Retro Video Games That Featured Casino Minigames
Long before desktop and mobile casinos became popular in the UK and US, gambling elements were already present in all sorts of video games. In particular, those released in the 1990s and early 2000s. The mechanics were built in as minigames or as separate locations in classic RPGs and large game worlds. Some people used them to get valuable gear or to level up their character. Others simply enjoyed spending time in casino-like corners.
So today we’re talking about retro video games where today’s gambling mechanics weren’t yet seen as harmful, and about how everything has changed since then.
Why Video Games Use Casino Mechanics
If you look at the earliest video games, certain elements may resemble iGaming mechanics offered by modern desktop and mobile casinos. They have never been the main part of the plot but have been used as fragmentary solutions (more as branches off the core experience or as a way to level up). Extra activities such as racking up coins and exchanging them for certain items, or for example, doubling or losing, let the developer vary the gameplay and hold the player’s attention longer.
Meanwhile, for the gaming community, these were places where you could get tokens. Those tokens were exchanged for a character boost or for upgrades to gear or skills. Sometimes prizes were handed over straight away, as is, with no exchange needed.
Today, developer studios still use these or those gambling mechanics for the very same reason – user retention. They have changed a lot and evolved into something more complex, but their progression has its roots in retro video games.
Casino Kid (1989, Sofel)
The earlier mainstream NES game “Casino Kid” by Sofel didn’t just offer casino elements as a mini-game format. In essence, it looked like a full analogue of an online mobile casino with the usual disciplines:
- 5 Card Draw Poker – discarding and replacing cards;
- Blackjack 21 – the choice between Hit, Stand, Double Down, or Split.
However, the original Japanese Famicom version (Kings of the Casino) also included roulette and slot machines. For the Western release, Nintendo of America (NoA) policies and design adaptations resulted in their removal. Hence, Americans only challenged opponents in poker and blackjack.
Effectively, this was a casino simulation on an NES console, and in 1993 it got a sequel that included even more card games. Casino Kid II let users travel to Las Vegas, Monte Carlo and Tokyo and play blackjack, roulette and baccarat (precisely, its version – Punto Banco). The third edition was never developed.
Dragon Quest IV (1990, Enix)
The RPG title Dragon Quest IV is arguably the clearest example of how casino mechanics flow into a game environment. There, the combination was especially harmonious:
- A betting pool where users could wager on which character would win at the Monster Arena.
- Poker tables with a double-or-nothing round where gamers could either boost the number of tokens or lose everything they accumulated.
- Slots with a classic, casino-style look.
Everything won in Endor could be exchanged for useful things or gear. It turned out to be so profitable that players started going into this section on purpose, to level up faster. In the remake made for the Nintendo DS (2007), the casino stayed. It went through cosmetic changes in terms of design, but the creators decided to leave the substance as is.
In 2014, they released the mobile port and remake of Dragon Quest IV for iOS and Android devices. It got sharper visuals and a couple of neat features compared to the DS version, but the elements of chance weren’t removed. Punters have a slot machine with 3 reels and video poker with the “High/Low” guessing mechanic at their fingertips. This experience is very similar to what people now find at the best mobile casinos UK market proposes. Everything was adapted for portrait touchscreen controls for comfortable play.
Final Fantasy VII (1997, Square)
The original version of the game had a branch with a gaming hall. Bets on chocobo races that mimic a horse racing sportsbook, card games, arcades, slots – there was everything gamers liked. Each Gold Saucer game brought in-game currency (Gold Points) if you got through it successfully.
Later, with the release of the Rebirth version (2024), all of it was replaced by the card game Queen’s Blood. There became more of the other mini-games, the ones with no element of chance. That way, randomness and luck came to mean less to the player than well-built tactics.
In Rebirth, the Gold Saucer was expanded considerably. The mini-games grew in number, but the genuinely gambling mechanics shrank – the emphasis shifted to entertainment activities.
Pokémon Red, Blue, and Gold/Silver (1996/1999)
In Celadon City, there was a place every player wanted to get to. The Game Corner housed an analogue of a casino, where you could spin the slots, get tokens, exchange them for rare Pokémon, and receive other valuable prizes. In 1996, when the game first came out, this mechanic was widely accepted, but later legal restrictions affected the game.
Eventually, in the 2009 release, Game Freak swapped the slots for Voltorb Flip. By the time of the Sun/Moon (2016) and Let’s Go (2018) versions for Nintendo, gambling elements were dropped entirely. The Game Corner is still there as a story location, but there’s nothing left in it to remind you of its “gambling” past.
Yakuza (2005, Sega)
In the first version of Yakuza published by Sega, everything was arranged the way it is at the best mobile online casinos: Cee-lo dice, roulette, mahjong, poker, and even blackjack. By playing them, gamers trade their “winnings” for high-value prizes, such as Gold and Platinum Plates, and later sell them at Ebisu Pawn Shop for massive cash payouts. This loop grants XP to upgrade Kazuma Kiryu’s combat abilities, and unlocks exclusive gear the user needs to complete side quests.
The option to walk into the Kamurocho casino survived in the later versions, too: Yakuza 0 (2015) and Like a Dragon (2020). More than that, new minigames were added – Texas Hold ’em and slots.
Final Thoughts
Long before the world saw such a phenomenon as mobile casino UK and US citizens could try gambling mechanics outside dedicated venues. Poker, blackjack, and even Double or Nothing all appeared in what we now call retro video games. There was one major difference – users experienced them without placing a single real-money bet. Take slot machines in Dragon Quest IV or Chocobo racing in Final Fantasy VII; the casino theme let gamers feel the rush at no real cost.