10 July 2024
By Cameron Murphy
news@TheCork.ie
Entertainment
Mythology is a big hit in casino gaming. I’ve been in this industry a long time and have seen ideas and fads come and go, but one constant that has remained in gaming themes is mythology. Today, I’ll examine why Irish folklore and mythology are so prevalent and remain a hit in the industry, and the driving forces within the casino sector that continue to fuel and influence new gaming ideas.
Irish Gambling Culture
To truly understand why Irish folklore remains a constant popular avenue for online casino gaming companies to venture down, you need to take a step back and look at the broader influence that Ireland and Irish culture have had on gambling, as well as intrinsic ideas that tie into gambling psyche, such as luck.
Both the U.K. and Ireland have a longstanding history of gambling, which stretches back further and more profoundly than it does in many other parts of the world. Irish gambling culture doesn’t just revolve around casino gaming. Prominent sports in Ireland, such as horse racing, also have a very entrenched gambling culture, and the highly competitive spirit of the Irish in these sports has fuelled the success of the gambling industry.
Ireland is a small country, relative to some of the countries it is up against in international competition and business. However, some of the top rugby players, soccer players, and horse riders and trainers herald from the Emerald Isle. Part of this infectiously competitive spirit and positive underdog attitude stems from their folklore. In the modern day, it translates into casino games that carry an Irish theme and embody this good-charmed spirit. The fact that this fuses with a culture that occasionally loves a punt is one reason casino game design companies identified Irish themes as a potentially profitable market.
Irish Folklore & the Lasting Impact on Casino Gaming
Leprechauns, pots of gold, and the “luck of the Irish” are the most common things people associate with Ireland and Irish culture. While it’s obvious why pots of gold attract game designers, and the imagery alone can act as a unique way to catch people’s attention on casino gaming sights, I’m going to dig a little bit deeper to explain why “the luck of the Irish” and leprechauns also feature prolifically in Irish online casino themes and narratives.
Luck of the Irish
While on the face of it, the quote “luck of the Irish” might sound like a jovial quip or an expression of good fortune, the origins of the quote date back over 150 years and it was initially created as a derogatory term to write off Irish miners as men with luck and no intelligence. That’s why they were lucky, and that’s why they were good at mining, apparently.
I suspect much of it would’ve been meant in jest and good nature. However, the foundation of the quote still acts positively, especially in casino gaming, where intelligence is irrelevant. Well, maybe it’s not totally irrelevant.
You need to understand how a casino game works before you decide to bet on it but because practical theory or strategy cannot help you tip the odds in your favour in slot gaming or roulette, it is more apparent why “luck of the Irish” still such a prevalent term used to signal good fortune.
Pots of Gold Tales & Folklore
The legend of pots of gold began in Irish folklore when leprechauns left their stolen gold behind. They have a sinister undertone as scheming creatures who have it in for humans—so again, not quite the chirpy miniature-bearded creatures we’ve seen dancing around many different slot games and casino theme designs over the years.
According to folklore legend, leprechauns would find gold and bury it so no human could find it—how courteous of them. The gold came to them as payment from fairies making their shoes and they’d store it in black pots, which were nearly impossible for humans to find—hence the birth of the pot of gold story and the influence in slot and casino gaming themes.
Success of Irish-themed Games
Some of the most popular and recognisable slot games of all time have had an Irish theme. Rainbow Riches is a name synonymous with the slot gaming industry. It first appeared in 2008 and generated a wave of highly successful spin-offs. The success of this game fuelled a generation of new game designers looking to ride the slipstream created by this enormous success.
I appreciate that this has more of an external impact than anything directly tied to Irish folklore or mythology. Any game that cultivates such enormous success and visibility will have people looking to financially benefit; they’re not too focused on the idea of Irish-themed games but more on what can make them the most money.
In online casino game design, especially slot gaming, a lot of success can stem from those companies that are the first out of the gate and strike while the iron is hot.
I’d like to say that there’s a lot more to it than that, and sometimes it doesn’t always work, but for those companies that simply blindly follow popular trends and can put together competent gaming titles, it’s proven to be a pretty profitable M.O. over the last 15 or 20 years.
Examining the Continued Success of the Irish Theme
I think an intriguing question is why Irish-themed games continue to be so successful. I’m not saying that I haven’t enjoyed one or two in the past, but with such a phenomenal range of games available and the choice continuing to grow, Irish-themed games still manage to attract millions of people to online gaming.
It’s not just Irish gamers who are driving this activity. You only need to look at some of the prominent casino gaming platforms to see how much influence they still have on new gaming ideas, narratives, and website themes.
If you spend your days searching online casino reviews, as I do, one of the common variables that crops up in many reviews is the playability and draw of Irish games—they have a distinct nature. Even some other mythology games draw a massive audience, without many gamers being able to identify more than two or three Egyptian or Greek mythological figures.
As Irish themes encompass leprechauns’ pots of gold, they embody the whole ethos of chasing prizes, landing jackpots, and finding gold, and they come accompanied by Irish folk-style music, too. They’re part of a well-rounded gaming package that few other mythologies possess, including music, characters, tales, and an emphasis on finding gold or winning a jackpot.
The Future of Irish Folklore in Casino Gaming
While it might not be surprising to see other games or themes get their moment in the sun, the fact that Irish themes and narratives have been integral features of casino game design and narratives for over twenty years bodes well for their further longevity. The broader question of where casino games can continue innovating is more pressing for those in the industry.
Irish slot games can be a dependable, profitable idea. They don’t need to be game-changing smash hits like Rainbow Riches; as long as they cover all of the mysticism the tales continue to evoke, people will usually check out. That’s why we see big names in slot design, like Microgaming and Pragmatic Play, regularly releasing Irish slot games like.
Given these companies’ presence in the slot business, they know what customers want, and they wouldn’t continue rolling out these games if there wasn’t a consistent audience. A lot of the influence relies on user activity. Suppose people stopped playing Irish-themed games, or they dwindled in popularity—I’d expect to see this reflected in the library of prominent casino sites very quickly, but this isn’t something that looks like it’ll be happening anytime soon.
Final Thoughts
Irish slot themes often cross into other ideas, which signals just how popular and saturated they have become. I’d have thought there were only so many games you could make about leprechauns and pots of gold, but no. While crossover-themed games don’t quite have the same appeal, the fact that casino game design companies and websites still want to venture into Irish mythology and combine it with other themes—whether it be candy, fisherman, or other popular themes—yet again, reinforces just how popular they are.
With such a lasting influence on the industry, you could make a case that it wouldn’t have grown to the dizzying heights it has without such a profound appeal of specific themes like Irish folklore. I’m not going to sit here and say there aren’t other big variables that have contributed significantly to the astonishing rise of the online gambling sector, but without popular games that remain relevant, fewer people would be checking out the platforms and staying tuned into the game.
It might sound simple, but that’s ultimately what it boils down to. If Irish-themed games and narratives can continue bringing in these numbers, their profound influence will continue growing well into 2020 and beyond.
Cameron Murphy is an online casino expert who has worked in the casino industry for 12 years. His specialities lie in regulatory procedures and online casino reviews, and he is particularly interested in the social and historical aspects of the iGaming market. A rabid reader and writer, he is the author of ‘The Ultimate Ireland Casino and Gambling Handbook’.