Best States to Target for New Table Game?

Hello Everybody,

Hope you are enjoying your Labor Day long weekend!

I've got a new table game I'm working on (currently at the stage of getting a math report from one of the labs). Nevada seems like the best state to target for an initial game install, just because of the sheer size of the market. However, I was wondering, what would be the other states that would be worth concentrating my time on (in terms of getting regulatory approvals, looking for customers, etc.)? I looked for things like the biggest casino markets in the country and would find lists such as this one:

https://www.thestreet.com/markets/these-are-the-top-10-gambling-states-in-america-12965129

However, lists like that usually exclude Native American gaming, which understates the size of the market in certain states. Additionally, you might find lists like these about the states with the most amount of casinos:

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-state-has-the-most-casinos.html

However, just because a state has a lot of casinos, I suppose it does not necessarily mean you could even get a new type table game installed there if they only allow certain types of games.

In this case, is there perhaps a "top" list of states I should be considering? Would appreciate any information you may have from your personal experiences, or if you might be able to point me in the direction of some resources. I know there are other things to consider as well beyond market size, such as ease and cost of regulatory approval. So any comments you may have on this would certainly be appreciated.

Thank you!

I think Nevada is probably the toughest state to make it in for a new table game. However, if you can make it in Vegas, you can make it anywhere. My advice would be to start in a jurisdiction where players will play anything, like Washington state, if you can. I would accept any field trial you can get, anywhere.

Quote: Wizard

I think Nevada is probably the toughest state to make it in for a new table game. However, if you can make it in Vegas, you can make it anywhere. My advice would be to start in a jurisdiction where players will play anything, like Washington state, if you can. I would accept any field trial you can get, anywhere.

Thank you for the comment. Yes, Nevada looks like a tough market to break into, but it does bring with it some credibility, it seems. I had someone here at a regulatory body for one of the Canadian provinces mention that it is seen as a vote of confidence to them if someone brings them a new game for consideration if said game already has a couple installations in Las Vegas. I imagine that this may be true for some of the other smaller markets as well.

I will definitely take a look into the process of getting the game approved in Washington state. Thanks for bringing this state to my attention!

And yes, I would certainly be happy to work with any casino that would want to do a field trial in any state. I suppose I was primarily asking in terms of where to focus my efforts, but of course would want to be open minded and cast a wide net. Once I'm a little further along, I figured that I may as well even start to take a look at Europe. In particular, the UK seems pretty attractive (a little lighter on regulatory hurdles but still has a significant market size).

Thanks again!

Quote: Rosebud

Thank you for the comment.

You're welcome.

Quote:

I will definitely take a look into the process of getting the game approved in Washington state. Thanks for bringing this state to my attention!

You're welcome. I would cast your efforts at the small card rooms like the Silver Dollar, as opposed to the tribal casinos. I should have also mentioned Colorado. Players there will play anything.

Quote:

And yes, I would certainly be happy to work with any casino that would want to do a field trial in any state. I suppose I was primarily asking in terms of where to focus my efforts, but of course would want to be open minded and cast a wide net. Once I'm a little further along, I figured that I may as well even start to take a look at Europe. In particular, the UK seems pretty attractive (a little lighter on regulatory hurdles but still has a significant market size).

It's a very good question. I think it is not so much where, but you want a smaller casino with about 10 to 20 tables but with close access to major cities. There are many game inventors on the forum who may have other opinions.

Just to warn you this is a tough TOUGH business. Be prepared to take a lot of rejection.

Thank you, again! This is wonderful advice. I really appreciate the insight! I'm new to the industry, and I am finding information like this hard to come by via Google searches, so it is great to hear these things from experienced and knowledgeable people. Finding information has definitely been a challenging part of this process.

I will add Colorado to the list. I just looked up the Washington approval process a few moments ago. I'm going to email the office to see if I can talk with someone at the Gambling Commission. I will do the same for Colorado. Always nice to speak with someone to make sure you've got your understanding of their legal process in order.

I like the strategy of looking at smaller casinos; this sounds interesting. Originally, I thought it might be good to target the big ones as they might just have more space for a new game and might be more willing to take on the risk. However, I imagine a smaller casino may be less bureaucratic so their process to approve a new game for their floor may be easier and quicker to navigate. I suppose that it is also just a numbers thing as well; there are a lot more smaller casinos, so potentially a better chance that someone decides to give me a chance.

Rejection does seem inevitable, haha. This will definitely be something that I'll have to take in stride. Now, the other tough part I am finding is knowing how to find the right people to speak with in the first place. Part of me wonders if it would be best to just show up to casinos and keep asking around until somebody gives you the name of someone who makes these kinds of decisions. Sounds like it will be a very gritty sales process, regardless.