The global online gambling market is skyrocketing as the notorious COVID-19 locks punters behind the doors of their homes. Expected to be valued at $92.9 billion by the end of 2023, an impressive 32.7% increase from the current $70 billion, online gambling is one of the most growing businesses out there, not least because of the ever-improving technologies giving birth to yet unseen types of entertainment on the web.
Speaking of which, if you’ve not been indulging in the online gambling extravaganza of recent years, then you might have missed the latest breakthroughs: live casino games, mixed realities, and blockchain. But don’t worry – you’ll be able to catch up right now. Without further ado, let’s dig into the best the gambling world can offer!
Live Dealer Games
The idea of replicating the real-life experience of brick-and-mortar casinos has long been in the minds of gambling enthusiasts, but it wasn’t until 1998 that the first live casinos were launched, a far cry from the brilliant games of today. Back then, the internet connection was a thousand times worse and a bazillion times slower, so it took about two decades for live casino games to go mainstream.
Now, though, with almost omnipotent cameras and lightning-fast internet speeds, you can enjoy the best of both worlds, the one representing once-loved noisy, crowded gambling halls and the one wrapped in the comfort of your apartment. Poker, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and dozens of popular and exotic live casino games alike are now available from anywhere in the world for anyone having access to a PC, smartphone, or tablet. What’s more, the environment is customizable and interactive, meaning you can set it up the way you like by adding or removing the on-screen elements, as well as you can chat with other players to preserve the spirit of camaraderie you used to love so much.
Mixed Realities
Live dealer games are great and all, but they only copy the already existing physical reality. And what if you’re willing to create a new universe from scratch, making it possible to feel, smell, and taste things? These possibilities are already there! Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed realities are capable of transferring you to a gambling multiverse completely detached from the world you’re in.
VR games like Star Wars: Squadrons, Trover Saves the Universe, and Half-Life: Alyx are wildly popular, and casino games are about to follow. On that note, the ongoing research on the ability to control the software by sending brain signals might open the era of’ ‘thought gambling,’ that is, when a headset converts your thoughts into on-screen actions.
Blockchain
For the first time in the history of gambling, casino players can verify all the outcomes of their games as long as they’re dealing with a blockchain-based Provably Fair casino. Provable Fairness stems from the verifiability of public blockchain records. Without digging deep into the intricacies of the cryptographic hash function, it can be safely said that every action of a Provably Fair casino is recorded in a public ledger accessible to anyone, which makes manipulations impossible.
The input of cryptocurrencies – the currencies built on blockchains – cannot be overestimated as well, as they enabled lightning-fast, safe, and private payments to millions of players suffering from high transaction fees and inaccessibility of decent payment methods. And even though Bitcoin itself might be losing its relevance as a means of payment, there are so many candidates to take its place that there can be no doubt about the bright future of cryptocurrencies in gambling.
With that, it’s time to wrap it up. Take advantage of the latest gambling technologies – do not let yourself be left behind!