Page 78 - Public Gaming International September/October 2017

will advocate for the passage of federal and bets, credit cards were used for 40 percent among social casino players: 74 percent of
state measures that promote the expansion of transactions involving internet gambling. smartphone users and 72 percent of tablet
of online gaming, and will educate politi- That figure has increased to more than 80 users play slots. Player preferences have
cians on the economic benefits the industry percent, he said. shifted from apps that contain a portfolio
provides. States can determine their own of casino games to games that are simple
online gambling laws. Despite several state legislative debates, it and quick to start. As a result, developers
The lobbyists are using a recent economic remains unclear whether daily fantasy sports are adapting to consumer demand and focus-
report that highlights the positives of New and on-line sports betting constitute illegal ing on single-genre apps like slots or poker.
Jersey’s legalized online gambling sector. gambling. Numerous states are discussing
According to the report, New Jersey’s iGam- how and whether to regulate daily fantasy PC users are the most willing to spend on
ing market has generated nearly $1 billion in sports, in which gamers create a roster of games, playing an average of 69 minutes per
revenue, produced 3,300 jobs, and delivered real-life players who earn points based on session, and spending $79.45 a month on
more than $124 million in tax revenues. their actual performances in games. games. Comparatively, mobile players play
For many years, the gambling industry relied 57 minutes per session and spend $39.87 per
on former Nevada Senator Harry Reid to Some industry representatives believe casinos month on games.
keep an eye out for their interests. But with are ideal partners for DFS operators because Other findings in the report:
his retirement, casino companies are largely of the existing player databases and the casi-
on their own. nos’ knowledge of their customers and their • The lifetime value of those who play slots
gambling histories. on smartphone is $324.
The American Gaming Association (AGA) • Casino-style players on PC have the high-
has emerged as the chief lobbying group Caesars Entertainment deployed skill-based est lifetime value of all players at $623.
working on behalf of the entire indus- slot machines in its Atlantic City casinos. • Social casino play is a secondary activ-
try. The Poker Players Alliance is another Unlike traditional slots, which are entirely ity for 93% of users. Players watch
iGaming-focused lobbying organization, dependent on luck, the amount of skill an TV or stream content while playing
which campaigns for the authorization of individual player has can influence whether games. Developers can capitalize on
internet poker. he wins. Although this experiment held great this overlap by timing in-game events
promise, Caesars removed the machines after to primetime TV slots, when users are
But iDEA will be first to exclusively embrace six months because they were not generating most likely to be watching.
online gambling’s interests and promote enough money to cover vendor fees. • Tablet slots games have the highest conver-
them at the political level. sion rate (8%) of all social casino game
types.
THE FUTURE OF CASINOS: • Women represent the majority of the
MORE INTERACTIVE World News smartphone and desktop audiences,
EXPERIENCES TO ATTRACT 73% and 72%, respectively.
NEW CUSTOMERS • 55% of social casino players have visited a
SOCIAL GAMING MIGRATES real casino in the past 12 months
Involving new customers in more interac- TO SMARTPHONES
tive experiences will be an essential future AUSTRALIA IMPLEMENTS
strategy for casinos in the United States and Smartphone users are driving significant STRONGER, UNAMBIGUOUS,
around the world, according to industry changes in the way people are playing social ENFORCEABLE REGULATIONS
experts who attended a gambling conference casino games. Eighty-five percent of social – SO UNLICENSED ONLINE
recently in Atlantic City. Non-traditional casino gamers play on smartphones, while POKER WEBSITES TO LEAVE
approaches, including competitive video PC has ebbed to its lowest market share at
game contests (so-called e-sports), skill-based 49 percent. Online poker is illegal in Australia, but it
slot machines, and daily fantasy sports and Those are key findings from “Social Casino barely existed when online gambling
sports betting in the four states that permit Consumer Insights,” an analysis of the cate- legislation was first written in 2001 and,
it all must become part of a casino’s gaming gory conducted by SuperData Research. according to gambling experts, it has been
portfolio. operating in something of a “grey area” ever
Additionally, 27 percent of gamers exclu- since. Some of the more reputable global
One avenue for growth in the casino sively play on a mobile device, and the share poker providers, including PokerStars,
industry may be the expansion of payment of the social casino audience that only plays Poker Party and 888Poker, once sponsored
processing options for online gambling, on PC has declined from 15 percent in 2016 by cricketer Shane Warne, have been freely
said Joe Pappano, senior vice president of to six percent this year. providing accounts to many thousands of
the payment processing company Vantiv Australians for years. Under the new laws,
Entertainment Solutions. Three years ago, The popularity of slot games has spurred which have bipartisan support, any ambi-
when New Jersey offered the first internet the growth of smartphone and tablet usage guity will now be removed. While it is not

78 // PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL // SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2017