The changes that have already taken place across the gambling industry are nothing short of amazing. The arrival of the internet and online casinos came and completely transformed the way in which people gamble. Whoever would have imagined playing live dealer games in the comfort of your living room? Who would have possibly guessed that our mobile phones would become portable casinos that we carry around with us?
The reality is that technology is still evolving. In fact, it never remains still and that means that there are bound to be more changes to come. What’s in store for the future of gambling is fascinating, and even in just 10-15 years, the best online casinos in the uk could look completely different from how they look today. Let’s take a look at just some of the changes that we can expect to see.
The growing use of crypto
There are already online casinos out there that accept the likes of Bitcoin and Ethereum. As these cryptocurrencies continue to infiltrate the mainstream there are likely to be more and more online casinos that accept them. In some cases, it may well be that crypto completely takes over from the currency that we’re used to today.
The attraction for players is that crypto offers anonymity. However, with casinos having to comply with know your customer (KYC) rules, there need to be steps taken that allow for this otherwise this could be a huge step backwards for the gambling industry. It would be one that, potentially, regulators, such as the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) wouldn’t allow. KYC rules are here to ensure that players are kept secure and that the chances for fraud are minimised – removing this would hardly be a positive step forwards.
Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR)
It is only around a decade ago that players were truly amazed by the progress that had been made with mobile casinos. Since this time there have been more and more technological developments and players start to expect the gambling scene to keep up. When you look at how it’s likely to use VR and AR, keeping up is just what it’s doing.
With Facebook becoming Meta and pushing towards the creation of the Metaverse, AR and VR have been thrust to the fore in ways that they never have before. The aim is to utilise the technology so that players can become fully immersed in their gaming experience. While there are already some operators trialling VR versions of poker before this experience can really take off there needs to be a reduction in the cost of the expensive headsets: right now this excludes the vast majority of people from being able to enjoy what’s possible.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
In reality, AI is already been used in the world of online casinos. From the moment that a player signs up, AI gets to work on making the experience as great as it possibly can be. It gets to know all about every player. It learns about the games that they like, the bonuses that may be of interest to them and everything else that goes into making the casino attractive to them.
All of this has been achieved with what can be described as early-stage AI. Like other technologies, AI is continuing to develop and as it does it only gets better at what it does. There is no doubt that AI will further enhance the customer experience but it will also play a significant role in reducing fraud and cheating.
Wearables
Smartwatches are something that has really taken off in recent years. They are used for the likes of fitness taking and messaging, but there also seems to be increasing potential that they can be used for gaming. With how popular these devices are, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the gambling industry is exploring just how they can be utilised. There are already examples from the likes of Playtech that have developed slot apps for the Apple Watch.
The attraction of smartwatches for gaming is that they are more present in a player’s vicinity and this makes them much more convenient when compared to smartphones. The size of the screens on watches means that players get to focus only on what matters as there is simply no space for anything that could cause distractions.
Improved apps
Something that has allowed mobile gambling to take off is the creation of casino apps. It was once that game developers made new casino games with the thought of mobile play at the back of their minds. This is no longer the case. While there is still a need to offer a great desktop experience, the mobile experience is perhaps the biggest consideration from the oft.
The apps that we have access to today offer a great playing experience. However, these will continue to develop and make the whole experience smoother and easier. They will allow users to enable and disable the features that they want to. They will make the signup process as easy as possible. They will make it easier for players to find the games that they want to play.
Esports betting
While Esports betting has gained hugely in terms of popularity, it’s not something that you come across at all online gambling sites. There’s a very good chance that this is set to change. Why? Well, the industry is realising just Esports can bring to them as well as the opportunities that it gives to the customer.
Esports offers a data-driven customer experience. It allows for a whole host of in-game bets and this is something that gamblers are huge fans of. While the pandemic certainly had a role to play in the growth of this sector, it appears that a near return to normality hasn’t hindered its progress.
Final thoughts
The most exciting changes that we’re likely to see will come via the development of VR and AR. As the metaverse grows and becomes more commonplace, the potential for improving the gaming experience is almost unlimited.
