The gaming market is booming. All around the world, more people than ever are picking up a control pad or downloading new game apps on their mobile phones. The competition has become fierce across the marketplace with the industry growing at such a rapid rate. Game publishers are constantly thinking up new ways to help their games stand out in the crowd.

One way that games have done this is to choose to include ‘mini games’ within their games. It just that adds that extra fun element for players and makes the games more dynamic and immersive. A popular choice is definitely casino games, including games like poker and also slot machine-style games, with online games now being able to achieve the same experience as their offline variations.

Here are a few of the best ones.

GTA: San Andreas

One of the most loved game of the Grand Theft Auto franchise is Rockstar’s classic GTA: San Andreas. Fans loved the throwback to the early 90s era, with its rags to riches storyline, fantastic music selection and exciting environment. There were loads of casino buildings featured around the fictional city of Las Venturas, but only three of them actually worked as casinos and were accessible to players.

Once they entered the building, the players could find a huge variety of casino games that included slots, wheel of fortune, video poker, and blackjack.

Far Cry 3

This was a game with an incredible storyline through a fictional world by Ubisoft, with gameplay revolving around attacking outposts and capturing them. Several of these outposts offered Texas Hold’em games, which was a really fun way to do something different between driving to quest checkpoints. You could also use these winnings to buy better guns and get your ammo stocked up.

Definitely a fun addition to the game, kicking back in the tropical world and enjoying a few rounds with the locals.

Red Dead Redemption

Gambling was widespread in the Wild West, so it makes sense that Red Dead Redemption included it in its game play. As a single player, users can wager on many activities and play games of poker and blackjack across saloons. Marston can also place wagers on events like arm wrestling, liar’s dice and five finger fillet.

You can also pick up various trophies and achievements through gambling minigames in Red Dead Redemption including Compulsive Liar, No Dice, Good Call, One Die To Rule Them All, High Roller, The Big Bluff and more.

Fallout New Vegas

This game is designed around a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas, so of course there’s going to be casino game play. The standards games involved include slots, blackjack and roulette with players being able to exchange Fallout’s in-game currency (known as Caps), NCR Dollars and Legion coins for their casino chips. If you really want to win make sure that your character’s luck meter is full as it hugely improves your chances of winning the casino games.

The Sims 3

The Sims is one of those franchises that has stood the test of time. In The Sims 3 players were able to purchase the Lucky Simoleon Casino DLC which added a whole casino with slot machines and blackjack tables for your Sims to enjoy. You could also level up their gambling skills through playing at these tables. Sort of like real life but simulated!

Leisure Suit Larry

What was once considered a rather risqué game in 1987, this game’s plot was all about getting leisure-suit wearing awkward Larry to lose his virginity. In order for Larry to pay for his dates with women at bars and clubs as well as using cabs to transport him around the map, means hitting up the blackjack tables and slot machines. It’s amazing to think that a game produced so very long-ago integrated casino games into its gameplay. It’s a method that has definitely stood the test of time.

Pokémon RBY

One of the first generation of Pokémon games for the incredibly popular Nintendo Gameboy featured a Game Corner where players could enjoy slot machine games. The arcade slot machines meant you could spend coins on various prizes, including powerups or exclusive Pokémon. It’s another classic game where casino games were integrated into gameplay in the form of mini games.

How video games inspire casino games

It’s not just about the mini casino games, and gambling-style gameplay, in video games. Video games are also inspiring casino games as both industries grow together and using one another to better their games.

Online casino sites, for example, take inspiration from games to create their variety of slots games. Online slots providers are well known for their themed slot games, with most slots being inspired by factors in the entertainment industry such as games and musicians.

The technology that’s within video games including huge advancements when it comes to sound, animations, graphics and more, is being applied to casino games, especially those that are online. This makes sense as many of the same technologies that go into video game making are also being used to make online casino games even more exciting, especially when it comes to their mobile versions which is where many people are now accessing their games.

Into the future it’s likely that video games will continue to be as popular as casino games with both industries growing at an incredibly fast-paced rate.