A Beginner's Guide to Inventing a Casino Game

Inventing a casino game can feel intimidating, especially if you are new to the gaming industry. Many people assume casino games are created only by large companies or mathematicians with advanced degrees. In reality, many successful casino table games started as simple ideas developed by individual inventors who understood casino rules, player behavior, and the approval process.

This beginner's guide explains how to invent a casino game, with a focus on casino table games, and walks through the full casino game development process step by step.

What Does It Mean to Invent a Casino Game?

Inventing a casino game means creating a new gambling experience that can legally operate on a casino floor. This includes:

• Defining the game rules

• Designing the betting structure and payouts

• Ensuring the game produces a house edge

• Creating procedures dealers can follow

• Preparing the game for testing, approval, and casino trials

Casino games must balance player enjoyment, casino profitability, and regulatory compliance.

Step 1: Decide What Type of Casino Game You Are Inventing

Before designing anything, decide what category your game fits into. Most beginner inventors start with one of these:

Casino Table Games

Examples include blackjack-style games, poker-based games, dice games, or wheel games. These are dealt by a live dealer and follow written procedures.

Electronic or Hybrid Games

These may resemble table games but include electronic betting terminals or automated components.

Slot or RNG-Based Games

These require software development and random number generators. They have higher technical and regulatory barriers.

Step 2: Start With a Simple Game Concept

• Figure out the mechanics of the game.
  • Are cards or dice used?
  • How does the player win?
  • What are the basic rules?
• Pick a theme.
  • Do you want the theme to be a classic casino game, where the mechanics are all there is?
  • Or do you want to make this game more interesting?

A strong casino game concept answers three questions:

• What makes this game different?

• Why would a player want to try it?

• Why would a casino want to install it?

  • For example, Face Up Pai Gow is just like a normal Pai Gow game but with no commission. Since the dealers don't have to collect commission, this allows more decisions-per-hour which increases the casino profit.

Good beginner ideas often:

• Make a variation to a popular game like blackjack or craps.

• Modify familiar mechanics (cards, dice, wheels)

• Add a side bet or bonus feature

• Speed up or simplify gameplay

• Introduce a new decision point for players

Avoid overly complex rules. Casinos prefer games that dealers can learn quickly and players can understand in minutes.

Avoid games that you want to see in the poker room. If it's not a variation or a side bet, then your game will be put in the carnival pit. Designing a game that has to be put anywhere else is destined to fail.

Step 3: Design the Casino Game Rules

Casino game rules are the foundation of your invention. Clear, precise rules are required for approval, testing, and dealer training.

Your rules should define:

• How bets are placed

• How cards, dice, or outcomes are generated

• The order of play

• Win and loss conditions

• All payouts

  • The odds don't have to be exact. It's okay to guesstimate during this early stage of development. When you take your game to a mathematician, they will go over the house edge, the odds, and what changes to the rules must be made to achieve those numbers.

When inventing a casino table game, rules must be written so that:

• Players can easily understand what is happening

• Dealers can follow them exactly

• Surveillance can monitor them

• Regulators can evaluate fairness

Most rejected games fail because their rules are too complicated, too long, (you want rues that are simple, not stupid), unclear, inconsistent, or incomplete.

Step 4: Test Out Your Idea with Trusted Family & Friends

Once you have the rules written down, you want to test out your first version with the people you trust. If there is any chance of these people stealing your idea, then don't include them. Only include people who will give you an honest assessment or who have no problem asking you questions about how your game works.

The first thing you want to do is get a large sheet of construction paper. As big of a piece you can find, and then draw out your table layout. Give your testers coins that they can bet with and then play the game. People will usually ask you questions you may not have thought of, or things will happen that you hadn't anticipated. This is a great way to work out the bugs before proceeding to the next step.

Step 5: Create an LLC

Inventing a casino game is expensive, and you don't want to take all of that risk onto yourself. An LLC will protect you and absorb that risk. Once you get an LLC, get a business bank account, a loan, or credit cards under your business name. If you want to invent more than one game, then pick a name that is generic, such as Stellar Games, LLC.

When I say expensive, I mean that it typically costs $50k to $100k to get your game on the casino floor. You have to pay for:

• ($500 to $1k) Independent Math Report
• ($3k to $5k) for a GLI or BMM Math Report
  • It is cheaper if you get an independent math report first, figure out your house edge, and changes to the rules, and then submit that final math report to GLI or BMM. If you went to GLI or BMM first, and had them start from scratch and make the changes with them, this could cost you $5k to $10k instead.
• ($3k to $5k) for a Gaming Control Board Application
• ($5k to $6k) to develop the game.
• ($10k) to go to a convention and get it in front of hundreds of casino managers who might place your game in their casino.
  • It is normal for casino managers to look at your game and say "Yes, I really like your game and am willing to place it on the casino floor, if you can make this change or that change to it.
• ($5k to $10k) make changes to your game.
  • You will never place your first draft onto the casino floor. Your game will go through several versions before you finally have a version you will place on the casino floor.

Step 6: Build the Math and House Edge

Once you decide on the rules of your game, you go to a mathematician to figure out the math. Every casino game must generate a house edge. This is how casinos earn money over time. The math is the most valuable and most important part of the invention.

At this stage you need to:

• Define all possible outcomes

• Assign probabilities to each outcome

• Calculate expected returns

• Adjust payouts to create a sustainable house advantage

This step is often where beginner inventors get stuck. Even a great game idea will not be approved if the math does not work.

If you are not comfortable with probability calculations, many inventors collaborate with gaming mathematicians during this phase. We recommend Joseph Shipman.

