Today, online casinos are everywhere, in almost every country in the world.
To understand the importance of amazing technological advancements on the rise of online casinos, we have to go back in time and examine how everything started.
Before there were online casinos, casino players engaged in gambling activities at various gambling establishments. Some of these were land-based casinos, while others were motels and pubs that offered slot machines.
Then, everything changed with the Internet. The Internet’s official birthday is the 1st of January 1983.
Before this date, personal computers and associated networks did not have any standard way to send files or communicate with each other.
The inception of the Internet has not only changed the worldwide gambling scene but it also affected many other industries.
Thanks to the Internet, we get to communicate with each other through instant messaging, we get to educate ourselves online, and to work remotely.
While the Internet was born in 1983, the very first online casinos emerged on the scene over one decade later.
Before the first online casino opened its virtual doors in 1993, the Free Trade and Processing Act was passed by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda.
The Free Trade and Processing Act gave the Caribbean nation all the right to issue licenses to companies and businesses interested in starting online casino gambling platforms.
The History of Online Casinos
Shortly after the Free Trade and Processing Act was enforced, the very first virtual casinos emerged on the scene.
When discussing the history of online casinos and online gambling in general, we have to mention Microgaming.
The company is one of the pioneers in the industry.
It was founded in 1994 and shortly after emerging on the scene, it launched the very first functional iGaming site.
The site was powered by Microgaming and CryptoLogic that was responsible for making sure all real money transactions occur safely.
The Gaming Club by Microgaming
As expected, the very first online casino was nothing like modern online casinos that operate in the industry today.
Unlike online casinos operating today, the first Microgaming-powered online casino featured only several classic table games, including Blackjack and Roulette.
At the time of its inception, casino management tools, as well as customer tracking systems, were not available.
One year after Microgaming launched the casino, these tools and tracking systems were finally incorporated.
In 1997, the first casino expanded its gaming library with Keno, several video poker games, and finally slots.
The casino was called The Gaming Club and according to its website, it was launched in 1994.
However, according to the official Microgaming website, The Gaming Club was launched in 1998.
Either way, The Gaming Club was one of the very first online casinos to enter the iGaming scene, alongside InterCasino. When discussing the first online casinos, we have to mention Casino.co.za which was launched in 1996.
InterCasino by CryptoLogic
The casino was specifically launched for online casino players residing in South Africa. South African players who wanted to play online games had to call the casino in order to register.
The entire process of registration occurred over the phone.
Online casino deposits were also processed over the phone. According to official sources, InterCasino was also launched in 1996.
The casino was powered by CryptoLogic after the company completed its InterCasino Beta version back on the 4th of July 1996.
When compared to the modern casinos we have today, both InterCasino and The Gaming Club were very simple with outdated graphics and not many games to explore.
The Rise of Online Casinos
The online casino gambling industry has come a long way since 1994.
Today, the best Nigerian casino sites like this one feature hundreds of different games with most of these available on the move.
Online casinos serving players residing in other countries are equally impressive with their rich gaming libraries, awesome bonuses, very convenient payment options, and most importantly, advanced security measures.
Without amazing technological advancements, online casinos would not be as safe as they are now.
Without technology innovations that enriched the entire industry, online casinos would not be as entertaining as they are.
Essentially, different technology innovations, as explored in further sections, have completely revolutionized the way players enjoy online casino games.
In other words, technology has positively impacted the entire gambling industry.
By 2023, the global online casino gambling and betting market will be worth over $92,9 billion, according to the latest projections.
This will be a tremendous rise as the global iGaming industry was valued at around $66,7 billion at the end of 2020.
With more countries introducing friendlier gambling laws, we can expect the industry to grow massively in the next few years.
Besides friendlier gambling laws, the industry’s growth is doubtlessly fueled by technology innovations, including:
- Virtual and Augmented Reality
- Blockchain technologies
- Gamification
- Artificial Intelligence
- Big Data
Virtual and Augmented Reality
Virtual and Augmented Reality technologies are employed by many modern, renowned online casinos that want to boost their customer engagement and offer more entertaining gaming sessions.
With the use of Virtual Reality technologies, online casinos create amazing, highly engaging gaming environments that create extraordinary gaming experiences.
When it comes to augmented reality technologies, they overlay different auditory, visual, and sensory information to enhance players’ online gaming experiences.
Some of the major benefits of VR and AR technologies in online casinos are:
- More immersive gaming experience
- Greater social interaction
- Excellent live dealer casino games
- Greater accessibility
- More realistic online casino games
- Handy in-game chatting options
- Beautifully rendered gaming rooms
- Authentic land-based casino gaming sounds
Blockchain Technologies and Gamification
While standard payment options, such as e-wallets and credit and debit cards, lead the way when it comes to online casino payment options, more and more iGaming sites rely on blockchain technologies to expand their selection of payment methods.
Online casinos using blockchain technologies support quite a few digital currencies you get to use to make deposits and withdrawals safely.
Gamification technologies mainly used in the video gaming industry have been adopted by the iGaming scene.
In the online casino gaming scene, gamification has brought great additions to exciting tournaments, gaming storylines, and even more.
Artificial Intelligence and Big Data
Artificial Intelligence and Big Data technologies are also used by modern online casinos. In online casinos, AI is mostly used to enrich their customer care services.
Essentially, online casinos that utilize Artificial Intelligence provide more efficient and reliable customer care services which always prioritize the needs of players.
Chatbots have also become very popular among online casino players since they offer quicker and more useful responses.
When it comes to Big Data and its applications in the online casino industry, online casinos rely on Big Data to more efficiently collect crucial information about their customers’ gaming activities.
In other words, they use Big Data tools to gather information about their customers’ playing time, money spent, and their gaming needs.
With this information, casino operators can devise more efficient marketing strategies.
