Recently, one of the thematic sites (CDC Gaming Reports) published the story of an ordinary couple who came up with a casino game, and the path they traveled to implement the idea. There are many interesting things in this story. Firstly, anyone who has nothing to do with gambling can develop and sell their own casino game. And secondly, how difficult and expensive it all is.
Dawn and Billy Takacs founded the company, filed a patent, and spent almost $200,000 over three and a half years. All for the sake of a dream that does not yet bring them money, and perhaps will remain a loss-making project. And they dream that their unique variety of craps, which they themselves invented and called Yo!, will become popular in the casino.
What difficulties did they encounter? With all kinds. From the development of the game, and this includes not only the rules, but also countless design details, and ending with a bunch of legal documents, as well as checks from various gaming jurisdictions.
Dawn and Billy are among the few independent entrepreneurs whose games have made their way into casinos. But that doesn't mean they're rich. The article mentions that one casino started offering their Yo! But they haven't been paid yet. Plus four states casinos are interested.
They created their game initially for various gambling-themed events. It was a simplified version of craps just for fun so that it does not require too many resources and be as clear as possible to the visitors. But the interest of people gave them hope that they could break into real casinos. They read books on game development, but for the most part they learned from their mistakes.
Expenses
They originally planned to spend between $50,000 and $100,000. But it ended up costing more.
The problem for independent entrepreneurs is that they have to compete with huge companies like Scientific Games that dominate the casinos and offer a large number of games. And the budget of such giants cannot be compared with the budget of one or several entrepreneurs.
According to Billy Takacs, table game royalties range from $500 to $2,500 per month per table. But there are hundreds of casinos in the US, plus gambling establishments on cruise ships. Therefore, if the game becomes popular, you can justify all the expenses and make money. So there is hope for them to earn.
Breaking into the casino is very difficult
Mark Yoseloff, former chairman and CEO of Shuffle Master, noted that many table games are being created, but few make it to the casino. And even fewer of those who get a place in more than one casino. He is the founder of the Gaming Innovation Center at the International Gaming Institute in Las Vegas, so he is very knowledgeable about statistics.
It turned out that it was not enough just to interest the establishments and convince them to install their game. The game goes through a test period, when the casino does not pay money to the authors. They collect data on how much revenue the game can generate and how popular it will be. According to him:
At some point, some casino has to start paying for the game. And therein lies the difficulty. You want your game to earn more than the other. If you fail to achieve this, casinos will abandon the product.
What kind of games can really be developed?
Daniel Sahl, assistant director of the Center for Gaming Innovation, believes that board games are the only area in which the average game author can break through on their own. And one of the difficulties is that the new game must quickly become popular.
People vote with their wallets. If a game interests a certain segment of players more than others available, they will play it. But if the novelty wears off or the game becomes too difficult, they will stop playing.
It is also noted that the game should not only make money for the casino, but also give players the feeling that they can win. There should be an element of strategy, but not too complicated for either the players or the dealers. It is also important that the game can be played at a fairly fast pace. Since the profit of the institution depends on the number of rounds played.
In general, we can conclude that anyone can come up with a game. But making it a reality is very difficult. It is even more difficult to promote it to the casino and start earning. At the same time, there is always a risk that your idea will not hook the players.
