The regular casino simply wants somebody to set as much as possible in front of a slot machine. This is because they have a huge profit margin on slots games which can reach as much as 60, writes Ethan Rowe in Casinobiggestbonus.com. But the new generation of Millennials have grown up with the smartphone, Playstation and Xbox games and they do actually think that regular slot machines are rather dull and targeted to their parents and grandparents. For this reason, casinos have invested heavily in technology to try changing their minds.
Current casino games don’t have lots of the attributes of social gaming. ‘Things like feeling to have reached an objective, moving up through levels, win virtual coins, being recognised in social media for your gaming achievements. All those things are missing in the traditional casino games’, continued Ethan Rowe. ‘Casino brands have to find a way so that people can get the same vibes of modern games. Also, they need to have more comfortable chairs. Millennials do not sit in an upright chair when playing their games at home. I was looking my son watching video of people playing on Youtube and I have asked why he does spend time watching other people playing instead of playing himself. His answer was quite impressive as he said: why you are always watching people playing football on TV instead of playing yourself?’
It is therefore not surprising to see that Las Vegas is starting to feel the pinch. Although it seems that visitors to Vegas are becoming younger (the average age has dropped from 50 to 45 since 2009), the percentage of tourists that are gambling has fallen as it was 83% in 2009, 71% in 2013 and 64% in 2018. This is an issue which is also mean fewer taxes raised by the state.
‘Let’s not go around it, Millennials are not only smarter but also more experienced. They know a lot more information about how gambling companies are making their profits and on gambling strategies than any generation before’ said Rowe. ‘By having access to the internet at any time, Millennials can get all the information they need, and also they can experience and test gambling strategies wherever they are and also without too many risks thanks to the many casino bonuses offered online.’
What is a clear trend is that Millennials are willing to invest in gaming generally. Online social casinos have generated around $4.8 billion in 2018 and the figure is set to increase in the next years.
But how can casinos use technology to attract more millennials and generally turnaround a downturn in profits?
Big data – casinos have lots of information that they can use at their advantage. If you play online the operators will track every little penny that you spend but the same is also happening now with loyalty cards in land-based casinos. They do collect personal information, the amount of cash that you spend, the times you prefer to play and even your favourite games. This allows the marketing department to target people who have not been in a casino for sometimes. It can also target a group of people who spend around £200 on average every time they visit an online or offline casino. They can give them some offers to push them to spend more for example.
The increase in data collected can also be used to increase security on casinos. They will be able to identify potential cheaters, risky transactions, bonus abusers and so on. Machine learning software can detect and recognise links and patterns: for example, it might figure out that John Smith who has applied to be a blackjack dealer is actually Johan Muller, the famous German blackjack scammer.
Casinos might appear glamorous but ultimately they are a business. For this reason, having access to technology will generally make things easier when dealing not only with players but also accounting, human resources, contracts and so on.
Huge casinos brands have taken full advantage of electronic documents to streamline processes and cut costs and logistic of managing around 50,000 pieces of paper every single year. One of the main issues was not only to keep track of the documents but also store them. Lots of documents were lost in the approval process which meant multiple copies would have to be created and the productivity of the whole staff was reduced.
Virtual reality – Millennials are particularly attracted by what they see as the next step in gaming: virtual reality. Having the opportunity to play high-end 3D slots with huge on-screen interactivity and great resolution and sound can convince even the youngest generations that after all not all slots are for old people. Casino brands are investing to improve the experience of customers: by providing not only a simple game but a great virtual experience they can surely increase their turnover overtime and change the attitude of Millennials in regards to casinos.
Casino and online casino are gambling with technology: they are investing millions of pounds to stay ahead of the times and continue to attract new players. If this gamble will be a winning one or a losing one it is difficult to say however the positive results of mobile gambling in the last few years promises well for operators.