The ideal house edge for a land-based casino table game is between 2% to 4%. The lowest you want to go is 1% and the highest you can comfortably go is 7%. If the house edge is in the teens or higher, this is too high and will be more difficult for your game to be accepted. Land-based casinos want a more stable game with a low house edge of 2% - 4% while online casinos want a more volatile game with a high house edge of 5% - 7%. If you are inventing a carnival game that has an Ante, then you want the Ante to be between 2% - 4%. If you are inventing a side bet, then the house edge can be between 5% - 14%, however you want your house edge to be more in the middle range of 7% to 9%.

When you are considering what house edge you want, do you want something stable like blackjack where the player wins even money every other hand. Or do you want something more volatile like roulette where it's harder to hit one number but when you hit you win high odds such as 35 to 1. You can fine tune your game in a way that will give you the house edge that you want. By changing certain rules you can increase or decrease your house edge.

Step 7: Develop the Casino Table Game

A prototype does not need to be expensive. Many inventors start with:

• Printed layouts

• Chips and cards

• Written procedures

• Mock dealer scripts

The goal of prototyping is to:

• Test flow and pacing

• Identify confusing rules

• Observe player decisions

• Catch loopholes or unintended strategies

Step 8: Protect Your Casino Game Idea

Many inventors worry about someone stealing their idea. While ideas alone cannot be protected, you can take steps to safeguard your work:

• Document development stages

• Use non-disclosure agreements

• Consider trademarks for game names and logos

• Explore patents if the mechanics are truly novel

  • After you have done all of this hard work to invent your casino game, you don't want someone to steal it. Unfortunately, the U.S. government has stopped patenting casino games. There are ways around that though, by patenting the design or custom equipment. That is why it is really important to pick a good Patent Attorney. We recommend Rich Newman. He has done the patent work for most of the new casino games out there. Talk with Rich to learn the best way to protect your game.

Most casino game protection comes from execution, not secrecy.

Step 9: Pitching Your Casino Game to Casinos

Once your game is playable, you can pitch it to casinos or distributors.

A strong pitch includes:

• A short explanation of the game

• Clear player appeal

• Dealer efficiency

• Casino revenue potential

• Trial and placement requirements

Many casino table games are placed on trial before full rollout. Performance data during trials often determines long-term success.

When your game goes into the casino for the first time, this is called a Field Trial. The casino doesn't pay you for this. Instead, the inventor will give the casino "one game for free for life". The reason why is because there is more work involved with a Field Trial game as they have to keep the game open for a certain amount of hours, they have to constantly record the game, they have more paperwork recording all those numbers. Plus, the casino only has so much floor space, so if they put your game in that means they must take a game out. If they take out a game, like blackjack for example, that game may bring in $30k per month. If your game doesn't match that, then the casino is losing money and are forced to keep your game for the entire 90 days of the Field Trial. The casino manager is taking a big risk with your game and this deal (one game for free for life) will sweeten the pot.

When you submit your game for a Field Trial, you can choose 30 days, 60 days, or 90 days. You want to pick the most days possible. This will give you a larger sampling size and it will get you better numbers, which will help you get your game into more casinos.

Not every state has a Field Trial, which means you won't be able to get the numbers to your game. This will make it harder for you to put your game into other casinos. Some states (like Nevada) require a Field Trial, while other states (like Washington) do not. Las Vegas is the gold standard. If you can get your game in a Las Vegas casino, you can get in anywhere.

Step 10: Understand Casino Game Testing and Approval

Depending on the state, before a casino can offer your game, it must pass regulatory review. In Nevada, a Field Trial is part of that regulatory review. While requirements vary by jurisdiction, the approval process usually includes:

• Submission of full game rules

• Mathematical analysis of payouts

• Testing by an independent lab

• Review by a gaming commission

Approval focuses on:

• Fairness

• Consistency

• Transparency

• Compliance with gaming laws

This step often takes months, not weeks. Planning for approval early prevents costly rewrites later.

Common Mistakes Beginner Casino Game Inventors Make

• Overcomplicating the rules

• Ignoring dealer procedures

• Designing games without a clear house edge

• Skipping playtesting

• Underestimating approval timelines

• Thinking the process is going to be fast, easy, and cheap.

Learning how to invent a casino game is a process. Iteration is normal.

Frequently Asked Questions About Inventing a Casino Game

Do I need a patent to invent a casino game? No. Many successful casino games are not patented.

How long does it take to invent a casino table game? From concept to casino floor, the process often takes one to three years.

Can one person invent a casino game? Yes. Many casino games begin with a single inventor.

Is inventing a casino game profitable? It can be, but success depends on placement, performance, and distribution.

How Vegas Aces Can Help Casino Game Inventors

Inventing a casino game is not just about having a great idea. Many beginner inventors struggle with the same challenges: unclear rules, incomplete math, uncertainty around approvals, and not knowing how to move from concept to casino floor. That is where Vegas Aces can help.

Vegas Aces specializes in education and consulting for casino professionals, including casino game inventors, designers, and developers. Our services are designed to support inventors at every stage of the casino game development process.

Vegas Aces can help with:

• Understanding how casino table games are structured and evaluated

• Learning how to write clear, regulator-ready casino game rules

• Explaining house edge, payouts, and casino game math concepts

• Preparing games for testing, submission, and approval

• Understanding how casinos evaluate new games for trials and placement

Whether you are inventing your first casino table game or refining an existing concept, Vegas Aces provides practical, real-world guidance based on how casinos actually operate.

You can explore available consulting, training, and educational resources here:
https://www.vegas-aces.com/services/