Skill-Based Games Continue Expansion, Find A New Home At Oklahoma Casino

Now, that prophecy may be coming to fruition. Skill-based games may not ready to replace slot machines just yet, but GameCo skill-based machines have started spreading beyond the borders of Atlantic City.

The latest casino to take the skill-gaming plunge is Choctaw Casino & Resort in Durant, Okla.

Where you can find GameCo machines

brings the number of US casinos with GameCo video game gambling machines (VGMs) up to five:

• Tropicana Atlantic City
• Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
• Foxwoods Resort Casino
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort
• Choctaw Casino & Resort

The total number of casinos with GameCo skill-based gaming machines now stands at eight, as the company has managed to place its VGMs at two St. Maarten casinos and another casino in Chile.

GameCo machines can be found in the following non-US casinos:

• Dreams Hotel Casino in Porto Varas, Chile
• Casino Jump Up in St. Maarten
• Casino Royale in St. Maarten

Skill-based gaming expansion in Atlantic City

The first skill-based game to land on a casino floor was GameCo’s Danger Arena, which debuted on Nov. 2, 2016 at Caesars‘ three Atlantic City properties: Harrah’s, Bally’s and Caesars.

The future of skill-based gaming looked even brighter when, in the ensuing months, more GameCo titles were brought to market — Pharaoh’s Secret Temple and Nothin’ But Net — followed by a rollout at Tropicana Atlantic City on Dec. 23, 2016.

The first stumbling block came in April 2017, when Caesars removed GameCo’s VGMs from its Atlantic City properties, just six months after they were debuted.

That said, Caesars is still bullish on skill-based games. In Nevada, it’s added Gamblit Gaming’s tables (and plans to bring them to AC, pending approval from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement) as well as Scientific Games’ Space Invaders, yet another offering in the skill-based genre.

GameCo’s disappointment at losing a customer in Caesars didn’t last very long, as it was offset with the addition of another casino a few months later. In July, GameCo machines found a home at Borgata, the crown jewel of the Atlantic City casino market.

The GameCo bug had also spread beyond Atlantic City.

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Expansion beyond Atlantic City

GameCo has started to extend its reach, adding Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut to its list of casino partners.

Since then, GameCo machines have appeared in two tribal casinos — Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina and the aforementioned Choctaw Casino in Oklahoma — as well as the Caribbean and Chilean casinos.

More games and locations coming

Don’t be surprised to see more casinos add these machines in the coming months. GameCo is extremely proactive in contacting casinos, and the more places that feature VGMs, the more likely other casinos will give them a look.

In addition to more locations, GameCo has a lot of new content in the pipeline.

In addition to its original three — Danger Arena, Pharaoh’s Secret Temple, and Nothin’ But Net — GameCo has the following titles available for distribution:

• Steve Aoki’s Neon Dream
• T2: Terminator 2 Judgment Day
• Cosmic Candy Heist
• Poseidon’s Deep Sea Saga