How Technology Has Brought Casinos Into Our Homes
Thanks to significant technological changes in recent years like new devices, platforms and software, digital casinos were brought into our homes and they’ve really never left. Online casino sites have constantly been adapting to new technological developments to provide a first class gaming experience which should ideally come close to the ‘land based casino ambiance’.
In the past two years, with COVID-19 lockdowns and quarantines, the iGaming market has witnessed significant growth in New Zealand as well, with people seeking new forms of online entertainment. This has particularly favoured online casinos rather than sportsbooks as a lot of sports events were cancelled or less interesting to watch with limited stadium capacity or empty stadiums. This has put even more pressure on casinos to reinvent themselves. In this guide we’ll go through all the ins and outs of how technological developments have brought casino games right into our homes.
Table of Contents
The Complete User Experience
Think about a modern online casino and try to strip the separate elements you’ll find on the website such as the game lobby with thousands of pokies, the help page, the sportsbook, or even the live lobby. Chances are that you will run into a chat powered software application, possibly without even knowing you’re communicating with a software app. Chatbots and chat boxes are considered very common today, but they’re actually not if you compare modern websites with platforms from 10 years ago.
Then there are newer forms of advanced cybersecurity. And of course modern payment platforms that have been integrated into websites and facilitate instant transactions. All of this is thanks to how technology brought online gaming to our casinos and has been continuously working on adding new elements to the website. Now just take a closer look at the beautifully shaped icons or the sliders that show all the promos you can claim. Or even the sign up forms work smoothly making the user experience a very easy one. What is considered normal today is actually the outcome of ongoing technical developments. Specifically, there are some developments that have greatly contributed to the market. We’ll cover these below.
SSL Encryption
Everything that requires a transaction of other data or financial information needs to be carefully audited and the same is true for real money online casinos. Like webshops or other online businesses, online casinos need to be safe and secure and working with SSL encryption is the best way to do this. This can be recognised in the url with the https:// address standing for a safe connection. You will also see a lock showing in the browser which is yet another proof of the safety and security of an online website.
Blockchain Technology
The arrival of blockchain technology has revolutionised the world to say the very least. Most of the people who have heard of blockchain technology will have heard of the technology being applied to finance. The casino industry itself has integrated blockchain to make it possible to transfer crypto currency; this is done for both deposits and withdrawals, often marketed as a way for players to find discretion. The most widely used crypto currency is bitcoin as some casino websites that are based on blockchain technology will position themselves as bitcoin casinos. Other popular crypto currencies are Ethereum, Litecoin, and Dogecoin. Like in the real world, crypto currencies are not authorised by every gaming authority which is why a lot of operators move their sites to Curaçao to be able to use it.
Mobile Play
With the first wave of online casinos, visitors could only access the platforms on their desktop computers. This isn’t very surprising as the first casino site dates back from 1994 which was a time when we didn’t have a clue that smartphones would become as dominant as they are today. Operators first released native mobile apps that weren’t nearly as good as playing on desktops. PCs, laptops, smartphones and tablets can all be used to access the casino and play thousands of games instantly. All you’ll need is Wifi or mobile internet and a device that supports a web based casino.
Live Dealer Streams
Players are always after the most authentic casino experience and casinos are happy to provide this. Although RNG games provided a high level of comfort they weren’t very authentic as everyone will understand that a computer generating the outcome of a game isn’t as half as exciting as a real dealer doing the same in a land-based setting. The introduction of live dealer streams changed this as players would have access to different live casino games being streamed from a live studio. With only a screen separating the player from the action at a real live dealer table, the experience has come closer and closer that of a land based casino as possible.
Final Thoughts
The online casino industry has made some huge steps in the last 10-15 years which is thanks to the demand that has been created by making the most out of the technological options. Research predicts that the global gaming market will reach a turnover of NZD $ 8,809 billion next year, which stands for a 6% growth. The developments have been rather radical: once, people from New Zealand played their favourite casino games in traditional brick and mortar venues, basically“forcing” them to leave their homes. Today, they can go to a website for online gambling, giving them the comfort of their couch. The shift to online casinos instead of traditional land based casinos has led to a huge increase in the amount of interactive games being offered, most of them being launched with excellent graphics and even personalised experiences. The technological advancements are likely to continue to push the beautiful and fascinating world of online casinos forward.
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_gambling
- https://uit.stanford.edu/service/ssl
