Slot machines may seem like a they are at an innovation dead end to industry veterans, but not to people like CasinoGrounds CEO Tobias Svensen. While the CasinoGrounds CEO believes that the gambling industry is playing catch-up, he believes one of the oldest forms of casino entertainment still has something to offer millennials. Svensen took some time out to chat to our very own Becky Liggero Fontana on why he believes that there’s still plenty of entertainment to be found on those reels.
According to Svensen, the unique conditions of 2020 have offered the industry a unique opportunity to capture a new audience. Svensen believes that a push away from gamification towards the social aspects of gaming can create new opportunities for slot-based games. “What I have ever really wanted to see is innovation on the social aspect of how to play together.”
With players unable to leave their homes, Svensen believes that the ‘shared experience’ is the trump card for industry operators. “I’d rather win 500 euros with my friends than win 2 000 euros completely alone. Sharing experiences with others is the most exciting part of being human.”
That shared community experience in gaming is more important in the new world according to Svensen. “To build a community, you need to be the community. I think that is by far that the biggest thing you need to understand,” he added. He went on to say:
“I think the esports community back in the days was a great example of a fantastic community. Back then, even playing computer games was a bit taboo, you know you didn’t want the girls in your class to know you were playing eight hours a day.
“The casino was the same, a bit taboo, most people didn’t want to share these things on Facebook. Because you have your neighbor or your family and this was really how CasinoGrounds came to life. That need of sharing experiences and in this case something that has been traditionally slightly taboo and create a safe space where everyone has the same interest in gambling.”
Svensen believes that operators can glean plenty of innovations from the world of esports and live-stream video games. “There’s a lot of similarities and I think both industries can learn a lot from the other as well.”
Slots continue to be a solitary game but according to Svensen, live streaming on platforms like Twitch can create new audiences open to sharing emotional experiences:
“I always try to analyse you know trends in other industries that might be a bit ahead and if you look at Youtube some of the most popular content are highly emotional types of content. You know, army dad surprising his kid in school, and it will have 60 million views. People like to be alone and sit and do stuff alone they like to you know experience through others some of these emotions. I think that behaviour translates well into gambling and I think our community sort of proved that there was a need for it.”
In the full interview, Svensen opens up on how operators can look to slot innovation to attract new audiences and advises on further technology developments. Be sure to subscribe to CalvinAyre.com YouTube channel to see every interview we make as it goes up.
