Aristocrat or a Board Game? A Buyer’s Field Guide to Choosing the Right Game for Your Space

I’m an office administrator for a mid-sized company. I handle purchasing for two offices—about 140 employees—and I’ve been doing this since 2020. That means I’m the person who buys everything from printer paper to the stuff that goes in the breakroom. Game purchases are always trickier than they look, because there’s no single “best” game. The right choice depends on where the game is going and what you need it to do.

So instead of giving you one answer, I’ll walk you through the three scenarios I use when someone asks me for a buying recommendation. Then you can decide which one you’re in.

Start with the Setting, Not the Product

It’s tempting to think you can just compare game prices. But a $20 board game and a $20,000 electronic gaming machine aren’t competitors. They serve different rooms, different audiences, and different business goals.

The first thing I ask is always: “Is this going to generate revenue, or is it for employee/guest enjoyment?” That one question filters out most of the confusion.

Scenario A: You’re Buying for a Casino, Arcade, or Gaming Venue

If the game needs to produce revenue on a regulated floor, you’re not buying a consumer product. You’re buying commercial gaming equipment. In that world, Aristocrat is one of the names you’ll keep running into.

People often ask about “Aristocrat Gaming HQ” and “Aristocrat Gaming CEO.” According to Aristocrat’s corporate site (aristocrat.com), the company was founded in 1953 and its global headquarters is in Sydney, Australia. As of early 2025, the Aristocrat Gaming CEO is Trevor Croker. Aristocrat also runs a major North American headquarters in Las Vegas, which matters for support and parts in the U.S.

You’ve probably seen Aristocrat’s games on casino floors—titles like Dragon Link and Buffalo are hard to miss. If you’re setting up a venue, you’ll also want to ask about Oasis 360, Aristocrat’s casino management system. It ties machines together with accounting and player tools, which is the kind of thing you need when finance starts asking for numbers.

One caution: don’t choose a machine because a salesperson promises a specific payout. No reputable manufacturer can guarantee a short-term payout percentage. Per FTC advertising guidelines (ftc.gov), claims must be truthful and substantiated. A vendor who says “payout percentages are set within regulatory limits and vary by installation” is more credible than one promising a jackpot.

(Should mention: I’m not a casino technology consultant. I manage purchasing for office and lounge spaces. For jurisdiction-specific compliance, work with a gaming attorney or your local regulator.)

Scenario B: You’re Stocking an Office Breakroom or Staff Lounge

If the game is for employees, don’t install a slot machine. That’s a category error. What you want is something that’s easy to pick up, doesn’t require electricity, and creates conversation.

The counterintuitive part: don’t buy a famous board game just because it’s famous. Buy the game that fits the group’s attention span. Here are the three I keep coming back to:

Oh Hell card game. This is the one I recommend most. It’s a trick-taking card game for 3–7 players. Each player bids how many tricks they think they’ll take. If you make your bid, you score points; if you miss, you lose points. The catch: the total of all bids can’t equal the number of tricks available, so someone will always be wrong. Hands take about five minutes, and the rules can be explained in two. I want to say you play to 20 or 50 points, but don’t quote me—house rules vary.

Nemesis board game. If you have a group that loves deep tabletop games, Nemesis is a solid pick. It’s a semi-cooperative sci-fi survival game where players wake up on a ship with alien intruders. You have personal objectives that might not match the group’s goals, which creates useful tension. It’s heavier, longer, and needs table space. Don’t buy it for a casual office unless there are already devoted board gamers on staff.

Risk board game. If someone asks “how to play Risk board game,” here’s the short version: each player starts with armies on territories. On your turn, you get new armies based on continents you control, attack adjacent territories by rolling dice, and then move your armies to fortify. The goal is to control every territory—or at least to eliminate the other players. Games run two hours or more, so this is a “game night” choice, not a lunch-break choice.

Saving money on a bundle is tempting, and I get why people do it. But I once ordered a “budget-friendly game bundle” for a previous office. The savings looked smart until we realized nobody wanted to learn the complicated games. That shelf sat untouched for a year. The $60 I saved ended up costing us more in wasted time than buying one well-chosen game would have.

Scenario C: You’re Planning a Corporate Event or Mixed-Use Lounge

This is the messy middle. Maybe you’re opening a lounge with a few electronic gaming machines and a library of board games. Or you’re planning a corporate event with both casino-style entertainment and casual games.

The answer isn’t “buy everything.” The answer is to separate the categories and buy each one from a specialist. For the revenue side, use a commercial gaming vendor like Aristocrat. For the social side, use a game retailer that knows tabletop games.

A vendor who says “we do it all” should make you nervous. In my experience, the generalist who sells everything is usually mediocre at most of it. I’d rather work with a specialist who says “this isn’t our strength—here’s who does it better.” That honesty earns trust for everything else.

Also, if you’re in a regulated jurisdiction, a “casino night” event has different rules than a permanent venue. Don’t assume a slot machine and a board game have the same compliance burden. They don’t.

How to Tell Which Scenario You’re In

Here’s the framework I use when a request lands on my desk:

1. Will this game directly produce revenue? → Scenario A. Buy commercial equipment and set up a service agreement.
2. Is this purely for employee or guest enjoyment? → Scenario B. Prioritize ease of learning, short play time, and low maintenance.
3. Is this a mix of both? → Scenario C. Split the budget, and buy each category from a specialist.

If you’re still unsure, ask one more question: who will be most upset if it fails? If it’s the finance team because it didn’t generate revenue, that’s casino equipment. If it’s the employees because the breakroom is boring, that’s a card game or board game.

Don’t be afraid to change your answer later. In 2024, when we consolidated vendor orders at my company, I realized the “buy whatever staff wants” approach worked until we had enough employees to need a real purchasing policy. That wasn’t a bad decision. It just meant the scenario had changed.

Final Thought: Know What You’re Buying

In my opinion, the most professional move is to admit when something isn’t the right fit. Aristocrat doesn’t make board games, and that’s fine. It’s a leader in electronic gaming machines. A local board game shop won’t help you install a slot machine, and that’s okay too.

One regret I still kick myself for: not asking the “will this actually get used” question earlier. If I had mapped out the scenario before buying, I could have saved a couple thousand dollars over the years. But I also wouldn’t have a good story to share. So take the shortcut—start with your setting, not your shortlist, and you’ll be far less likely to end up with an expensive paperweight.