In recent years, the growth of live casinos has been monumental. The progression of the industry over the past 30 years is extremely impressive as a result of new, modern innovations elevating the IGaming industry to feature capabilities once seemed impossible. But with all this progression, how can the online casino industry progress even more?
How Did We Get To This Point?
Before we look into the future of the IGaming industry, we must recognise what progression has already been made that has got us to the current state of online gaming.It is understood that the first real glimpse of live casino and online gaming was introduced in the mid-90s, potentially inspired by the 1988 release of Microsoft Solitaire. However, limitations were huge at the time. Dial-up internet was unreliable, PCs were rare in many homes, and many people didn't have internet access. Thus, the industry didn’t have the massive scale and audience it does today. In 2006, the first live casino game came in the form of a roulette title hosted by a real dealer and broadcast online for players to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes. Over the next 5+ years, new technology creating a more seamless experience with a wider range of games. In 2017, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and developments in RNG (Random Number Generation) capabilities were integrated, allowing more capabilities for the games. These are the key points in the history of IGaming that have got us to the industry's current state.
What Does The Future Hold?
It is clear from the strong history of developments that the industry has come a long way from what was once only available in brick-and-mortar casinos in such a short period of time. But what can we expect for the future of IGaming?In recent times, AI has been at the forefront of conversation regarding the future of technology, although there is a real debate on whether AI is a good or bad thing. Integrations of AI for live casinos don’t seem too far-fetched or even too far in the distance. Live hosts will most likely remain as these are what makes the games unique with the human touch and responsive nature. AI can be of impact in another way by helping players with personalised suggestions of games, explaining the rules of games, supporting betting decisions and other personalised features that can benefit and support the player’s casino experience. Whilst, as a whole, it seems unlikely, some games may opt for AI dealers, meaning less human interaction but the possibility for more available games.
Virtual reality is also a more recent focus in the tech world that can have an impact on the live casino industry. Virtual reality allows users to see and experience different scenarios from a first-person perspective. When incorporated with live casinos, VR could potentially allow players to feel as though they are at a land casino and take the interactive nature of the games to the next level, putting them within the virtual casino. This is arguably one of the most exciting features we could see come to live casinos and would make the gaming experience even more interactive and authentic than it already is.
Sooner rather than later, we could see the implementation of new and innovative safety features when gambling. This can include a set cap on how much someone can spend in a given time period or even prevent someone from accessing a site too regularly. With these sites growing in popularity, especially amongst young people, it can be expected that governments can implement rules that online casinos need to include these features.
Following in the footsteps of other online games, it could be possible that we see multiplayer live casino games that involve more than one player. For example, take the Deal Or No Deal live game show, where, in multiplayer, the game can be played more like the real game with several different players. Furthermore, this could lead to tournaments of live games featuring knock-out rounds against other players, leading to a larger cash prize.