Technology, as always, is progressing at a rate which excites and yet scares even the most enthusiastic technophiles. In just over a decade we’ve seen phones, computes and even the rise of the modern day tablet become nothing less than a staple product in our lives. A world without them would be, well, unimaginable. As our devices progress, as do the applications that utilise them and alongside near exponential within online casino technology, it appears that soon the techno-bomb could hit the Vegas strip in the form of skill-based slot machines.
What Are Skill-Based Slot Machines?
To understand what skill-based slot are it would be best to understand what a generic video slot – such as Thunderstruck II – is first.
Video slots are your generic Vegas-style slot machines that utilise advanced graphics to improve the players gaming experience. They depend on the spin of the reels as their primary interaction between the game and the player but also include bonus feature games where the player will have to either pick a box or spin a wheel. Some video slots, such as Avalon II, have over nine bonus games. Although, the nine games do fit into the pick one/spin a wheel category.
Related – The Ultimate Guide To Online Pokies
Now, skill-based slots are something much different indeed. They are, as the title would suggest, games with prizes measured around the player’s skill and subsequent success in any given scenario. The company that is pioneering the movement is Gamblit Gaming and, over the last couple of years they have been demonstrating what their games can do.
One game Gamblit demonstrated at the 2014 G2E Conference was ‘Smoothie Blast’, which is much like the extremely popular Candy Crush, and awarded players prizes based upon how many combinations they made in the allotted time. Another game they demonstrated was ‘Grab Poker’ which has four players grabbing random card drops from the centre with the winner being the player who makes the best hand.
Gamblit CEO Eric Meyerhofer has warned video slot players not to worry, ‘We’re just looking for a small space, not the whole floor.’ With skill-based slots potentially revolutionising the way patrons play slots, it will take some time until they are dominating the floor. There is the potential though, like innovations of the past, that skill-based slots might not take on at all.
Who knows? Only time will tell!
What do you think about skill-based slots? Could you imagine ever playing on one? Let us know in the comments section below!
