Should studios develop online slots that appeal to younger audiences?

Over the last few years, there has been an intense spotlight shone on gambling-related harm. As much as we all enjoy playing online slots, we’re well aware of the risks associated with the much-loved pastime.

One specific area of gambling-related harm that’s received plenty of attention is the issue of young people being exposed to gambling, mainly due to a steep rise in the popularity of loot boxes in games such as FIFA, League of Legends and Overwatch.

However, loot boxes aren’t the only thing that’s been a cause for concern in the last few years. Critics have pointed out that a handful of developers have created online slots that may appeal to young people and that some slot sites use them in a bid to attract new customers.

We wanted to take a closer look at this and discover whether in fact studios (and slot sites) are getting a little bit too close for comfort when it comes to slot design, or whether anti-gambling lobbyists are making more of a splash than is necessary.

Naturally, this piece has to start by looking at branded slots, as they have ultimately become the catalyst for this debate. Prior to pop culture seeping into casino games, most titles were similar to each other, themed around fruit machines, Las Vegas and other generic themes. That is until branded slots began to make their mark…

The rise of branded slots featuring popular characters

Back in the early-to-mid 2000s, branded slots slowly began appearing in casinos across the internet. Most of these titles were based on IP that was intended for a mature audience.

At this time, some of the most popular slots included Scarface, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein and Dracula, and it’s not hard to see why these video games and movies were selected to become online slots.

With more than a decade of success under their belts, many of the top online slot developers have amassed enough money and notoriety to licence some of the most popular films, television shows and video games that have ever existed, meaning more eyes on their slots.

As a result, the preference towards using mature IP has faltered and more branded online slots have been developed that feature widely recognisable characters from mainstream pop culture.

Classic movie characters such as Tony Montana and the Creature from the Black Lagoon were replaced by more recognisable faces such as Mr Monopoly, Rick and Morty, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Gordon Ramsay and the delightful duo of Sloth and Chunk from The Goonies.

The risks of creating slots that appeal to younger audiences

As is to be expected, some of the most popular slots right now are branded, featuring many famous faces we all know and love… And we’re hardly surprised – players look for trust and familiarity when they’re spending real money to play these games.

Many say that the issue with familiarity is that it puts young people who may have access to an online casino account at heightened risk. It’s easy to imagine them being drawn to online slots that feature characters and IP that they’re already familiar with and passionate about.

Games such as WWE Legends: Link & Win, Street Fighter II: The World Warrior Slot and Rick and Morty Wubba Lubba Dub Dub are all quite capable of attracting young players on brand name recognition alone, despite being marketed at a mature audience.

Another risk that isn’t as widely considered is the fact that these games can appear high up in the results for certain search terms on Google (and other search engines). For example, someone searching for The Karate Kid, The Goonies or WWE could end up finding themselves at an online slot site.

A real-life example of this took place in September 2019 when 32Red had two of their paid-for Google advertising campaigns banned by the Advertising Standards Agency in the UK when their adverts for NetEnt slot Jack and the Beanstalk appeared at the top of Google, despite being a search term heavily used by children. 

The rewards of creating slots that appeal to younger audiences

Despite making some valid points in the previous section, it’s quite evident that the risk posed by slots featuring pop culture icons are minimal. Yes, the risk is there, but there’s no clear evidence a gambling epidemic has or will be caused by the inclusion of familiar faces.

If this was the case then we’d currently have a whole generation of online slot players that were drawn in and hooked by slots such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in 2004 and Hitman in 2007… We can quite confidently say that we know that not to be the case all these years later.

As mentioned, the only real risk comes when due diligence is not done by those advertising the games independently. However, there are multiple tools in place on multiple platforms that ensure that gambling advertising does not get in front of the wrong eyes.

Developing games that appeal to a new generation of online slot enthusiasts is just smart business and not necessarily a bad thing at all. There’s a very good reason that we keep seeing more and more branded slots hit casino lobbies on a monthly basis, and that’s because they go down well with players, developers and operators alike.

Like every other industry out there, innovation needs to happen in order for organisations to remain competitive, especially in such an ultra fierce and cut-throat industry as iGaming.

If online slot developers such as NetEnt, Blueprint Gaming and Play’n GO continued to develop and release tired, old-fashioned Irish and Egyptian themed slots on a regular basis then they’d likely lose players to more innovative sectors of the iGaming industry such as live casino.

As avid fans of online slots ourselves, we genuinely believe that creating slots that primarily appeal to Millenials and a portion of Gen Z is the best way to ensure online slots remain fresh and enjoyable. It’s down to operators and affiliates to ensure that these slots are marketed to the right audience and keep them out of harm’s reach.