Designers Roll The Dice On Mobile Gambling

Ubiquity

Gambling caters to the impulse. In any casino, rows of slots are stacked upon rows of slots to satisfy every impulse to drop a dollar. Mobile gaming devices must be as available and always on. Imagine the reaction of casino managers if they were told all of their slot machines had to be fitted with a “on/off” button! Achieving this in a mobile device impacts power management, biometric identification, and other issues. Any length of time, even a second or two to boot up or log on, would probably detract from the game’s revenue.

Stimulating

Fixed games are getting more and more media savvy and responsive with graphics, sound, and light. These audio/visual clues are like the bell to Pavlov’s dog or the buzzer to Skinner’s pigeon. Sensory clues trigger the gaming response. Just because the device is mobile doesn’t mean it can forget about these media-based stimuli. Indeed, new forms of stimuli might emerge, such as the vibrating controllers that now appear in home video game consoles.

Compact

Every form of mobile electronics seems to shrink as it goes through multiple generations. Cell phones have evolved from bricks to candy bars. MP3 players have shrunk from pocketbooks to keychains. People want devices to be more like jewelry and less like luggage. Smaller devices will be carried and played more than larger devices. Perhaps the ultimate device would be a hotel room key fob that’s also a keno or poker game. Again, the need for device security and anti-tamper capabilities is important.

Compact, secure, but stimulating ubiquitous devices on secure networks will be the future of in-hotel gaming, eventually not only adding to the fixed machines but perhaps supplanting them to some extent. The technology is here, and the demand is certainly present. Gradually, the form and specification of these mobile devices will take shape and gravitate to a form as standardized as the typical slot today.