If you’ve ever doubted whether online slots are really random, you certainly aren’t alone. Caesars Atlantic City and Awager Gaming out of Tel Aviv think they might just have the answer. They’ve announced a new partnership and the launch of Remote Reels, a way to play real land-based slot machines in a studio on the floor of the Tropicana on your phone or computer.
The huge popularity of live dealer games provides proof of concept, and now Caesars is betting that seeing your favorite slot machine spinning over streaming, even if it uses the same exact software code as online versions, might be enough to win over players who don’t yet trust the fully digital version of the games.
Caesars and Awager built a 1000-square-foot glass-enclosed studio just off the main gaming floor in their beautiful Atlantic City property. They then filled it with 25 of the hottest Light & Wonder slots they could find, like Buffalo Triple Boost and Mo’ Mummy Valley of Riches. And then… they locked the doors. Which might seem a bit odd, but these machines can only be played remotely.
Not just on Caesars Palace Online Casino, but also the Tropicana Online or Horseshoe Casino online versions as well. The games are live-streamed to your phone or computer, and you get the same immersive experience that you would get if you had fought traffic and paid $10.50 in tolls to drive down the shore.
Awager has plans to feature online slot tournaments, free spin bonuses, and even a chat feature that they say will make it seem just like you’re on the casino floor without ever leaving your couch. And of course, you already earn those valuable Caesars Rewards points for every spin you make.
“Bringing land-based play online is at the heart of our mission… Streaming live from the iconic Tropicana Atlantic City underscores the unique entertainment value we offer.”
— Roy Greenbaum, CEO of Awager
While both online slots and their land-based counterparts use RNG chips, Awager’s long-standing partnership with Lotto Quebec suggests that players tend to trust the actual physical machines more. Additionally, many prefer the actual feel and mechanics of real-world slots to the slightly more gimmicky feel of online versions.
And in a fiercely competitive market like online casinos in New Jersey, where more than 30 sites compete for your gaming dollar, leaning into that psychology and offering up something that feels familiar yet is completely novel might give Caesars the edge they are looking for.
At the end of the day, whether you prefer the reels of your slot machine spinning over a live stream or with them being digitally reproduced on your phone screen, it comes down to offering the player options and the possibility of feeling more like you’re on the real casino floor if that’s their preference.
And while something like Remote Reels might feel like a niche play in the grand scheme of things, in iGaming, every player and every dollar counts.
