Gamers' adoption of new slot-machine games

Abstract

Background: Land based casinos are facing growing competition from other gambling modes like online gaming, which is a major concern for the future of this industry. The designing of new slot machine games are therefore critical, particularly as the life cycles of these games become shorter. Rapid technological changes in both online and land-based casinos, all contribute to the shortening lifespan of slot-machine games. With that said, game developers needs to stay on top of new technologies in order to shape this growing industry. When new slot-machine games are developed and launched, an awareness of the new game needs to be created, in order to stimulate adoption. Purpose of study:The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study is to determine how South African slotmachine gamers adopt new slot-machine games. Based on the contextual background and literature review, this study aims to determine the adoption of new slot-machine games.Design/Methodology/Approach: More than six hundred regular slot-machine gamers were interviewed within the gaming areas of six casinos in South Africa. A focus-group discussion, with ten regular slot-machine gamers was held, in order to structure the quantitative survey. Results/Findings:The findings indicated that slot-machine gamers take a while before trying out a new slotmachine game, because of a lack of awareness.Recommendations: From a management perspective, it is vital for casinos to understand the changes in gamer habits as well as the financial impact that new slot machine games have on its revenue. Managerial implications:By understanding how slot-machine gamers perceive the adoption of new games can provide management with insight into gamers' behaviour, as well as the development of new marketing strategies such as in-house and digital promotions that can enhance the adoption of these games.