Consider this: The Ted slot machine, a game based on the Seth MacFarlane movie and created by Blueprint Gaming, is a 3D interactive game, featuring cool officially licenced graphics and gameplay. The slot has five bonus games that can be triggered and launched on a second screen. In addition, there are six in-reel modifiers, like the Psychedelic Colossal Spin and Lazer Gun Infectious Wilds. Like a modern video game, you could play the game for days and not experience everything it has to offer. Ted is a popular slot, but it isn’t unique in delivering lots of extra content. In fact, it’s a typical example of a modern video slot.
So, why do the simple games, especially blackjack and roulette, still retain huge popularity at a casino? These games are single purpose games. Indeed, when you break down roulette, it’s still a game that invites you to guess where a ball will land on a wheel, one that wouldn’t sound too exciting if you were to explain it. With the advances in tech used for video slots, choosing classic casino games is the equivalent of firing up your PS4 or Xbox to play Asteroids or Duck Hunt.
Simplicity can be rewarding
Roulette is particularly noted for its popularity, both in online and land-based casinos. Walk into any major Las Vegas casino and you’ll see table after table, crucially with more people surrounding them than there are on the rows of slot machines. The question is: Why? You can, of course, make an argument for its simplicity. The internet is full of psychology articles explaining why simple games ‘reward’ us more than complex ones. A video slot can often require patience, with some games demanding longer time spent to unlock new features. Roulette, on the other hand, is consistent and unchanging, you’ll have seen movies with that “bet it on all black” scenes.
Yet, hiding behind that simplicity is some beautiful mathematical strategy. For example, using the Martingale System, which entails doubling the bet each time until you win literally means you can beat the odds: Roulette pays 1:1 on a winning red/black or odd/even bet; so, if you placed $1 and lost, and doubled your next bet to $2 and won, you would have bet $3 in total and won $4. This mathematical proof holds true regardless of how high the bets get (the casinos counter this with table limits).
Game is celebrated on screen
Roulette, you should remember, is also a game chosen by serious casino players. It’s one of the reasons that Mansion Casino has a great welcome bonus for online roulette, because the game is likely to be chosen by regular players and even high rollers. This isn’t a coincidence either, as roulette has a much lower house-edge than slots – even with the virtual versions. There is, however, another reason, and one that is perhaps more difficult to contextualise. Roulette is iconic, it’s been celebrated on screen and its associated with glamour. Indeed, there is even a James Bond System for roulette, such is its perceived ties to the glamorous world of the super spy. In that sense, we play roulette because we think we should play roulette. The movies have taught us that that’s what happens in a casino, so we follow suit when we play. There isn’t, for example, an iconic scene in Bond films, where the titular hero plays slots.
To finish, it should be noted that some aspects of roulette have evolved slightly in order to meet the challenge of modern gaming alternatives. Special jackpot prizes have been added to the games like Age of the Gods Roulette, and there are even cool variations like 3D Roulette and Pinball Roulette. But the game is still preferred in its classic form, just as it has been for decades.