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New Slots Target New Generation of Gamblers

LAS VEGAS – As reported by the USA Today: "Twentysomethings have seized on the new Las Vegas as a 24-hour playground where the partying never ends. There's just one problem: They don't gamble as much as their baby-boomer parents.

"And when they do gamble, they're more likely than their elders to snub slot machines - the casino industry's top profit center - in favor of table games. Says student Lauren Cardinet, visiting the Hard Rock resort here from her home in Santa Barbara, Calif.: 'I don't like gambling by myself.'

"…But the casino industry sees huge dividends in overcoming the indifference of young gamblers like Cardinet to slot machines, which offer faster action than table games and are less costly to operate.

"Manufacturers are rolling out new slot machines that have more in common with the latest video games than with the old one-armed bandits.

"As a result, casino executives are increasingly hopeful of snagging the iPod generation, and perhaps locking in for decades a customer base they can depend on.

"Being pushed to the background are the three-reelers that mimic the mechanical one-armed bandits that paid off for matching cherries, oranges, bells or bars. In their place are updated devices that offer lots of action to keep players transfixed - from animated characters, video loops and dozens of winning combinations to bonus rounds as a reward for sticking around.

"…New-style slots are still outnumbered in Las Vegas by the traditional models. But the new models have become commonplace, and they're expected to continue to gain market share as casino operators chase the younger set.

"…'We had a younger player in mind,' says WMS Gaming's CEO Brian Gamache as he showed off a new highly animated slot machine based on the movie m4Men in Blackm0 at a trade show recently.

"Some casino executives, too, acknowledge the need to market their slot parlors to the younger, hipper visitors to Sin City.

"…Luring younger customers won't be easy. Says consultant Steve Szapor of the Innovation Group: 'The majority come with a bunch of money in their pocket, but it is going for the nightlife, food and entertainment.'

"…That preference for less-lucrative live games and the tendency of younger visitors to seek a good time outside casinos partly explain why the mix of Las Vegas' resort revenue has changed…"

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