The Future of Online Gambling

The gambling industry has experienced more growth and change than any other industry over the last decade. The relaxation of gambling laws combined with significant investment into new technology has taken gambling beyond the final frontier.

Development companies, such as NetEnt, have led the way in the rebranding of gambling to gaming and in doing so have introduced new demographics to the industry. When internet gambling first reared its head in the 1990s the technology used was incredibly basic.

Nowadays games technologies, website designs and customer support services are of the highest standards imaginable at new NetEnt casinos. Fortunately for the consumer, NetEnt and the gambling industry are showing no signs of slowing down.

So what does the future of online gambling look like? And what exciting new trends do customers have to look forward to?

Virtual Reality Gambling

Hover boards, flying cars and virtual reality were all supposed to be common place in 2019 according to the expert predictions of the 1970s and 1980s. Unfortunately road cars are still necessary for the morning commute and fully functioning hover boards are still a pipe dream.

Virtual reality is however making its way into the mainstream in ever more advancing manifestations. Whilst there are still some problems to iron out, it is looking quite likely that virtual reality will become commonplace in the gaming industry within a few years.

Online gambling has always linked itself heavily to the traditional gaming market and has its eyes firmly set on implementing virtual reality also. In a perfect world, gambling enthusiasts will be able to log onto their online casino of choice, strap on their headset and then navigate a realistic virtual casino.

Whilst this would signal great news for online casinos it would almost certainly sound the death knell for struggling land-based casinos. Virtual reality casinos would also face stiff opposition from gambling moguls like Sheldon Adelson.

The American businessman has made his fortune from Las Vegas casinos and is now the most vocal critic of online gamblingin the western world. Perhaps virtual reality casinos won’t come about so soon after all…

Live Casinos

Whilst the wait for virtual reality casinos is ongoing, gambling lovers can console themselves by playing at ‘live casinos’. Most of the big name gambling operators provide their customers with either partial or full live casino experiences.

Online operators have set up physical locations as casinos, the only difference is that the customers are on the other side of the camera. Ultra HD cameras follow dealers and croupiers, streaming their every move live to the online audience.

Players can interact with their dealers in real time and benefit from an authentic casino experience without ever having to leave their house. As these locations are not intended for use as physical land-based casinos, they can be operated at a much lower cost which is good news for online operators and customers.

Better Games

Slot machines account for the highest proportion of games both in land-based casinos and online. They carry the biggest appeal to customers and fortunately for the providers they also generate the highest income of any casino game.

Games developers finally started to recognise this in the past five years, with their investment in slot machines now reflecting their popularity. Every slot machine game that is available online has taken a minimum of 12 months from initial idea to release.

Gambling games developers are following the lead of games developers to create authentic and enticing gaming environments for their players. There is also big investment in official licensing and endorsements which is leading to more slot machine games that are themed on popular films or TV shows.

The online slot market is by far the most saturated sub section of online gambling games on the internet. The competition caused by this is leading to better and better games and that is only expected to continue in the coming years.

Gambling enthusiasts can look forward to more and more licensed/themed games as well as the very best gaming technology to create a unique user experience.