Will Videogame Company, Rockstar, Step Into the Online Poker Ring?

Rockstar Games are the architects of some of the most immersive open world games we have enjoyed playing since they first released Grand Theft Auto on Playstation 1 in 1997. They have subsequently built a massive reputation as they raise the bar again and again, going far beyond what we believe to be possible in open world gaming. They are so successful that their latest big release in the GTA series, GTA V (5) sold over 65 million copies and three years on from its release, it continues to be cutting edge and maintains thousands of active players.

To keep up with their fans high expectations, it now takes between three and five years for Rockstar to develop a new game. In the meantime they keep fans interested by releasing DLC (downloadable content) to freshen the games and add new elements to them. On the GTA online platform, Rockstar often leave “hints” of developments for the future and for some time now it has been rumored that they would insert casino games and gambling into the GTA experience.

I have wanted this for some time. I enjoy wandering around the vast open world of GTA V where rather than the “rats in a maze” format used in their other popular release L.A. Noire, where your progress is stilted until you follow the “correct” route through the game. In GTA 5, players can control their own in-game experience and play the game in a way that suits what they want to do. Whether you want to build a business, steal flashy cars, or follow the in-game plots you can do it.

Since GTA V was released, the situating of the “Vinewood Casino” building in the Vinewood area of the open world has been the source of much speculation. Why would Rockstar go to such lengths to create the casino building without any plans to develop it further? The provocative sign “opening soon” led fans to believe Rockstar had plans to launch a fully operating casino via DLC in the future.

Rockstar has enjoyed piquing the fans interest by so far refusing to confirm or deny they have plans in this direction. The response from their gamers has intensified over time to the point where it has reached fever pitch. Even if there was no initial plans for development, Rockstar must be aware that their users wish to see casino-style games introduced. I would personally love this feature added to the game.

YouTuber MrBossFTW (real name Ross) recently revealed how this would work as DLC. You would use your in-game bank account to perform online transactions, depositing money or credits in order to play poker or participate in other forms of gambling. For those who care about earning money in GTA, Ross says that losses would not be recoverable so if you gambled in the casino and lost, tough!

It is expected that there will be three new mini-games available to play, namely Poker, Blackjack, and video slots. The casino DLC is apparently going to be made available on both single player mode and multi-player mode and the good news for fans is that Rockstar have already coded gambling gameplay as it features in their other very successful open world game, Red Dead Redemption. The poker play on RDR was widely praised, and whilst we do not expect AI so difficult that it will be like sitting down at the World Series of Poker, Rockstar is be keen to do the games justice. Perhaps this is why it has taken over three years since rumors began for anything to happen and we are still waiting!

GTA fans know that the wait is usually worth it, but it is unfortunate that GTA fans have had to wait for three years since the well-known GTA Tipster Funmw2 posted that GTA had confiscated his in-game money he had won from the upcoming Casino update. Hopefully, now that we are seeing potential in-game functionality, it seems that speculation on an early 2016 release might not be vastly inaccurate after all.

Gamers are very keen to play poker, blackjack, and slots, and other games such as horse racing, lottery, and sports betting within the game would be welcomed too. Failing that, we continue to wait and will occupy our time before the introduction of GTA gambling by continuing to steal cars, commit crimes, and beat up on the in-game sims at our leisure.