How Ideas from Abroad Have Helped British Casinos Diversify Their Businesses

It’s easy to imagine a classic British casino with a range of slot machines and card games like blackjack and roulette. While these ways of gambling remain as popular as ever, it’s interesting to see how casinos are using ideas from abroad to diversify further.“Pachinko” (CC BY 2.0) by Tracy Hunter

Plinko Take a Classic Japanese Game in a New Direction

This Plinko game from 1X2 Gaming is a good example of how new ideas can be incorporated to create games that appeal to British players. In this game, balls are dropped randomly from the top of the screen and the prize is determined by which multiplier boxes they land in. As it’s a game of chance, the player simply needs to press the start button and wait to see what happens.

Japanese players might find this gameplay recognisable, as it loosely follows the hugely popular game known as pachinko. This survey from 2020 carried out by the Yano Research Institute mentions a total of 7.8 million pachinko players across Japan. Some reports suggest the pachinko gaming parlours generate more gambling revenue than giant casino destinations like Macau and Las Vegas, so it’s going to be interesting to see how British players take to the idea.

Live Games from Different Countries

Land casinos typically had to deal with limited space, meaning that they had to choose carefully which table and card games to use. This usually meant blackjack, poker and roulette taking pride of place, with baccarat maybe being played in private rooms or at high-limit tables.

The fact that games can now be streamed online has allowed casinos to experiment with games that might not be familiar to British players. The likes of Andar Bahar and Teen Patti from India provide a different kind of gameplay while having some similarities to poker. With online rules and a live dealer, it’s easy for new players to get to grips with the gameplay.

Slots Based on Mythology 

Many slot machines still have classic symbols like fruits, bells and bars. However, with websites that can be filled with hundreds or thousands of different slots, the search is on to find themes that can be used to add a new look. This has led to slots being made with fish, pirates, wild animals and many other types of characters or situations.

One of the recurring themes we can see growing is that which covers ancient mythology. Greek Gods are represented in slots like Zeus Smash while Thunderstruck II explores Norse mythology and many games along the lines of Eye of Horus include classic images from Ancient Egypt. These slots work in pretty much the same way as the fruit machines of the past, but the introduction of these new themes has allowed developers to create interesting features based on the characters from different cultures.

These examples show how an established can continue to grow by taking on fresh ideas from different parts of the world. Other businesses operating in the UK may also benefit from casting a glance further afield to see what ideas they can take and adapt to the local market.