It all started close around 20 years ago when the very first online casino was initiated. From then on there have been pretty exciting establishments in the industry and many games such as Peggle Slot Machine Online. Today the gambling industry is enormous, with more than 200 online casinos in the UK and thousands scattered across geographies. It’s impossible to ignore the disruption it’s causing in the overall gaming industry.
Advancements in technology and the different changes in legislation are making the online gambling sites more and more accessible in almost all parts of the world. We have been a part of the history of massive developments in the gaming platform, but what is next? What does the online gambling industry have in store for tomorrow? Here’s what we are anticipating:
Increased Usage of Cryptocurrencies
You most probably have seen at least one online casino offering cryptocurrency bonuses mostly Bitcoins among the others. As cryptocurrencies are rising in popularity and several businesses are adapting to using them, we expect online casinos will be next in line to incorporate them. Soon all the big names in the industry can accept Litecoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin, and Ripple.
How soon do we expect this to happen? Most probably by the end of 2018 or by the beginning of 2019. This depends on how fast major firms like Amazon accept them and the global acceptance of the currency. We can’t tell precisely how soon this will happen, but what we know for sure is that they will play a huge role in the development of online gambling. They have cheap transaction costs, high confidentiality and privacy, and their ability to skirt around restrictions and country regulations will appeal significantly to global gamblers.
Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality can change the whole world, not just the gambling scene. Already, VR leaders like Mark Zuckerberg from Facebook are claiming that VR will be huge with billions of people adapting to it. At the moment, a few casinos are offering virtual reality experiences. Picture placing bets in real time with waitresses handing over martinis as you spin online slots, and gambling at live dealer tables with real-life experiences similar to that in Vegas but only from the comfort of your home. VR has a lot to offer, it’s not there yet, but pretty soon we will have some spectacular virtual experiences. We believe all this will take off in the mid-2020s.
Death of Wagering Requirements
We expect all wagering requirements will end shortly. There are a bunch of online casinos that have already done away with them. Due to the competitive environment more and more of them are following suit. Well, we don’t foresee any tears being shed, no one likes the wagering requirements. Players will no longer have to go through additional game rounds before withdrawing their wins. However, this will come with some repercussions – the crazy jackpot wins will have to reduce substantially.
Comeback in the US market
The US market probably holds the highest potential for the online gambling industry. However, the potential is underutilised due to restrictions and the bans placed on virtual casinos. There are a lot of grey areas in online gambling in the US, with only a handful of games and platforms regulated to operate. We, however, foresee this changing very soon. Already several politicians including President Donald Trump have made remarks hinting at how the US is missing out economic benefits from the online gambling industry. It’s only a matter of time before it all changes.
AI Ramifications for Online Gambling
If you are a tech fanatic, then you are probably aware of the establishments made in Artificial Intelligence. It was only recently that one of Google’s AI was able to give birth. More advancements are being made in the field, and massive investments are currently being ploughed into research facilities related to the AI industry. Every prominent investor wants a piece of the pie.
In the gaming industry, we have witnessed hints of the ability of AI. We all know how hard it can be to beat the computer at poker or some random fighting game. Soon enough AI will be fully integrated into online gambling making it almost impossible to beat the house. In our opinion, only the expert gamers will survive.
Our Final Words
There is so much more to expect in the online gambling industry that we can not probably imagine yet. Some of these changes will take a toll for the better, others for the worse. All in all, the gambling scene we currently have today will be different in the next five years. Remember how two decades ago no one could even visualize gambling from a laptop? In fact, mobile devices were not also in the picture then. Anything is possible. Share your thoughts and let us know what you think of the above developments.
