Supplier News
US – GameCo looking to marry casino slots with skill
By Phil - 5 October 2015
GameCo, a pioneering new company poised to unite skill-based video games with real-money casino floor gaming, has created the world’s first video game gambling machines (VGM) in an effort to bring a new generation of gamers to land-based casinos.
Similar to electronic poker or blackjack but featuring popular video games, GameCo’s proprietary arcade-style cabinets utilise a patent-pending system that balances player skill with proprietary game design to deliver single player games, while maintaining the same house return to players as traditional slot machines.
Blaine Graboyes, GameCo Co-Founder and CEO, said: “Attracting millennials to the casino floor is the most critical issue facing gaming destinations today and GameCo is delivering the solution casinos need to engage this key audience. Our skill-based VGMs are the natural evolution of the slot machine. We have created a truly state-of-the-art experience that speaks directly to the nearly 93 million adult Americans that play video games.”
Using its patent-pending algorithm and unique game design, GameCo is working with leading game developers and publishers to adapt popular video games for casino gaming all while meeting regulatory requirements. The company will offer a wide variety of game play experiences with genres and themes from core to casual including everything from sports, racing, and fighting games, to first person shooter, puzzle, hidden objects, and match 3 games.
“GameCo has developed a product that not only appeals to a younger generation but that also provides an engaging and dynamic entertainment experience,” said Seth Schorr, CEO of Fifth Street Gaming. “With this new product, casinos have an opportunity to build a new revenue stream by creating a real life gaming space for a new demographic of gamers.”
Working alongside compliance testing agencies, such as Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) and various state gaming regulators, GameCo is taking all necessary steps to ensure that its VGMs accommodate all gambling regulations. The company is currently building full compliance prototypes as part of the regulatory approval process and expects to begin field trials in early 2016.
GameCo features a world-class team with unrivaled experience in game design, slot design, technology, live events, esports, iGaming, finance, and marketing. Members of the executive team include CEO Blaine Graboyes, an award-winning executive producer and game designer; Chief Operations Officer and co-founder Cinnamon Booth, a brand experience and live event expert; Chairman Robert Montgomery, a media, communications, and technology investor and advisor; and Nick Weil, Director, Strategy and Business Development, most recently Manager of Corporate Strategy at Scientific Games.
Recently, GameCo completed the first stage of a $3.25 million fundraising campaign, securing investments from a variety of prominent technology, finance, and gaming companies and executives including New York Angels, Steel Partners, Seth Schorr, Scott London, Berylian Capital, OCP Capital, and Jonathan Adashek.
Founded by video game, casino gaming, technology, and live event veterans, GameCo brings together executives from Scientific Games and IGT along with award-winning producers for game publishers such as Blizzard Entertainment, WarGaming, Ubisoft, and DreamWorks. The company is currently building full compliance prototypes as part of the regulatory approval process and expects to begin field trials in early 2016.
