The Future of Technology Influencing the Online Casino Experience

If you’re old enough to remember the first phase of online casinos and casino games, it’s hard not to look back fondly at what we used to put up with. Games were clunky, graphics laughably bad and the whole gameplay experience about a million miles removed from the actual casino experience. Yet, of course, at the time it seemed incredible. Just the thought of being able to gamble online, in real time, was mind blowing.

Since then, things have moved on a little bit. Well, a lot actually. This should come as no surprise as the gambling and gaming industries have always had their finger on the pulse of technology. Even as far back as the invention of the telegram, gaming industry chiefs were keen to see how improved connectivity could improve their business. And over the last two decades this adoption of new technology has changed the way many people see the gaming industry as a whole. It’s no longer about late, smoky nights in casinos but more of a mainstream leisure pursuit. Now you can be sitting on a train and log into any online casino like those reviewed at Casinopedia.org from your mobile, playing on your way home from work.

The two games that led the way were poker and bingo, perhaps because these were the two easiest to replicate online. But with the advent of live streaming, superfast broadband and visual technology, other games such as roulette can now also deliver the casino experience to your living room. So the big question we must ask is: where do we go from here?

Virtual reality

If you’ve been in a technology store recently, you’ll have noticed that VR is finally (after several decades of empty promises) making a big splash. So it’s not surprising that the gaming industry is at the forefront of its adoption for online gaming. Developers are already spearheading the use of VR in many of their future projects, starting with slot games.

Virtual reality is a major trend shaping the future of gaming. With the VR hardware, such as headsets and earphones, capable of being produced and purchased for sensible amounts of money, this looks set to make it big in the mainstream. One further guarantee of its success is the ability to run VR programmes and games on smartphones. By putting on the headset, you feel like you’ve stepped into the gamer’s shoes right on the casino floor. Players will feel like they are genuinely in a casino, able to walk around the floor picking and choosing the games they want to play.

Of course, we are still very much at the dawn of the VR age and the reality of the VR experience doesn’t quite live up to the possibility. But the kind of VR we’ve imagined over the last few decades is not far away. These are the first few steps towards creating realistic virtual worlds.

Artificial intelligence

Another much vaunted technological advance we have been promised is the growth of AI. Of course, computers have always possessed some form of AI, but in the coming years we can expect online games to become even smarter. You won’t just be going up against automated players, you’ll be able to compete against artificial opponents who think and play like real humans. This will be most fun in games like poker that involve a human element, and look set to offer a real test for fans of the game.

Mobile technology

Again, hark back to the early days of online gambling and you might remember huddling round a grainy desktop, looking at the 2D graphics, waiting an age for the game to load. These days, you possess several thousand times that computing power in the palm of your hand. Smartphones are capable of running complex, 3D and even VR games on the move. It’s this advent of mobile gaming that has really helped online gaming to break big.

The internet of things

The internet of things (IoT) will see hundreds of millions more devices connected to the web in years to come. This will enable online casinos to gather more data and feedback, improving the gaming experience for millions of players.

Blockchain

One of the biggest barriers to online gaming for many people has been online security. However, Blockchain seems to promise a game-changing evolution in online security. Developed as the underlying security system for Bitcoin, Blockchain promises a much more secure payment process for future players, giving them greater say over how their information is used.

Technology continues to advance at an incredible rate. And you can be sure that with each new development, the online gaming industry will be at the forefront of its adoption.