All gaming genres must get their inspiration from somewhere, and casino games are no different. You only have tolook at some of the slot gaming libraries out there to see how varied and wide-ranging this influence is.
Game designers will stop at nothing to unearth the next casino gaming gem, and they will dig through the worlds of TV, film, literature, and classic board games to find their creative inspiration. No stone is left unturned, and as you will see from our list today, as we dive into the list of casino games that classic board games have inspired, the influence of iGaming is well-established.
Dissecting Classic Casino Games and Exploring Their Origins
Classic casino games dating back 100 years don’t have the same origins or roots in board gaming as several other casino classics. Blackjack, for instance, originated in casino gaming halls and spearheaded the growth of the industry over 300 years ago.
While blackjack rules are pretty simple, board gaming has no evident influence. Blackjack rules have influenced elements of board gaming rather than the other way around.
Games like Coloretto and Samurai Spirit are card-based board games that take some influence from blackjack rules. However, their nuances distinguish them and keep their designs and gameplay original.
Roulette falls into the same bracket. Although there are board games like Roulette-Taking, this design stemmed from the original casino version of roulette, not the other way around. With online casino platforms able to implement approaches that help to keep their platforms so secure, including many start-up casinos that operate as small businesses, the popularity of roulette has soared over the last 20 years, but no influence has stemmed from classic board games—they’re very much their own entity.
Hopefully, we’ve provided some context here. The main influences of board games in casino gaming have come from niche game designs and slot gaming. Let’s look at some of the best examples.
Monopoly Slot Games & Live Gaming Technology
No board game has inspired casino game designers to anywhere near the same extent Monopoly has. You only need to quickly examine how many niche games focus on Monopoly, whether it’s spin-the-wheel style games or board games that incentivise real money prizes instead of Monopoly money like the board game. Monopoly slots are a popular category amongst slot gamers, too, including titles such as
● Monopoly Megaways
● Monopoly Money Grab
● Monopoly Travel: World Tour
It’s not just slot gaming where Monopoly holds significant influence; Monopoly Live is a game where bettors can place a wager on each section of the wheel, with a common smaller multiplier like x2 taking up more sections of the wheel, to the highest prizes (which can be 50x or 100x), which only feature in one or two sections of a wheel, andthe wheel can often contain more than 30 different sections.
While this is a significant deviation from the board game and, to be honest, only bears any resemblance to Monopoly by name, its popularity and visibility stem from the stature and recognisability of the iconic board game classic.
Other Slot Games Influenced By Board Games
As with many other slot gaming ideas, designers will draw inspiration from games that have captured the imagination of a wider audience. The incredible success of Catan over the last five years has shown that there’s still a colossal market for board games.
While the game took nearly 30 years to break into the mainstream, now that it has, you can find a slot game designed by Blueprint Gaming that is looking to appeal to Catan fans. It’s a conventional slot with a 5×4 grid design and a max jackpot of 1,000x.
Blueprint Gaming are one of the most notable names in the slot gaming world, and we’re not sure who it was at their design office, but most slot games influenced by board games have been released through the UK-based design company. Some of their other prominent board game-based slot designs include
● Mouse Trap
● Game Of Life
● Cluedo
Responsible Gambling
Although it can be easy to get drawn into the world of casino games if they’re based on some of your favourite board games, knowing how to stay safe when gambling, and keeping your betting within a manageable limit, is integral to staying entertained but not allowing it to become problematic.
Problem gambling can rear its ugly head in many ways, unfortunately, but the likelihood is that if you think you or somebody close to you has a problem, they probably do. Look out for the main warning signs, which include
● Borrowing money to gamble
● Constantly discussing betting or framing scenarios through the prism of betting and odds
● Negative impacts on friendships and close family
If you know anybody who is struggling, there’s plenty of help at hand. Casinos will provide tools to assist people looking to cut down or put limits in place. However, if the issue is more pressing than that, several charities specialise in stemming problem gambling, including Gamblers Anonymous and GamStop.
Conclusion
It’s not just Monopoly that has inspired casino game designers over the years. Although it is clearly the most prevalent example, many top board games have struck a chord with casino bettors.
Board games continue to attract and inspire audiences and, given that casino gaming is experiencing new highs and interest across a range of different UK, US, and Canadian markets, designers and platforms will continue looking for influence in these circles.
Board games are niche areas that might not stand out as immediate examples, but if any of the games we have mentioned today prove anything, it shows that there is a market for casino game designers who spend enough time researching their target audiences. While it might not be commanding a huge chunk of the online casino gaming world, it’s generating enough appeal and interest to be taken seriously by some of the biggest pioneers in the space.