Regulators in New Jersey are looking to millennials and Generation Xers to provide a potential boost to the sagging Atlantic City market.
The state agency responsible for new slot approvals announced it will now accept applications for approval of social-style, skill-based games that give players a better chance at winning by employing physical dexterity, hand/eye coordination and knowledge.
In an attempt to generate new players for an Atlantic City market that has seen four casinos close this year, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement announced that it is encouraging applications for casino versions of internet-style skill games—the division specified “Candy Crush” and “Words With Friends” as examples.
The new games would be launched in Atlantic City under the division’s “New Jersey First” program, which is designed to facilitate prompt approval of new games so they are introduced to the industry in New Jersey.
“The division is currently authorized to approve skill-based games,” the DGE announcement said, “and is eager to receive skill-based game submissions for review. Social and skill-based gaming options such as Candy Cruse and Words with Friends-type games appeal to a new generation of players. Both the casino regulators and industry are trying to find ways to incorporate this type of play into the casino wagering environment.
“The division has engaged in numerous discussions with gaming stakeholders and encouraged both Atlantic City’s casinos and its gaming equipment vendors to submit such new games under the NJ First program.”
The division said skill-based and social elements will allow new slots to “appeal to a larger segment of the population and bring more customers to a casino’s slot floor or to their internet website.”
DGE Director David Rebuck noted that the New Jersey First program has facilitated the fastest time to market for slots in the nation, and called on manufacturers to “bring your innovative skill-based games to New Jersey.”
“The convergence of social gaming with casino gaming will result in a new category of casino gaming,” Rebuck said. “The division has been working with various vendors who are generating innovative and exciting products which have never been seen before on a casino floor. With the changing market and demographics of the casino industry, skill-based gaming could provide a great opportunity for the Atlantic City gaming industry.”
