Nevada regulator approves use of skill and arcade style slots

After mulling the issue for some time, Nevada gambling regulators finally approved the use of skill-based and arcade-style features on slot machines this week, opening up fresh creative opportunities for game designers.

The Nevada Gaming Commission’s unanimous support for the revision received immediate praise from gaming manufacturers, who are concerned that land casino gambling needs fresh ideas in order to appeal to the younger millennial generation (see previous reports).

The Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers has lobbied vigorously for the changes. The trade association’s legal representative told the Commission that change was necessary to attract younger gamblers, to whom traditional products were less appealing. He said that changes would allow the introduction of different games to address the problem.

G2 Game Design chief and former land casino operator Gregg Giuffria told local media: “This is an evolution in gaming. An older demographic is currently playing slot machines. This addresses a completely new generation coming into casinos and a new wave of players.”

Fifty one year-old Gaming Commission chairman Tony Alamo Jr. said that the changes brought the regulations more in line with the mind-set and preferences of younger gamblers – like himself – who grew up playing video games.

Games based on the new regulations should start to reach land casino floors by the end of this year, with some developers already preparing prototypes for display at upcoming industry expos.

The regulatory changes embrace games of skill, of chance and hybrids that incorporate both elements.

Nevada lags New Jersey in allowing skill-based slot machines; the Garden State approved such changes in February this year.

Nevada win from slots has declined by 5 percent over the past ten years, although analysts have postulated that this may partly be the result of the economic problems that have plagued the world since 2008.

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