When Grand Theft Auto V was first released, to almost universally positive reviews, one of the first things that gamers noticed was a casino labeled as “opening soon.” The game is packed full of extracurricular activities to enjoy in between missions and rampages. You can play tennis, go jet skiing, jump off a cliff with a parachute, and even chase freaking aliens. Trusted Reviews adds that you can build a spaceship, ride a roller coaster, run a triathlon, and do all kinds of other crazy side activities. And yet even with all this going on, the casino that so many fans wanted to see in GTA appeared to be nothing more than a tease.
The assumption most fans immediately made was that the casino would ultimately be opened in DLC. And yet, several updates and DLC packages later, there was no further word. But now, according to iDigitalTimes, there’s strong evidence that either the April 14 PC release of GTA V or the next DLC patch will include an open, playable casino. The report cites leaked screenshots and tweets from known “video game leakers” revealing an open casino along with indications that four mini-games will be available: blackjack, poker, roulette, and slots.
But will these mini-games meet the expectations of impatient GTA and casino gaming fans?
The standards for digital poker will be difficult to meet, simply because this is a gaming genre in and of itself that is thoroughly established worldwide. Online poker has been a craze for quite some time now. Even though it’s currently illegal in much of the U.S., efforts like a massive petition to stop new anti-gambling legislation, reported by Online Poker Report, show that there are active efforts to bring Internet poker back to the States. Now, GTA V’s casino poker gables aren’t relevant to this conversation, because they won’t involve real-money gambling. But the games will still have to demonstrate a quality similar to what online poker players have grown used to in gaming over the years, or they’ll be easily dismissible.
The slot machine and roulette games can be fairly straightforward, and we can probably trust Rockstar’s cheeky sense of humor to provide amusing little touches in these simpler games. But blackjack, too, will need to reach a certain level of sophistication in order to satisfy experienced casino gamers. It may seem like a simple game, and it is, but online blackjack games can still feel incredibly realistic. Intercasino, which was the first online casino site, hosts a blackjack game featuring a video feed to a live dealer. The game itself is as simple as point-and-click, sure, but the atmosphere with a live dealer quickly becomes similar to playing in a real casino. Meanwhile, their other online blackjack formats let you join tables with actual, live players.
The question really is whether GTA V’s card tables can match or come close to what players expect given the existing state of online poker and blackjack. Part of the thrill of the casinos being opened up is that there will be heist missions, as well as potential opportunities for reckless mayhem. But make no mistake: Rockstar is now introducing mini-games that have entire industries and followings of their own. While no one expects GTA V to get into real-money gambling, the games themselves will have to feel real to be satisfying.