There’s no denying that the online gaming industry is on the rise, and in 2020 it has seen an unprecedented surge in popularity that was no doubt aided by the global Covid-19 pandemic. With casino lovers still eager to get their fix of roulette-fuelled adrenaline from the comfort of their own home throughout lockdown, the trend has continued long after, and the industry is set to be worth somewhere near £70 billion by 2023.
The increasing availability of mobile gaming apps in countries worldwide has no doubt also had a hand to play, making enjoying the glitz and glamour of the card table wherever you are more accessible than ever, and as demand increases, so too do the innovations behind it, which are continuously emerging in a bid to further enhance their growth.
As the pandemic continues, likely into 2021, several mobile casino technology trends could well change the face of the experience forever – and transform the entire industry for years to come. The experts at online gaming review site, Best Slot Sites – which features popular slot games including Double Bubble Slots – have rounded up five of the biggest trends to keep your eye on, coming to a mobile app near you soon.
If they haven’t already, we can guarantee that these tech innovations will soon be making their way into your online gaming experience – but keep an eye out, because many of them are so subtle that you might just miss them.
Virtual reality gaming
Although not an entirely new innovation, there’s no denying that virtual reality has taken the gaming world by storm thus far, providing players with an immersive and realistic experience that simply wouldn’t have been possible before. Transporting you to a real-life casino environment, it allows you to enjoy the glitz and glamour of an authentic casino setting – with the thrill of playing against real-life players.
Crypto-casinos
It was only a matter of time before crypto-currencies made their way into casinos and online gaming. Bitcoin has been responsible for making many an overnight millionaire, many of them in the younger generation, so it stands to reason that providers should seek to cater to their needs.
It’s not just about accepting deposits from the nouveau-riche though; the blockchain technology behind cryptocurrencies provides additional security for online casinos, with all transactions recorded in real time and sealed with cryptography in a de-centralised system, which has the power to effectively minimise instances of fraud.
Cloud gaming technology
Cloud gaming technology has allowed for several advancements in the world of online gaming, allowing players to participate in card games and roulette spins without the need to download an app. The benefits? Faster speeds and smoother gameplay – although be warned, because it does tend to use up a lot of data.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence has slowly but surely been infiltrating our lives over the past few years, and now has a role to play in everything from the search results you see on Google to the music we are recommended on our streaming apps.
In online gaming, AI chat bots have been widely deployed to handle customer service enquiries – you didn’t really think that Janet was a real person you were talking to, did you? Where stakes are high, the prospect of making a hefty deposit can make even the boldest player sweat, and having an efficient customer service system in place makes it easy to reassure customers that their money is secure – as well as helping with their questions and queries about other aspects of the game. Whether you realise it or not, a large part of the experience is now AI-based, and has improved all the more because of it.
Although these trends are certain to change the face of online gaming in the long-run, they are no doubt just the tip of the iceberg, with more advancements to come in 2021. But for now, we can expect to see all of these technologies gather momentum, transforming your online experience into something you could previously have only dreamed of. It might not beat an authentic, land-based casino experience, but odds on, it’ll come pretty close.