Can UNO Find a Place Among Top Casino Games?
UNO rhymes with “you know” and is the card game you know about or are unaware you know about. If you do not know it for its exciting play style, you will for the number of memes shared about this iconic card game on your favorite social media.
Have you ever encountered blue, green, red, or yellow playing cards with numbers, a color wheel, and direction arrows? If so, congratulations, you’ve already met UNO.
So why has a card game seemingly everywhere not already made a home among top casino games?
Reasons why UNO is not YET a top casino game
There are a few reasons why UNO has stayed out of the casino, and they are as follows:
It has never been about money
UNO, a universally beloved game, is not commonly found in casinos for good reasons. Its original design as a family-oriented game differs greatly from the fast-paced and strategic nature of typical casino games. Adapting UNO for casino use would require complex rule modifications and licensing processes, making its integration challenging.
So why should people take time to learn to play UNO, especially at the casino, when the game is not geared towards making money? Of course, it can be tweaked so players stake to earn, but this brings about another problem: the rules are flexible.
Also Read: How To Play Original UNO | Official UNO Rules (PDF + Video Instructions)
Rule change, again and again
If you research UNO, you are likely to come across blog posts informing you of the updates in the rules and videos showing you different ways people can play the card game. While many other casino games can be played in different ways and allow the inclusion of house rules, they have an established format in which people already expect to play.
With UNO, the established format does not allow staking and would require that different casinos define their house rules before people can play to earn. Tackling the situation this way can bring out multiple interpretations of the rule and disallow uniformity in how the card game is played.
The alternative is for a body to regulate how UNO would be played at casinos with defined universal rules, but this might take time and expend resources.
The casino needs to win
The biggest reason UNO has yet to appear in your preferred online casino or any casino near you is that the casino needs to win.
UNO, a game where people try to exhaust their cards with a guaranteed winner, creates a situation where the winner takes all, and the casino could end up with nothing. With no buy-ins and financial penalties engrained in the card game, there are only so many ways the casino can profit.
It is crucial to recognize that casinos, although a lot of fun, are, first and foremost, business entities looking to make a profit and keep their lights on. If a game, in this case, UNO, does not look like it will yield profits on its investment, they very likely won’t include it in their offering.
So, does the above mean UNO has no place with other casino games? Not quite. It shows that some hiccups need to be resolved. In fact, these hiccups may have already been resolved. Continue reading to find out how.
UNO as a casino game: It makes sense
Despite the drawbacks, everything else points to UNO as a casino game feeling just right. It has all the makings of being an undoubted showstopper. Need more convincing? See if your mind stays made up after the following:
It is popular
Any resource for the most popular card games worldwide has Mattel’s UNO listed on it. When you are in 80% of card-playing homes and have been exported to several countries selling hundreds of millions of copies, it makes sense that you are on every list.
Saying UNO is popular is understating it. Being relevant for over 50 years tells you everything you need to know. This translates to undeniable interest, and it shows without a doubt that people are interested and would be interested in playing UNO in the casinos.
It shows that while it might be difficult, having UNO grace online and offline casinos might be worth it.
UNO’s app is already one of the most popular card game apps in several countries around the world, including France, Canada, Germany, the US, and the UK—all countries with an interest in casino gaming.
It’s uncharted territory
The fact that UNO as a casino game is not mainstream makes it a low-hanging fruit that casinos should be looking to exploit.
Its popularity shows that the market for it as a casino game is there. It being relatively uncharted territory means that the first few casinos to get in are likely to make a killing with it as an offering.
And here’s another interesting idea: UNO could be brought in as a gambling game in states that don’t yet have other legal online gambling options. Since it relies a lot on strategy, it could be ranked alongside poker as a game of skill rather than chance.
There are already states like California and Florida that don’t have many gambling opportunities but do allow poker rooms.
Could UNO be next? And since the tech already exists to play UNO online, maybe we could even see UNO on the top FL gambling sites for real money in the near future to bridge this gap and introduce fun, legal gambling options into these states.
Advanced tech makes it possible
The advancement of technology has made it possible for games that might be too costly to be hosted at physical casinos to make appearances in online casinos. This makes it perfect for UNO as it is yet to convince that it is ready to sit with other casino games.
Assuming the financial hiccups have been rectified, innovative payment options allow players to stake and withdraw their earnings immediately without compromising their identity.
The advent of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and Virtual Reality (V.R.) can create an experience that properly recreates the experience of being in an actual casino.
Multiple rounds, round the clock
While Vegas has its doors open all day, all year round, not all casinos can boast of the same. Online casinos, on the other hand, can operate round the clock with very minimal supervision.
This is perfect for a game like UNO, with players around the world from different time zones looking to enjoy their favorite card game.
Also Read: How To Play Uno Flip Card Game (Rules, PDF & Scoring Point Instruction)
The house always wins!
Having a game like UNO on the roaster in an online or offline casino is a win-win however you choose to look at it.
A game that is guaranteed to have people logging in online or increase foot traffic in physical locations guarantees that money will be made either when they play other games or from looking at ads on your website or mobile app.
If you ask us, UNO already fits in with other casino games because, with it, the house always wins.
