, doesn’t it? Imagine a Pac-Man based slot that actually had a story about Pac-Man and Mrs. Pac-Man going into marriage counseling or something (I don’t know, I’m no writer), and whenever you activate a bonus round you actually get to play a real game of Pac-Man, which determines how much you win. How awesome would that be?!
Well, sadly, Japan is the only place in the world where that’s legally possible, thanks to their legal gray area when it comes to slots. The rest of the world has very strict rules regarding what is acceptable and what is not in a slot machine, and believe it or not, these rules are actually unbelievably limiting. Have you ever wondered why many reviews of UK online casino sites complain about their slot games being too identical? It’s exactly because of those very strict limitations which require developers to get really creative and essentially present the exact same thing in a different way in order to remain on the right side of the law. In the majority of the world, it doesn’t seem like that’s about to change – markets like the UK, Germany and Spain have generally shown little interest in implementing skill-based slots. However, there might be one place in the West where they actually become a reality!
Gamblers in New Jersey in particular have been pushing for a legislation that allows skill-based gambling for a really long time now, and it actually seems like it might finally be happening! As a matter of fact, a company called GameCo is so utterly confident that they’re going to receive approval from the New Jersey’s Division of Gambling Enforcement that they’ve already designed and manufactured several skill-based slot machines which are ready to be placed in three Atlantic City casinos! According to GameCo CEO and co-founder Blaine Graboyes, who made a statement for the Daily Mail, the new skill-based slot machines will be aimed at millennials who are rather used to playing videogames on consoles, mobile and social media platforms. Honestly, to me the idea sounds spectacular! Now all we can hope for is that the games are successful enough to warrant attention in the rest of the world. Us Europeans want to play skill-based slots too!