Travel back to the turn of the millennium, and video games like Paper Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Counter Strike can be found in many homes across Ireland. These games were typically played on a PlayStation or computer screen where the experience was limited by the quality of the technology on which it was played.
At the time, no one would have thought that by 2021 we would be able to play online casino games using a virtual reality headset to make the player appear to be standing inside the casino. Gaming has come a long way in the past two decades, but the digital revolution continues to transform the gaming experience.
Below we will see how digital technology is transforming online casino games like blackjack.
An increasingly competitive industry
In 2018, there were over 2,800 active online casino sites worldwide. Since the online market is accessible worldwide, this creates enormous pressure for players to choose which casino to play at, but even more pressure for online casino players to win and retain customers.
As a result, the industry has become very competitive with online casinos constantly looking for ways to innovate in order to retain players. From generous sign-up bonuses to free spins and bonus mini-games, every provider is battling it out in the online arena, and online blackjack is no exception to this.
The innovation of online blackjack and other popular casino games
Today, it is no longer enough to offer a classic and popular casino game like blackjack or roulette. Instead, vendors need to find new ways to make the gaming experience more interactive and fun than other vendors.
Online blackjack is one of those games where technology has transformed gaming experience to provide some of the following benefits:
- More variety – Some of the best online casinos offer many varieties of blackjack with different stakes to suit the needs of each player.
- Bonus – Online casinos often offer generous sign-up bonuses or offer free money to encourage new players to test a site without having to sign up. This is something you won’t find in a brick and mortar casino and is great for new players.
- Accessibility – Playing blackjack, slots or roulette online means players can access their favorite game from anywhere with decent Wi-Fi, any time of the day or night. There’s no need to plan ahead, just open the app to play during the morning commute or just from the comfort of your couch one evening at home.
- Security – As technology has developed, online transactions have also grown. It is now safer than ever to make money transfers online. Plus, transfers are generally quick and relatively easy, whether it’s withdrawing money or depositing it.
The future of online gaming
While we have already seen a dramatic increase in the number of online casino players in recent years, technology continues to innovate the online gaming experience. Below are some of the technologies we will see emerge over the next few years.
Cloud hosting
Just as the movie industry has shifted to online streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime, the gaming industry is now doing the same with services like Google Stadia, Amazon Luna, and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Games hosted on cloud platforms look exactly like a game that has been downloaded to a console, only they are easier to access from anywhere in the world and on a variety of different devices, they have a faster streaming speed and they don’t do not require players to create masses of free memory on their hardware to save the game.
Social games
One thing we learned from the last year is that people need to be able to connect in different ways. Many games now offer multiplayer modes where players can join live matches and compete with other players around the world. Games like COD and FIFA are great examples of this, even allowing players to chat while playing.
Online games are also increasingly integrated with social media, in which aspects such as screenshot or recording mode are increasingly common so that players can live stream or share their game. on platforms like YouTube or Twitch.
More ways to make payments
Not only are online payments becoming more secure, they are also becoming much more user-friendly. Online wallets like PayPal mean players can make a withdrawal or deposit in seconds, without having to enter a lot of payment card information, while options like crypto payments are becoming more common.
Crypto payments allow players to pay with a crypto currency like Bitcoin. As cryptocurrencies rely on blockchain technology rather than a centralized bank, the payment method is much more anonymous. They are also much faster compared to traditional payment options that require bank approval.
Overall, the online casino industry has come an incredibly long way since the days of Zelda and Mario Kart. As technologies have become more affordable and accessible to countries around the world, more and more people are choosing to play their favorite casino games online.
These games continue to innovate; become more interactive for gamers in the way video games provide entertainment. While we are already benefiting from VR technology, social games, and themed slots, there is no sign of slowing down innovation anytime soon.
