Today, it is estimated that more than 1.6 billion people gamble online. While the local casino used to be a community hub where people would go to play their favourite casino games, in recent years, technology has caused a major shift in the way we play games. Now, more people than ever are opting to play games online, whether that be from the comfort of their own home or on the go.
This change in the way people consume games has opened up huge expansion opportunities for the market as demographic groups that never would have visited a casino are now opting to play online casino games.
There are now more options than ever before to play casino games online. In Canada, online casinos have become popular due to the relaxation of laws and attitudes, as well as the convenience the games bring. Now, Canadians can head to one of the casino sites in Canada and access a wide range of casino games on a mobile phone or tablet device whilst on-the-go. Not only is it the range of choice, but this industry growth is also being fuelled by the rapid advancements in technology that are continually becoming available.
Below, we’ll take a look at some of the latest cutting-edge technologies that are fuelling innovation within the online gaming industry.
Virtual Reality
One of the major challenges of online gaming has been trying to bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds. While online gaming offers a lot of advantages over traditional brick and mortar casinos, there’s something about the real-life atmosphere that really enhances the experience and indulges all of the senses.
Virtual Reality technology is helping to bridge this gap by providing a physical experience within a digital environment. By using a VR headset, players are able to fully immerse themselves in the sights, sounds and even feelings of the game while being able to effectively shut out any environmental distractions.
While VR technology has been around for a while, it was first used by the likes of architectural firms and car manufacturers to create realistic mock-ups. However, as the technology has become more affordable to the average household, it has become a huge hit in the gaming world.
Cryptocurrencies
One of the real concerns when playing online games is the safety of online payments. Completing card transactions online have got much safer in recent years, however cybercrime is also on the rise and there is always a small risk of credit card fraud when making online payments.
Cryptocurrencies solve this problem, in which there has been a huge rise in the amount of crypto casinos popping up in recent years. Crypto casinos operate of cryptocurrencies as a form of payment and are usually much more efficient that the standard casino. This is because when a normal credit or debit card is used to make payment, the transaction must go through approval with the players bank before money can be deposited or withdrawn.
However, cryptocurrencies operate on blockchain technology, meaning they are not controlled by a central banking authority and do not need to be authorised. As a result, deposits and withdrawals can happen much quicker than with traditional payment methods.
In addition, crypto payments are much more anonymous and harder to track, meaning a player’s identity is better protected and they can remain more anonymous if they so wish to.
Random Number Generators
Digital Random Number Generators or RGN’s are thought to be much more reliable than physical RNG technology as an RGN is not affected by natural entropy. In order to ensure complete randomness, a digital RGN works by having a short initial value which goes through a complex equation. Using a seed value key, a digital RGN creates a random sequence that does not have any predictable patterns.
While we call this complete randomness, there is a much more complex technical process that goes on where the digital RGN is based on vast digital simulations. This method ensures that online slots operators can ensure completely authentic random results in any game.
Some of the benefits of this over traditional RGN’s include that they are not affected by factors like roughness of the material or temperature of the room.
Mobile gaming
Mobile gaming has helped the online gaming industry to grow significantly. While players used to have to sit at a desktop computer at home if they wanted to participate in online gaming, today’s mobile technologies like smartphones and tablets enable people to play their favourite online games from anywhere and at any time. That could be on the morning commute to work on the train, from the comfort of your sofa at 2am in the morning, or even on a remote beach in the Caribbean if you have Wi-Fi.
Many mobile friendly casinos have now produced integrated casino apps which streamlining the mobile gaming process. Online casino apps are able to offer players a much more customised experience where they can find their favourite games and features much quicker, while being able to play easily on the go.
Live casinos
In another attempt to bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds, many online casinos now offer a live mode where the dealer is live. Not only can the dealer talk to and interact with players, but it creates a more in the moment experience which encourages players to be more sociable with other players and get more involved in the game.
Overall, online gaming has developed significantly in the last few years and will continue to do so, with no signs of slowing down. Only time will tell what the next online gaming advancements will be.
