The State Of (UK) Brick & Mortar Casino Slots

[slot_zombie]

What a disappointment they are. I went around a couple over the weekend and it seems that, firstly, Scientific Games/Light & Wonder have exited the UK Casino market (can anyone confirm?) as the terminals have all gone, so mo more Rainbow Riches / Pots Of Gold / Soldier Of Rome / Spartacus casino versions.

So what we have left are rows and rows of the same terminals with the same Novomatic menu on them.

Some "VIP" Novomatic chairs with similar games.

IGT "Fort Knox" linked games, with such creaky old favourites as Wolf Run, Lucky Larry's Lobstermania, Pharaoh's Fortune...

Also all around 90% RTP, not sure if that also includes the progressive contributions.

It's all so poor/dull, and not a patch on the States' casinos with their games. I suppose the market isn't large enough to justify any other manu's setting up shop here so we are stuck with money sucking dross.

 

[Lemon]

I couldn't agree more my friend ?

Novomatic have the majority of the floorspace in UK casinos sewn-up on large long contracts, and this is unfortunate for players because a) their menu of games is rather dull yet it's by far the best for revenue so they're not going anywhere, and b) games like Lucky Lady's Charm and Book of Ra are still the most popular games of theirs, and they're 20 years old.

If you play online, with hundreds of slots to choose from, from dozens of decent game studios, the range of games at the local Grosvenor is always going to look utterly boring.

Can't see it changing either. Gone are the days where you'd have some fun individual WMS slots like Lucky Lemmings, Jackpot Party and The Monkees on the floor. The white paper alludes to increasing the number of slots you can have in a casino but Novomatic will probably gobble that extra carpet up with their dull, aesthetically unappealing sheet-metal cabinets with LED trim.

No-one else seems interested enough to try and go up against them. I thought Gauselmann might have a crack at the B1 market a few years back and I definitely remember seeing a B1 version of Fishing Frenzy at the ICE one year before COVID, but I don't think anything has materialised because it's not worth fighting over a dying market - shame really because they've got the games that could compete with Novomatic or at least offer some variety for players.

UK casinos are on their arse nowadays and closing all over the place, and since COVID 90% RTP seems pretty standard on slots, certainly that's what Genting have theirs on, and when you consider a lot of the games are pretty volatile and have pots on them, and then you sometimes have linked progressive jackpots on top of that, the actual gameplay is fucking atrocious and the whole experience is not attractive in the slightest. Even proper degenerate gamblers are coming to their senses and thinking twice.

It's never going to be like Vegas - the closest the UK player can get to that is online. Hopefully the UKGC won't turn us into another German market with 5 second spin times, 88% RTP slots and no promotions...

 

[dunover]

Yep, Novomatic, Gauselmann (Merkur) and their UK business Blueprint which they fully bought out in 2012.

The Novomatic cabinets aren't too bad, but the Merkur-Blueprint ones have started to dominate UK arcades etc. and they are terrible things.

The WMS (Shite & Blunder) cabinets are by far the best, basic classic WMS slots and these you can get a good session from on low stakes, but as you say Novo or Gauselmann games on 90% are abysmal, a horrific pair of money chewers.

 

[satchnz]

I’ve been to a few of “proper” land based casinos here in the UK and I must say they were all rather disappointing. Not a patch even on New Zealand casinos, let alone Vegas. I was very surprised.

 

[gfkostas]

It seems to me London casinos are run by accountants. There seems to be 0 customer retention culture/policies in place. It does not matter if you gamble 30,300 or 3000. At the end you get nothing bar some ridiculous "points" and you soon realize you need to bet your house to ever earn enough points to get any "freebies". Sometimes casinos do offer free sandwiches at the tables (Victoria for one) but mostly not. And then you have the whole SOW checks/being treated like a criminal who has to prove that he isn't one. It is really pathetic IMHO.

 

[slot_zombie]

Just had a bit of a trip out to check out what Merkur arcades have in store these days. Took £400.

Looks like they have had a bit of a refresh of the line up - more Blueprint cabinets, of which 30% had a small selection of Light & Wonder £100 jackpots running on them (Boogie Nights, Black Knight, Hot 7s, Thai Flower, Money Mad Mushrooms, RR Pots Of Gold, Honey Honey, Reel em In) as well as the usual BP games.

Won't entertain Blueprints but the L&W were horrendous too. Boogie and Black Knight return a mighty 90% but you have to play max stake to get that. Everything else has been installed at 88%, christ.

Should know better but had a punt hoping for quick steal. Boogie Nights sucked £250 at 50p stake for a couple of tiny bonuses along the way. Ditched it, went around a couple of other games for a small £50 raise then went onto the L&W £500s, Rhino and Heidi, which promptly reduced my float by £230 for no bonuses on £1 stake. Switched to Kings Honour with the last £80 I had and it dropped the wheel bonus which amazingly landed on the gold jackpot for £500.

Back on the £100s after pumping another £100 into Rhino for nothing and got a quick raise from Hot 7s - JP plus repeat. Had to put £450 into the 7s on the next cabinet for JP+repeat. Eventually walked £80 up and considered it a very lucky escape considering at one point I was down £320 in the space of an hour and a half.