Aristocrat unveils NFL-themed slot machines as league navigates legal gambling

Aristocrat Gaming unveiled Thursday caller NFL-themed slot machines, slated to look connected casino floors erstwhile shot play kicks disconnected successful September.

It's symbolic of a major reversal for the National Football League — from its vehement absorption to legalized sports betting anterior to the 2018 Supreme Court decision, which paved the mode for states to follow sports wagering, to partnering with the American Gaming Association connected liable gambling initiatives.

Now, its highly sought-after licence volition look connected casino slot machines nationwide, designed and manufactured by Aristocrat.

"The unveiling of the archetypal NFL-themed slot machines represents an accidental to bring the League person to our fans successful a caller area," said Joe Ruggiero, SVP of Consumer Products astatine the NFL.

Aristocrat Gaming archetypal announced the multi-year statement successful 2021.

"I genuinely judge that this could beryllium an manufacture changing lawsuit for for slot machines and for casinos themselves ... pushing the boundaries, driving innovation to thing that truly has ne'er been done before," Aristocrat Gaming CEO Hector Fernandez told CNBC.

Part of the innovation situation was to make a gaming accidental that appeals to fans of antithetic NFL teams, 40% of whom are what Aristocrat calls "displaced fans," oregon those who don't unrecorded successful the metropolis they basal for.

The Aristocrat games volition person customizable skins. Players tin take their favourite team, which volition past load applicable imagery, videos of cardinal crippled moments and adjacent stadium anthems.

Fernandez believes the NFL-branded slot machines volition promote younger men to springiness slots a spin, wherever antecedently slot machines person traditionally been the domain of older women.

During the pandemic, casinos began drafting a younger crowd, anxious for amusement options. And young adults, particularly men, whitethorn beryllium visiting casino sportsbooks much often arsenic sports betting proliferates crossed the nation.

Fernandez was speedy to item the strategy astir liable gaming initiatives, developed successful concern with the NFL, that volition motorboat alongside the caller slot machines.

The NFL has made a nationalist committedness to liable gaming and integrity, but has struggled this twelvemonth with players and different squad unit breaking its rules astir who tin prosecute successful sports gambling and wherever and erstwhile it tin instrumentality place.

On Monday, the league confirmed that Eyioma Uwazurike of the Denver Broncos has been suspended indefinitely for betting connected NFL games during the 2022 season. Uwazurike marks the 10th subordinate this twelvemonth to beryllium suspended for violations of the league's sports betting policy.