Top-5 Countries That Like Slots the Most
A casino offers a wide variety of entertainment: table games (like roulette or baccarat), blackjack, and poker. However, slot machines seem to be the most popular pastime for visitors, and this popularity results in a great diversity of releases on all possible themes and with numerous modern features. What is more, the number of slot machines an operator offers is usually bigger than the number of all other games.
But what is the secret of such great popularity of this type of gaming and which countries are totally fan about slots?
WHY PLAYERS ENJOY SPINNING THE REELS?
The first and probably the most obvious reason why slot machines are on top of the players’ list of preferences is their simplicity. While other games usually require certain strategies of playing, attentiveness, or good mathematical skills (e.g. poker), with fruit machines you just need to make several simple movements and rely on your luck.
The other reason why people choose slots over other types of casino entertainment is their availability. Nowadays, you can have access to slots anywhere: at land-based casinos, online operators, mobile apps. All this allows players to spin the reels whenever and wherever they want, making this type of games attractive for those who search for immediate entertainment without much effort or extra movements.
TOP 5 NATIONS TO SPEND THE MOST ON GAMING MACHINES IN 2020
Based on the research by H2GC and taking into consideration the total gross win on slot machines in different countries, we have discovered five nations that spend the most time spinning the reels, and our findings show that this type of entertaining is popular all over the world.
#1. JAPAN
While typical casinos operate across the world, Japan has its own widely popular kind of gaming, called pachinko.
Pachinko resembles a vertical pinball machine, but it has a range of differences that make this machine unique. Thus, it is played with smaller steel balls (usually rented from parlor). Then these balls are both bet and prize. The objective of the game is to make balls fall into catchers. If players manage to do this, they receive a reward. Players cannot exchange a ball directly for money. Therefore, they first receive a voucher or a prize from the owner. Later, they can be exchanged for money either in the establishment or in different shops situated near it.
Pachinko is so popular in the country and players play it so frequently that this type of entertainment generated a gross win of $31,460.5m in 2019.
What is interesting, this industry provides more working places than the top 10 car manufacturers and comprises almost half of all leisure activities in Japan.
Yet, the research reveals that the gross win generated by these gaming machines had shown a tendency to decrease since 2012, and it may reduce by 21.7% in 2024.
#2 THE UNITED STATES
Although US players contribute to the second biggest gross win from slot machines in the world, this type of gambling is not the most popular in the country.
Yes, gaming machines generated $10,876.7m in 2019, and this figure will grow to over $12.5m by 2024. However, Americans are three times more interested in lotteries and spend almost 7 times more money on casino games than on slots.
The key to this may be the system of gambling in the US and its legislation, according to which casino entertainment is legal only in certain states. What is more, it is not always easy to obtain a license to make slots available to US players. Thus, a range of software providers that deliver numerous popular games across the world is not accessible to players in the US. For example, a well-known NetEnt studio received a permanent gambling license in New Jersey only in 2019.
#3. ITALY
Surprisingly, Italy is the third nation on the list when it comes to gaming machines and the fourth country in the world in terms of the largest gambling market.
A changing moment in the gambling industry in Italy happened a decade ago when the government loosened gambling legislation allowing slot machines and lottery terminals to be available practically everywhere. Thus, the gross win from slot machines comprised $10,337.8m in 2011, which is 18.8% higher than in 2010. The maximum gross win from this type of gambling in Italy was spotted in 2017 ($11,869.2m).
The easy access to slot machines has caused an increase in the number of Italians that play them. As a result, a movement that fights against gambling has started in the country. The government imposed a law that prohibited any advertisements of gaming on TV. However, that measure showed little effectiveness, and the gross win remained on the same level. The predictions of H2GC reveal a slight decrease in 2020, but it may grow again to over $11m by 2024.
#4. AUSTRALIA
Those acquainted with the gaming industry have probably heard about pokies. And this type of entertainment is the one to make Australia appear in this ranking.
What is pokie?
This is how Australians shorten a poker machine which in turn stands for what we know as a slot machine and video poker. The history of this name dated back to the 19th century when the first video poker machines appeared on the continent. Later, when slots became available, Australians just called them the same thing as to not complicate things.
Taking into consideration their long history and a desire of Australians to gamble, slot machines turned out to be the most popular type of gaming. What is more, this country boasts:
- 20% of all gaming machines in the world (almost 200,000 items)
- One machine for approximately 100 people
This resulted in a high gross win of $8,929.4m in 2019. This number is expected to grow by 4% in 5 years.
#5 GERMANY
Germans are one more nation that prefers slot gaming machines to other types of gambling. This industry generated $7.4m gross win in 2019. Yet, the peak of popularity happened in 2017, when the total gross win reached $7.8m.
The prognosis for the future states the further decrease in the popularity of slot machines in Germany. It might be caused by the stricter gambling legislation implemented by the government that caused the closure of numerous gaming halls across Germany.
