Sponsored: Modern Consoles, Gambling, and Atari
While Microsoft and Sony continue to dominate the gaming industry with their respective Xbox and PlayStation consoles, there’s one kid on the block who’s trying to make a comeback for 2014.
That’s right – retro 80s video game giant Atari are reinventing themselves for the 21st century by branching out into a new field of online casino sites: gambling.
The move will be a controversial but potentially lucrative one for Atari: online gambling has grown exponentially in revenue over the last ten years, but they will have more than a few hoops to jump through in order to make the venture work.
In particular, legislation is an ongoing battle for both today’s websites and games developers looking to branch into the industry. While online gambling sites are getting great reviews across the world, the practice has been fiercely restricted by US law – players can only legally gamble online in three states: Nevada, Delaware, and most recently, New Jersey.
To get around this, Atari will implement “social gambling” which encourages users to play with virtual money, but they could be missing out on a lucrative venture which is becoming more and more profitable for online gambling websites which deal in real money.
These restrictions may have been the contributing factor for games console manufacturers’ lack of contribution to the “real money” gambling industry. While poker games have been abundantly available since the 80s, only recently have today’s consoles been able to offer users an internet connection, but risk mitigation is deterring the big players in the industry from providing these services, despite their popularity.
Of course, during the “retro” era of video games, many games consoles simply did not have the processing capacity to handle the advanced graphics and speeds afforded by many online gambling websites. However, today’s technology, such as the PS4, can more than handle the colors and speeds of slot machines – so why have Sony and Microsoft strayed away from it?
Parental control is another factor for games manufacturers to consider. With gambling in the USA being the preserve of over-21s only, many parents whose children have access to a games console will be wary of giving them access to online gambling, particular where their credit cards are concerned.
It’s only a matter of time however before the tables turn completely. Legislation is being relaxed; New Jersey became a legal gambling state in November 2013 and other states could soon follow suit. When Sony and Microsoft realize just what they’re missing, it could be just a matter of time before they enhance their parental controls to bring online gambling onto their consoles.
