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ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (AP) – If you walk into a casino today, it probably won’t look much different than it did in the 1942 film, Casablanca, when Humphrey Bogart made his way through the gaming tables in the smoky gaming room.
Sure, the slot machines are bigger, louder and more noticeable than they were back then. But the central fact remains that the casino floor of today is not much different than the casino floor of yesteryear.
What the casino floor of the future should look like is a question the gaming industry has grappled with for decades.
And it still doesn’t have any definitive answers.
The topic was discussed on Monday at the East Coast Gaming Congress, a major gaming conference in Atlantic City.
A big question: How can you get young people excited about what casinos have to offer?
“It’s hard to get this kid out of his parents’ basement and casino games won’t,” said Joe Lupo, president of Hard Rock Casino in Atlantic City, referring to young adults.
The industry has tried different tactics to attract younger players, with varying rates of success. Six years ago, Atlantic City introduced so-called “skill-based” games for its casinos.
They were games that took into account a player’s ability to perform a specific task in order to determine whether he or she would win or lose a game – a departure from the rigorous games of chance that have been the backbone of the gambling industry since its inception are beginning.
But they never really caught on, and most were quietly removed in less than a year.
Casino managers and gaming machine manufacturers agreed at the conference on Monday that younger customers want a varied experience, much more than the monotony of pressing a button and waiting to see if they won or lost.
“The younger generation like to do things,” says Rick Meitzler, CEO of the gaming manufacturer Novomatic Americas. “They like to play on their cell phones. In ten to 15 years you will see that a 25-year-old becomes a 40-year-old and is part of our target group. “
But can casinos afford to wait that long?
Jacqueline Grace, senior vice president of Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City, said her company is constantly studying younger gamers.
“What are you talking about?” She asked. “What drives you? They like games of skill, not games of chance. You want to eat. You like to travel. They like experiences. “
Most casinos have adopted electronic table games not only to save labor costs, but to provide a low-stress introduction to games, especially card games, that could intimidate beginners.
The panellists agree that sports betting, and esports or competitive video games in particular, offer a way to connect with younger potential customers.
Atlantic City, and Las Vegas in particular, have started using esports to fill their casinos and hotels with young customers who are primarily interested in playing online games against each other. But when they’re done, they order food and drink and participate in non-gambling activities that the casino resorts offer.
“We believe eSports is the next big thing,” said Robert Heller, President and CEO of Spectrum Gaming Capital. “Every casino company I’ve spoken to is interested. Happens.”
Ari Fox, co-CEO of Gameacon, an esports tournament company, said the key is reaching younger customers where they are.
“Younger people don’t go on Facebook; they don’t play on Instagram, ”he said. “You’re talking about Discord. The key to getting them customers is getting their trust. ”He said gambling companies need to tell these customers,“ Your parents aren’t going here. This room is for you. “
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Follow Wayne Parry on Twitter at @WayneParryAC
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