5 ms·

Slot machine maker IGT buys social game dev for $500M

26 points by kunle 15y ago

dhughes 15y ago
The link is dead. By the way I've heard other slot techs (I'm a slot tech) say IGT asks new employees if they have any ideas and will buy their idea off them. IGT created SAS (slot accounting system) protocol which a lot of casinos use.
- JoachimSchipper 15y ago
  > The link is dead. Works for me.
  - dhughes 15y ago
    The requested URL /view/news/39632/Slot_machine_maker_IGT_buys_social_game_dev_for_500M_.php was not found on this server. Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
    - appcolumn 15y ago
      Link works fine for me as well.
      - dhughes 15y ago
        Weird, it never did for me and still doesn't.
appcolumn 15y ago
This isn't anything new and it's disturbing. I wrote an article about Caesars Entertainment (who own Playtika) and how they are coaching children on how to gamble. They own the #1 grossing app on the App Store. Apple is complicit in this because they rate the "simulated gambling" apps as suitable for children aged 12 and up. http://www.appcolumn.com/games/slotomania-brings-the-casino-into-your-home-and-hands-of-children http://www.appcolumn.com/games/slotomania-brings-the-casino-...
- paulhauggis 15y ago
  "and how they are coaching children on how to gamble" Gambling is all around us. When you market your product, you are putting money out there in the hopes that you will make more than you invested. If you are smart about it, it has better odds than Vegas, but it's still a gamble. When I was a kid, I used to play a game called "Vegas Dream" for the NES. It had blackjack, poker, and slots. If anything, it showed me how easy it was to lose all of my money in a short amount of time (without actually losing any real money). I rarely ever gamble now..except in calculated risks (such as advertising and marketing). Even if you banned all of these types of apps today, there are 100 more with gambling-like properties. I would rather have my kid learn about the painful reality of gambling early on.
  - appcolumn 15y ago
    and what happens to the children that don't learn that lesson because they don't understand the implications of gambling addiction? It's not fair to compare a NES game to one which has been designed with gambling psychology at it's core - one that surpasses even the slot machines available to adults. I guarantee you didn't need to delay gratification for 4 hours while waiting for additional coins. Nor did you have the option to spend real dollars (with zero chance of winning; now the house has 100% chance to win! you know they're loving that!) to get that gratification in an instant instead. Would you rather your son or daughter be coked up in order to learn about the perils of drug use or is that different and something that makes sense to teach through observation? I have no issue with these games being made to available to adults and I'd even support real money wagering but Apple need to reclassify these games as adult only and not as a "card game" which is "suitable for ages 12 and up".
    - paulhauggis 15y ago
      "It's not fair to compare a NES game to one which has been designed with gambling psychology at it's core - one that surpasses even the slot machines available to adults." "Vegas dream" had black jack and poker and all the rest of the games you would find at a casino. How is it any different? "Nor did you have the option to spend real dollars" How is a 12 year old going to spend real dollars? Where are the parents? "Would you rather your son or daughter be coked up in order to learn about the perils of drug use or is that different and something that makes sense to teach through observation?" It's different. Cocaine is physically addictive and can have real health effects. Something I don't ever want my kids touching. Gambling is all about being able to manage risk..something you do almost every day. You can't ever be successful without some form of gambling. If you teach kids early, they will be able to recognize it and it will beneficial to their future. Would you just put your kid in front of an iPhone and not watch them? We don't have enough responsible parents in this world. Too many parents use the iPhone (or computer or gaming system) as a baby sitting device or are too busy to actually parent them.
ShabbyDoo 15y ago
This purchase says to me that IGT thinks the US will allow domestic online gambling operations in the near future. Why else would they spend so much money on what appears to be quite a diversion from their current business model?

26 points by kunle 15y ago

The link is dead. By the way I've heard other slot techs (I'm a slot tech) say IGT asks new employees if they have any ideas and will buy their idea off them. IGT created SAS (slot accounting system) protocol which a lot of casinos use.

JoachimSchipper 15y ago
> The link is dead. Works for me.
- dhughes 15y ago
  The requested URL /view/news/39632/Slot_machine_maker_IGT_buys_social_game_dev_for_500M_.php was not found on this server. Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
  - appcolumn 15y ago
    Link works fine for me as well.
    - dhughes 15y ago
      Weird, it never did for me and still doesn't.

appcolumn 15y ago

This isn't anything new and it's disturbing. I wrote an article about Caesars Entertainment (who own Playtika) and how they are coaching children on how to gamble. They own the #1 grossing app on the App Store. Apple is complicit in this because they rate the "simulated gambling" apps as suitable for children aged 12 and up. http://www.appcolumn.com/games/slotomania-brings-the-casino-into-your-home-and-hands-of-children http://www.appcolumn.com/games/slotomania-brings-the-casino-...

paulhauggis 15y ago
"and how they are coaching children on how to gamble" Gambling is all around us. When you market your product, you are putting money out there in the hopes that you will make more than you invested. If you are smart about it, it has better odds than Vegas, but it's still a gamble. When I was a kid, I used to play a game called "Vegas Dream" for the NES. It had blackjack, poker, and slots. If anything, it showed me how easy it was to lose all of my money in a short amount of time (without actually losing any real money). I rarely ever gamble now..except in calculated risks (such as advertising and marketing). Even if you banned all of these types of apps today, there are 100 more with gambling-like properties. I would rather have my kid learn about the painful reality of gambling early on.
- appcolumn 15y ago
  and what happens to the children that don't learn that lesson because they don't understand the implications of gambling addiction? It's not fair to compare a NES game to one which has been designed with gambling psychology at it's core - one that surpasses even the slot machines available to adults. I guarantee you didn't need to delay gratification for 4 hours while waiting for additional coins. Nor did you have the option to spend real dollars (with zero chance of winning; now the house has 100% chance to win! you know they're loving that!) to get that gratification in an instant instead. Would you rather your son or daughter be coked up in order to learn about the perils of drug use or is that different and something that makes sense to teach through observation? I have no issue with these games being made to available to adults and I'd even support real money wagering but Apple need to reclassify these games as adult only and not as a "card game" which is "suitable for ages 12 and up".
  - paulhauggis 15y ago
    "It's not fair to compare a NES game to one which has been designed with gambling psychology at it's core - one that surpasses even the slot machines available to adults." "Vegas dream" had black jack and poker and all the rest of the games you would find at a casino. How is it any different? "Nor did you have the option to spend real dollars" How is a 12 year old going to spend real dollars? Where are the parents? "Would you rather your son or daughter be coked up in order to learn about the perils of drug use or is that different and something that makes sense to teach through observation?" It's different. Cocaine is physically addictive and can have real health effects. Something I don't ever want my kids touching. Gambling is all about being able to manage risk..something you do almost every day. You can't ever be successful without some form of gambling. If you teach kids early, they will be able to recognize it and it will beneficial to their future. Would you just put your kid in front of an iPhone and not watch them? We don't have enough responsible parents in this world. Too many parents use the iPhone (or computer or gaming system) as a baby sitting device or are too busy to actually parent them.

ShabbyDoo 15y ago

This purchase says to me that IGT thinks the US will allow domestic online gambling operations in the near future. Why else would they spend so much money on what appears to be quite a diversion from their current business model?