Innovation is needed in the casino sector

Although online gaming and gambling have always seemed to be something that never goes out of fashion, it looks like a lot has changed within the last couple of years. During the one-day innovation conference in Las Vegas, one of the speakers warned the casino industry, that without being more innovative, they can disappear. Exactly the same thing happens to many popular and well prospering industries, as travel agencies or DVD stores.

Why do we need changes?

Casino games are fun for sure, but fun is not enough to keep your customers and attract new ones that would stay for a while. Without changing things and keeping the entertainment fresh, there may be some problems. Rob Tercek, president and founder of General Creativity Consulting, has informed professionals that this can be caused by two factors. First of all – fast coming changes in mobile gaming. Another thing is the fact that casinos are not able to keep up. Tercek believed that those aspects may be problematic.

With the newest games available on mobile phones, slot machines are not interesting and are unimaginative for the consumers. Tercek thinks that the problem is the fact, that once a slot machine is sealed, it is not really possible to make any changes to it. Mobile casino games, on the other hand, can be constantly updated and improved. What is also important, game designers have a non-stop feedback from the players, and because of that changes can be made immediately.

Reputation is not enough

If you are a casino fan, then obviously you enjoy the vibe they have and the adrenaline rush, when you pull the slot machine handle. In San Francisco International Airport people can visit an exhibition with historic slot machines, some of them more than 100 old. Tercek says that the message is clear – those machines belong to another era and casino’s equipment should be in a museum. That is not how casinos should advertise, especially when what they need, is a new generation of customers.

Another problem mentioned by Tercek is the approach to money. Smartphone users are used to playing for free. That is exactly the opposite of how casinos work. A new generation of young consumers does not want to pay for every pull of the handle. For them, entertainment does not go together with losing money.

Is there any future for casinos?

There is still hope for casinos, but it would require some action. Without innovation and changes, it is only a matter of time when casino games will be pushed away by new mobile games flooding the market. According to Tercek, casinos’ owners have to focus on improving and upgrading their products, to have something that would attract the customers. Keep the tradition, but adjust it a little.