The online casino industry is one of the most lucrative sectors on the planet and, in 2019, it is predicted to be worth $55.19 billion. It has grown to such a large extent because of its willingness to adapt to developments in technology and spread out onto other platforms. For instance, the way that online casinos rapidly permeated the growing smartphone market was key to their success in recent years. For this reason, it seems strange that there has been no synergy up to now between the online casino world and the console gaming universe. Surely, this is a potential market that should be exploited.
Gambling has been prevalent in console games for many years, and there are often side games within bigger titles that allow the player to stake some in-game currency for a chance to win. Usually, though, the winnings are only available to use on things in the game world and don’t translate to real money.
One of the most recent games to include gambling was Red Dead Redemption 2. The epic Wild West adventure from Rockstar Studios has won and been nominated for numerous accolades, and many people see it as the best game ever made. One of the things that makes it so good is the fact that the world is extremely immersive and there are so many different things for players to do. Some of the most-loved pastimes include blackjack, poker, and dominoes. These activities appear in missions within the story, but players can also seek them out on their own.
Blackjack
When playing the main story, it makes sense for Arthur Morgan to win money on the games and then use it to buy things like weapons to use in the game. But in the online mode, there could be an opportunity for more online casino elements to come into play. There is no reason why players couldn’t invest real money and try to win the games in the online mode. Looking at the online casino, games like blackjack are among the most popular offerings. The live links to real dealer games also help provide an immersive experience. When playing blackjack in RDR2, you can actually see your character and interact with the other players around. If Rockstar Games made the game a real-money option, it would surely attract more players.
RDR2 isn’t the only game that has featured mini-games to keep players occupied, and it seems to be a growing theme in the video game world. For example, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt featured a card game called Gwent, and Fallout New Vegas had various ways to gamble. Online modes of these titles could also open up opportunities for staking money.
With greater numbers of console games taking place online, there appears to be the opportunity to add gambling elements that allow players to win real money. The fact that it could be done without affecting a game’s story makes it surprising that it hasn’t already happened.
