Is the Online Casino Industry About to Enter a New Phase?
If there’s one thing that can be said about the casino industry, it’s the fact that it’s always improving and innovating. If you looked back at some of the earliest online casinos of the late 1990s, they would seem like ancient carvings compared to the masterful sites around today. There have been some considerable landmarks in the evolution of online casinos over the years. The advancements of slot games to five reels is notable, as is the introduction of live streaming in the last few years. With no major changes coming for a while, it feels that casinos need to enter a new phase.
Real-World Experience Has Almost Been Recreated – But Not Quite
Ever since their inception, the aim of online casinos has been to recreate the real-world casino experience while allowing players to play from the comfort of their own homes. Their convenience has allowed them to prevail, as well as the constant innovations in the games and special offers. But even though there are live links to casino tables with real dealers at most online casinos now, there is still something missing. It’s not quite immersive enough, yet. But this is something which developers are trying to change.
There is a heavy focus on using the newest technology at the online gambling houses. The most recent example of this is live streaming. Now, there is talk of virtual reality being incorporated into online gambling games. Certain developers like Microgaming and Net Entertainment are frontrunners in trying to put the tech to good use. But as it stands, VR hasn’t boomed in the way many had expected it to when it was released in 2016. When it does hit, though, the casinos that manage to involve it first are likely to benefit greatly.
There Are Some Great Sign-Up Offers
At the moment, the best way for online casinos to stand out from the competition is to offer the best sign-up deals. Because a lot of the games on offer are similar, enticing players in this way is one of the only methods for an operator to separate itself from its rivals.
There are many types of deals out there as well, such as deposit match and free spin bonuses. But even these are becoming quite similar from site to site. The best casino bonus nowadays is a no deposit bonus, which allows players to play something for free before investing any of their own funds. An example of this kind of offer is the $25 free chip no deposit code at Cool Cat Casino. The bonus does require players to wager it a number of times before they can withdraw any winnings, but it is a good way for the operator to showcase its site and tempt players to play on.
Online casinos that can offer no deposit bonuses are likely to get the most traffic. The question is, are the regular sign-up deals going to be enough for regular online casinos moving forward? With nearly every site having similar bonuses and VIP schemes, online casinos should arguably be striving to do more in order to reel players in. The casinos that jump on new advances in technology are almost certainly going to prevail, but they need to do it at the right time.
When Will Virtual Reality Hit the Mainstream?
Most people in the industry agree that the biggest thing to watch out for is virtual reality. Although the technology has not gone mainstream yet, it only seems like a matter of time before it does. When headsets like the Oculus Rift were released in 2016, the platform was expected to revolutionize a number of industries. Developers quickly jumped on it and looked at ways to incorporate it. This is when Microgaming came up with VR Roulette. The reason why it didn’t really take off at the time was because it was too expensive for the average end user.
It is worth noting, though, that Apple’s iPhone had relatively slow sales when it started out. The device which revolutionized the mobile market and brought about the modern smartphone posted measly figures of no higher than 3 million unit sales in each quarter of its first year. Sales spiked in 2012, almost five years after the release of the first generation. A similar thing is expected for VR, with 2023 expected to be the year in which the platform booms. At this stage, older generations will be much more affordable for the average consumer. When the devices become mainstream a lot of the online content will follow, including games at online casinos.
If, as expected, VR becomes the next major mainstream piece of technology, then online casinos could be about to have a VR overhaul. In the next five years, there may be a transition towards VR games at online casinos. The operators who jump on the tech first could enjoy great success.
