Reality Check: Emerging Technologies in Online Casinos

Gaming and technology go hand in hand, and as the capabilities of smartphones and tablets grow ever more sophisticated, the greater the possibilities become.

Mobile tech brought millions of new players to online casinos and has helped to drive the industry to an estimated value of over $60 billion globally. With such a competitive marketplace, casino operators are looking toward cutting-edge technology to entice new customers and enhance their user experience. One word that’s fairly overused when talking about tech advancements in online casinos is ‘immersive’ — but prepare for it to be overused here as well, as immersion is the goal for most game developers.

And there is no better way to make the casino experience more immersive than the use of  Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), two emerging technologies which are helping game developers reimagine the possibilities of card games, roulette, slot machines, and the casino environment itself.

The Power of Mobile

There is no doubt that mobile technology has played a large part in the meteoric rise of the online casino industry and the wider gaming industry. We carry devices more powerful than many computers in our pockets and handbags, and we’re glued to them. Slots on the bus, roulette in the lunch queue, poker on the toilet — cutting-edge games are at our fingertips wherever we are, and a mobile-first approach to online casino games emphasises this.

And there are no shortages of places to play or games to enjoy. Visitors to online casinos such as Buzz Bingo can find a great array of slots featuring stunning graphics and enhanced gameplay, live dealer roulette and blackjack, as well as variations on the classic game of bingo. And these games don’t require expensive technology or add-ons — anyone with a modern smartphone can access and enjoy them.

Augmented Reality: An Interactive Touch

The most notable use of AR to date came in the form of Pokemon Go, which became a phenomenon and highlighted the intriguing possibilities of AR, as well as the dangers of walking around a little too immersed — people have crashed cars, fallen into ditches and even off cliffs playing the game. Of course, casino games are by their nature more sedentary, so hopefully the risk of serious injury is minimised. (In case anyone needs to hear it, live-dealer poker ISN’T a good way to kill time on a long drive.)

AR adds an interactive layer to our surroundings, with superimposed text, graphics, and images — this makes it well suited to online casino games, particularly card games, where players can hold their cards in their hands as interactive 3D objects.

However, the new technology does face some challenges. While most smartphones can support the tech, some would argue that the best and most immersive experience comes with the use of a headset or costly smart glasses. Add to that the cost of developing AR games and apps, and operators may be hesitant to commit to AR.

Virtual Reality: An Immersive Casino Experience

For a fully immersive online casino experience, you can’t get better than VR. The technology has been around since the 1980s but is only now coming into its own as a practicable form of entertainment — before that it was a kind of semi-hypothetical curiosity, usurped mainly by the increasingly advanced console and PC games. But now, some casinos are offering VR games, where players can interact with the casino environment, with other players, and with dealers and croupiers. And of course, one can enjoy all the classic games, fully immersed (there’s that word again) in the experience.

The drawbacks of VR are similar to those that AR faces. Another factor, apart from the expense of hardware and software development, is space. You need an uncluttered space to avoid stumbling over tables or into walls — behavior that is generally frowned upon in casinos.

Emerging technologies such as AR and VR have plenty to contribute to the user experience in online casinos. While both face challenges in terms of affordability and practicality, expect to see these obstacles overcome, and the technology become more widespread in the near future.