Online gambling has come a long way since its humble beginnings, back in 1994, when online slots were pixelated and rudimentary. As the Internet spread all over the globe and became faster and faster, the software also got better. If you grab your smartphone or tablet device, get into a time machine and go to 1960, people will be amazed by the power of playing slots, Baccarat, Blackjack, Roulette, Poker wherever you are, whenever you want. You’ll be a god to them!
Although the gambling technology managed to reach these heights, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Top software companies in the industry are constantly working to deliver the best, most immersive gaming experience possible.
Safety is also very important in this kind of business, where millions are riding the Internet waves from one virtual pocket to another. That’s why we prepared a list of what the future holds for this beautiful yet risky industry.
VR Gambling could really become a thing
Virtual Reality got more and more traction in the last several years. In 2010, the first Oculus Rift prototype was built and, by 2014, the technology was bought by Facebook for a whopping $3 billion. Meanwhile, more tech giants got into the VR race: Valve Corporation and HTC, with HTC Vive SteamVR, Sony, with PlayStation VR, Google, with Cardboard VR and so on. By 2016, over 200 companies around the globe were developing VR-related gadgets. According to some estimates VR gambling is estimated to grow 800% by 2021 driven by “high rollers.”
So, there’s no wonder that this type of tech also grabbed the attention of some online gambling establishments and software companies. For instance, Microgaming made waves a couple of years ago, when it presented its version of VR Roulette, which works on Oculus Rift DK 2. Also, if you own an Oculus Rift kit, platforms like Sun Bingo offer you the opportunity to play over dozens of games in VR mode.
Everything is enhanced if you have this type of tech on your hands (and eyes): graphics, sound, immersion. Unfortunately, not enough online casinos are offering this type of service at the moment, but as the technology is becoming more affordable and motion sickness-related issues are reduced, we’re sure that more platforms will follow.
Better Mobile Software and Hardware
In this day and age, mobile casinos are a frequent occurrence. Whenever you’re in a mood for some reel spinning or online poker, you can grab your Android or iOS gadget and get down to business. That’s if your smartphone or tablet has any battery left, so make sure you carry a charger wherever you go. All this sounds amazing, but we feel that mobile gambling could get even better if software and hardware companies put their mind to it.
For instance, we think that the world is ready for a handheld gambling console. The gaming market already has gadgets like PlayStation Vita and Nintendo Switch, with millions of units sold all over the world, why shouldn’t the mobile gambling industry have one?
Playing slots or table games on your phone is cool and all, but these devices were not built with this type of activity in mind. A dedicated gambling mini-console could deliver an enhanced experience, with better controls and greater immersion.
Blockchain may take Online Gaming into the future
If you live in a big city, you probably have a techie or wanna-be venture capitalist friend that for the last couple of years kept babbling about something called “blockchain”. What the hell is that and why would a regular online gambler like you be interested?
Sorry to say, but blockchain might well be the future of money and banking. Basically, the technology allows cryptocurrency transfers through a P2P network and also keeps track of all Bitcoin transactions ever. The gambling industry seems to have felt in love with the technology, so a lot of casino portals are already accepting Bitcoins, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies as payments.
And with tech giants like Facebook joining in with their own coins (Libra), things seem to get really serious. We predict that in the following years, most of the online casinos operating today will accept this as a payment method.
So, if you’re into online gambling, the future looks pretty bright: better graphics, more immersion, greater mobility and fancier banking options are just around the corner! Are you ready to take fun to the next level?
