A fresh update has just sent the GTA player base up 23%, after the Diamond Casino & Resort content received another face-lift.

Grand Theft Auto Online, Rockstar Games’ flagship massive multiplayer game, has registered a 23% spike in its player base after a freshly released update focused on the game’s Diamond Casino & Resort.

The Diamond Casino & Resort is the first digital casino to generate significant interest within a video game, and has demonstrated the ability of Rockstar to monetize in new and unique ways.

According to Take-Two Interactive, the parent company for Rockstar Games, spending has increased significantly, but no concrete data has been revealed. Take-Two Interactive CEO, Strauss Zelnick, clarified that the Diamond Casino & Resort has been the largest and most significant update.

Based on Mr. Zelnick’s words, this piece of digital content is the chief driver of “record player engagement across daily, weekly, and monthly active users in July, and then again in August.” Now, a fresh update is on the cards, and Rockstar Games and the parent company are expecting similar results. Mr. Zelnick himself stressed the importance of digital content download in a recent interview with CNBC.

Purchasing In-game Currency Boosts Take-Two Results

Rockstar Games haven’t been interested in monetizing by converting their Diamond Casino into a ‘real’ casino. There are certain limitations. For example, once purchased, the currency cannot be withdrawn from the game, giving players no incentive to try too hard and spend more money.

However, the casino has already been restricted in certain countries because of fears that it may spread gambling among underage individuals. Looking at the company’s finances, the casino has been a clever solution, despite a ban in 50 countries and the state of Hawaii.

In pure numbers, consumer spending went up 39% year-over-year, exceeding Take-Two’s own forecasts. The company has had its hands in many lucrative pies, including the NBA 2K, Red Dead Online, and Borderlands 3.

Estimated $317.4 million of all revenue the company generated has been based on the sale of in-game currency – including chips at the Diamond Casino, and other digital content, which Mr. Zelnick confirmed would play a determining role in future.

A Fresh Outlook on Gambling

When the casino appeared, Polygon ran an article, interviewing frequent players in the fictional city of Los Santos, and the Diamond Casino & Resort. The majority of players agreed – they were going broke and they loved it.

In a sense, Rockstar Games have managed to give players an innocuous simulated environment when one can spend $100,000 at the drop of a hat, without it actually meaning anything.

Characters in the game are able to accumulate currency through completing quest and then spending this currency on glitzy mansions, bars, clubs, and generally anything that helps them run a not so legal business.

As one Twitter user said, critics of the casino have failed to realize how much nicer it is compared to other, more explicit aspects of the game.