Brick-and-mortar casinos are constantly looking for ways to keep customers engaged. One way to do that is to innovate existing games. That’s exactly what Roll to Win Craps is about. It’s growing in popularity at Harrah’s Las Vegas.
Roll to Win is a new take on craps that uses a lot of bells and whistles aesthetically, but also provides some technological integrations that improve the experience. Pennsylvania casino patrons will probably be as pleased as their partners in Nevada.
What is Roll to Win Craps?
It’s an Azure Gaming invention that is currently available at a few US casinos. Within Caesars Casino’s complement of properties, its most notable inclusion has been at Harrah’s Las Vegas so far. Pennsylvanians should be familiar with Azure, as its slot titles like Jack’s Haunted Wins and Wheel of Prosperity Dragon are available at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh.
The table game has a lot of the attention-grabbing features of slots. Those include a large LED screen and a series of lights and sounds. The display elements change as the game progresses, including going “on fire” during long rolls. It’s something that you have to see to really appreciate.
There are more innovations than just the tech-rich appearance, though.
Perhaps most notable for craps veterans is the game uses no chips. Players instead enter their bets through individual consoles using cash. When a player decides to cash out, the table gives players a ticket for the cage. This also eliminates verbal bets and players putting bets down at the very last second.
Aruze President Rob Ziems told the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
“Having the entire field made of LEDs allows us to do things that traditional tables simply can’t do. The reaction has been very positive, and we’ve heard the table has frequently been full.
“All table games can be a little intimidating for new players, and craps is one of the most complex. By letting players learn at their own pace, we are helping a new generation of players discover how exciting a great craps roll can be.”
Another significant difference between this and traditional craps tables is that it only requires one casino staff member to run the game. There’s a person to work the stick, and that’s it. The tabletop is also plastic instead of felt.
At the same time, several elements make this game easy for craps lovers to adapt. The person running the stick still decides when the cut-off for placing bets on the next roll is with a verbal announcement. Players still roll physical die, too.
Is it a gimmick or a real value for gamblers?
One of the consequences of the variant is that the diminished staffing requirement allows casinos to alter the economics of the game. Harrah’s Las Vegas has attached a minimum buy-in of just $10 for Roll to Win Craps, for example.
Experienced gamblers know that a lower buy-in likely means better action for the house. That’s probably true but regardless, the lower buy-in potentially means more people can play for longer periods of time. A full craps table is always more fun to play at.
This table at Harrah’s in Vegas can accommodate up to 10 people at a time, so that also lends toward a full experience. Additionally, Harrah’s has put chairs at the gaming positions at its table. Obviously, that promotes prolonged play as well.
Perhaps the greatest value for players, though, is the electronic console takes all the guesswork out of wagers, clearly stating the odds and potential payout of each betting option. There’s also no need to worry about human error in payouts.
So, when might this game become available at Harrah’s Casino Philadelphia? So far, Azure and Caesars seem to be “sitting out this roll” on sharing that information.
Will Pennsylvanians get to roll to win?
Right now, whether PA craps players will get to roll at all is a matter of secrecy. Azure’s only statement on the games’ expansion in PA has been, that it “will continue to roll out its games across the multiple casino, casino-resort, and racetrack venues throughout Pennsylvania.”
Caesars has been even more tight-lipped about any plans to make this game available at any of its other properties, much less specifically Harrah’s Philadelphia. Direct inquiries to this effect have gone unanswered.
If and when Caesars does make the craps variant available in PA, it will be worthwhile to use the Caesars Casino promo code to sign-up and play the game. It’s definitely a new take on a game that casino regulars have been playing the same way for decades.
