Should NJ Online Casinos Add Games of Skill For Real Money Gambling?
We’ve seen a lot of attention brought to online gaming since the onset of the pandemic. Casinos across the nation closed and states saw gaming revenue plummet. For those like New Jersey who have online casinos, the shift in customer habits softened the blow a bit.
Even with casinos re-opening to limited capacity, players are opting to stay online and take advantage of NJ online casino bonuses and promos.
As winter approaches, destinations like Atlantic City and other cold-weather resorts will see traffic dry up even more. Many can rely on strong customer bases but the inability to pack rooms for poker tournaments and sporting events will slow the recovery process.
Months in the red and thousands of unemployed workers will likely force the gaming companies to make a choice: innovate or perish. The former isn’t the easiest thing to do (coming from someone whose parents worked in casinos for over 20 years). We saw the DFS upstarts absolutely eat the legacy companies’ lunches in 2018 with the race to NJ sportsbook supremacy.
Games of skill for real money?
While there are certainly many new online casino games being released constantly, popular games of skill have yet to be any of them.
There might be an outlet to draw in more players to the emptier casinos. We’ve seen the popularity of skill games like Ocean King & Ocean King 3 bring adults to arcades to challenge their ability to shoot fish and monsters for points and prizes.
The games are popular but at times controversial. Police confiscated some Ocean King games from a location in Honolulu under suspicion they were gambling machines in an unlicensed place.
But can you play Ocean King for real money?
Not yet and not at any legal NJ online casinos. I mean, how would this work?
Many of the machines are table-top design, allowing multiple players to sit around the device and play simultaneously. Think of the old Pong, PacMan, and other tabletop games that preceded upright arcade machines (some of you remember these, I’m sure).
While it may not be the maximum capacity to allow for social distancing, many table games, including those with video aspects, are operating with limited players at casinos currently.
The biggest hurdles will likely come from the regulators. Would the Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) even consider such a proposition?
Well, they let players bet on the Oscars so this doesn’t seem so far-fetched.
I would certainly hope the casino companies entertain talking to skill-game designers about working together. Since most of these products are software-based, as opposed to the “skill games” at carnivals and amusement parks, they can be altered to create the desired “house advantage”.
The games should be offered initially online to work out the kinks and payout specifics. Give players a chance to try it out and give management an idea of how this could fit into the cadre of options.
Sites like Skillz that offer “competitive games” like bingo and solitaire have run commercials and attracted endorsers like Marshawn Lynch. This might be the time to take a chance and offer something new to players.
Games similar to Ocean King
Golden Nugget has several games that are very similar to Ocean King. Here are the top 3:
