Old Models Don’t Work By Mark McGuinness
Younger players are reshaping casino entertainment with their demand for skill, interactivity and social connection. Static reels and legacy themes no longer cut through. To stay relevant, the casino industry must adapt by blending esports-style mechanics, interactive design and social-media-inspired UX to connect with the next generation.
A Generation Unlike Any Other
Every generation changes how we play, but Gen Z – born between 1997 and 2012 – has grown up with something unique: constant interactivity. They were raised on smartphones, streamed live on Twitch and learned strategy on League of Legends before they sat their GCSEs.
In our industry, that creates a simple truth: The old model is running out of ideas. Traditional slots and static table games may still attract older demographics but they fail to connect with younger players who expect competition, community, and control.
Newzoo’s 2024 Global Esports & Games Market Report shows that 79 percent of Gen Z plays games weekly and over 40 percent follow esports online. Put that beside a slot machine with one button and a recycled theme, and you can see the problem.
Why One-Button Slots Can’t Compete with Fortnite
Ask a Gen Z player to describe a typical weekend. You won’t hear about television. You’ll hear about “squadding up on Valorant” or “scrolling TikTok foran hour straight.” Compare that to the experience of opening a slot: one button, minimal input, no community and no narrative. Disengagement is inevitable.
It’s not that young players reject the idea of betting. They don’t. This is the generation that grew up on microtransactions, loot boxes, and battle passes. Digital value is second nature. What they reject is irrelevance and formats that feel frozen in time while the rest of their entertainment world updates hourly.
Skill, Agency and Interactivity:
The New Currency
For this generation, games are arenas of choice and mastery. That’s why crash games are booming, why arcade-style betting titles are emerging, and why poker continues to thrive in digital-first communities.
Esports tells the same story. CS:GO, Valorant, Dota 2 – these are not just games; they’re ecosystems of strategy, rivalries and stories. The lesson is obvious: To win Gen Z’s attention, we need to move beyond chance and deliver participatory play that rewards decisions.
Feeds, Friends and Features: Borrowing from Social Media
If esports show what this generation loves, social media shows how they want to experience it. TikTok, Instagram, Twitch – these aren’t just channels, they’re interfaces. Swipe, scroll, like, chat, react. Everything is fast, communal and shareable. Now look at a typical iGaming casino lobby: rows of static tiles, dropdown menus, endless pagination. It feels more like Excel than entertainment.
Younger players expect feeds that look alive and personalized. Until casinos start mirroring the design language of social media, they’ll struggle to connect with the audiences who live inside those feeds.
From K-Pop to Co-Op: What Gen Z Really Wants
Themes matter and Gen Z tastes don’t mirror those of Baby Boomers or Gen X. The success of Fortnite taught them to expect evolving skins, characters and storylines. Pop culture tie-ins, from anime aesthetics to K-pop collaborations, provide cultural currency and keep experiences fresh.
Community-first play consistently outperforms solitary sessions. Co-op missions, squad goals and shared jackpots turn play into a story. Values matter too: fairness, visible odds and auditable outcomes.
In short, their top preferences are clear: skill-based interaction, social connection, constant content refresh, cultural relevance and fairness. Products that weave those together will feel natural. Products that don’t will feel retrofitted.
Innovation in Action: From Passive to Participatory
We’re already seeing experiments that lean in this direction. Leaderboards, missions, streaks and cosmetic unlocks are being layered into games. Collaborative jackpots reward communities rather than individuals. Discord-style lobbies are replacing anonymous grids.
Story Still Wins
Mechanics matter. UX matters. But stories still win. Esports thrives on rivalries, heroes, and underdogs. Fortnite survives because its world evolves like a TV series, with live events and shifting narratives.
Narrative Transportation Theory shows that when people are absorbed in a story they’re more engaged and loyal. Casino content can harness the same power. Imagine a crash game framed not as a line on a graph but as a rocket launch, a stock surge or a viral trend. Suddenly it’s not just math; it’s a moment. And moments are what players remember.
Framing the Shift
How we frame new products will determine how they’re received. The same mechanic can feel flat or compelling depending on its context.
Borrow a trick from public speaking. Grab attention with the frustration of a capped bet or a lifeless lobby. Show the need, the lack of agency or connection. Offer satisfaction and a participatory, social alternative. Help the reader visualize the future – dynamic feeds, creator-led games, collaborative jackpots. Finally, drive action: Invite them to test, join or experience it themselves.
Above all, don’t just say “community.” Show it in the chat, the squads, the co-op wins.
Problem, Solution, Action
The problem: iGaming products look and feel static to a generation raised on dynamic, participatory platforms.
The solution: Build experiences around skill, interactivity, identity, fairness and cultural relevance.
The action: Re-orient product roadmaps around participatory UX, skill-driven mechanics and transparent systems. This isn’t optional. It’s the cost of staying in the game.
The Next Lobby
Picture an online casino lobby in 2026. Not rows of tiles but a living feed: trending games, creator-hosted challenges, live chats buzzing. A crash title framed as a rocket launch sits next to a co-op betting mission. Avatars signal identity, badges show status and players squad up in real time.
That vision isn’t futuristic. It’s already happening in esports platforms, mobile games and creator-led ecosystems. Casinos just need to catch up and adapt it for regulated entertainment.
Playing Tomorrow’s Game
Emerging demographics aren’t rejecting gaming. They’re shaping it, on Twitch, in Discord and across social feeds. If casinos want their attention, they need to evolve: away from passive reels, toward interactive, social and story-driven experiences.
Tomorrow’s players are already here, already engaged elsewhere. The real question isn’t whether they’ll join us. It’s whether we’ll adapt quickly enough to join them.
