New Jersey is considering a new amendment to its skill-based gaming laws to lower minimum return-to-player (RTP) requirements. That might sound like a bad proposition for players, but it means slot machines with skill elements would allow more room for error — thus rewarding skillful players.
Skill-based games were introduced in 2016 and 2017 in Borgata and Tropicana. GameCo, a startup skill-based gambling machine manufacturer out of New York City, supplies the games for Borgata and Tropicana.
New Amendment for Skill Based Gaming
In 2016, New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement announced temporary regulations government skill-based games. Those regulations were a catch-all for any gaming machines that contained skill elements. A slot machine with a skill-based bonus game was treated the same way a skill-based gambling machine (which involved a higher degree of skill).
That led to less-than-satisfactory reviews from gamblers who played some of GameCo’s earliest releases. Game designers were not able to explore the full range of options, leading to game experiences that seemed forced.
Danger Arena Skill Based Game Reviews
GameCo’s Danger Arena, a skill-based gambling machine which maintained elements of chance, was an example of a game which displeased some Atlantic City casino patrons. Players felt as if Danger Arena was trying to trick them into the illusion of skill, by offering levels that were either way too easy or way too hard. Combined with inferior game engines to video game consoles, the overall reviews for Danger Arena were lukewarm.
Now, the DGE is considering a rule that will lose the RTP requirements for New Jersey skill-based gaming machines. Previously, all adhered to the statewide requirement for slot machine RTPs: 83%. If the 83% requirement is lowered, it gives GameCo. and other skill-based gambling machine developers a wider range of possibilities. New Jersey skill-based gambling machines might play more like the video games, online games, and arcade games that non-gamblers tend to prefer.
Draft Regulations for Skill Based Games
As reported by Online Poker Report, the current draft of the new DGE regulations states,“Skill based games mean any Division approved casino or online game where the theoretical return to player (RTP) cannot be determined by a precise mathematical model based on chance, but is instead determined by player’s physical dexterity and/or mental ability.”
“Such games are not required to achieve a minimum theoretical RTP. Skill based games are distinct from slot machine games that are expected to achieve a theoretical RTP of 83%.”
It is a radical departure for brick-and-mortar gaming machines. If that becomes the law in New Jersey, one can expect to see gaming machine designers create titles which are truly skill-based. Some players might lose a lot of money, while others win cash through high levels of skill or excellent strategies.
Nothin’ But Net by GameCo.
GameCo’s Nothin’ But Net skill-based game is going to be a prototype for the future. Nothin’ But Net uses a “moving slider” like the bar game Golden Tee. If a player slides the game controller at the right instant, then he or she makes a basket.
Nothin’ But Net is a 100% skill-based gaming machine. It also potentially offers a positive expectation return, if the game is configured. The only random part of Nothin’ But Net is prior to the game, when the random number generator determines how much they can potentially win.
Thus, optimal play on Nothin’ But Net sometimes results in a very low house edge, like blackjack or video poker. Sometimes, though, the payout percentage will be greater than 100%, meaning gamblers can win money by playing optimally or even skillfully (but less than optimally).
Warning Logo of Potential Less Than 83% Payback
The Division of Gaming Enforcement’s draft resolution also includes the requirement that a prominent logo or warning be visible, telling players that a skill-based gaming machine does not adhere to the 83% minimum payback for a New Jersey slot machine. According to the proposed regulation, the warning might be on either the game box (console) or the game screen — or both.
The clause referring to the warning logo states, “Skill based games approved pursuant to this section shall be clearly identified through the use of a Division approved logo that inform the patron that the game is a skill based game, is not a slot machine, and does not offer a minimum RTP.”
