The world of online casinos is constantly evolving. Whenever there is an advancement in computer hardware or software, the developers of online games are working at the cutting edge of the new technology to bring their gamers new and exciting experiences.
In the last few years, there have been some big technological innovations that are changing the way we play casino games online and how we interact with each other at online casinos. These have come from both the software that makes webpages work and the infrastructure that gives us access to the world wide web.
Here is a quick guide to some of the tech that is changing the way we play at online casinos, and play all online games, and what the future holds for fans of online gaming.
Metadata Is Powering Customer Service
Data analytics have become a huge part of online gaming and retail. Companies are using the vast amount of data their users generate to analyse behaviour and find new ways to satisfy user demand and market new services.
In the online casino industry data analysis is being used to help customer retention and engagement, finding new strategies to create customer loyalty and help them to see value in their membership. Some of the big names in the industry are offering bonuses without requirements to new and existing clients to increase their customer base while keeping hold of the users they have.
These types of bonuses come from market research driven by consumer metadata analytics, giving customers the incentives they want rather than special offers that do not interest them. Bonuses without requirements are popular with players as they feel they are getting something for nothing, but the extra credit or spins inspires interaction with the casino and more play. This means they spend more time on the site which helps to increase the average spend of each casino member.
HTML5 Has Changed The Online Casino For All Users
Since the dawn of the internet, websites offering online games have been popular destinations for web surfers. They quickly become some of the most visited websites back when modems made noises as they dialed their way into the internet.
The software that underpins web browsing has evolved significantly since these early days, and connection speeds have grown exponentially. This has helped to change the way people experience and play games online, especially since HTML5 became the standard code for websites.
Hypertext Markup Language 5 has made it possible for web developers to unify user experiences across all devices and web browsers. HTML5 combines three types of coding, HTML for the basic structure of the webpage, Cascading Style Sheets (CCS) to handle how the page is presented, and JavaScript to take care of games and streaming media. Web pages can now be much richer, and present visitors with more information in a range of formats without compromising user experience across different platforms.
This has enabled slot game developers to push graphics, music, and gameplay to new heights while the HTML5 coding standard gives users the same experience across both mobile and PC platforms. Now when developers design a slot game they can ensure gamers are enjoying the same gameplay, rules, and visuals however they choose to play.
Smartphones And 5G Have Made Games Mobile
Mobile gaming is the most rapidly expanding sector of the online gaming market. There are billions of existing smartphone users, and these devices will be in the hands of most adults in the developed world in the next few years. This creates a massive potential user base for online gaming.
5G is rolling out across the world too. Faster speeds have made richer online gaming experiences possible, and the smartphones themselves are now almost as powerful as laptops. The extra power that graphics chips and screens can utilise lets mobile games compete with their PC-based brethren.
Previously, the mobile version of an online slot game was a shrunken-down version of its PC browser counterpart. Now the inverse is true, with the developers expanding the mobile version of a slot game for laptop and desktop users.
These two factors are driving the massive increase in mobile gaming players, and this has prompted game developers to shift their focus to web-based games that anyone can play anywhere at any time. Not only has the user base swelled, but so has the number of opportunities to play.
Cryptocurrency Is Changing How We Pay And Play
The immediate future of online gaming will be changed forever by cryptocurrencies as they become the preferred way to pay for many players. Casino activities may even be used by players to generate cryptocurrency.
In the short term, convenience and security are the biggest reasons that players switch to crypto. The payments are much quicker for both deposits and withdrawals, and the cryptocurrency exchanges are harder for hackers to intercept or monitor. These are two main concerns for regular players, and crypto gives them peace of mind with speedy access to their winnings.
Games that allow players to earn or generate cryptocurrency as they play are already in development. In the next few years, online casinos may be able to allow players to earn crypto credits playing mini-games that they can then use to play regular casino games later.
The blockchain technology that makes cryptocurrencies possible can also be used by online casinos to make their games and their user accounts more secure. It can make all accounts and financial transactions made across their platforms impenetrable to hackers.
The Future Is Made Of Virtual Realities
By far the biggest technological advance in recent years has been the evolution of virtual and augmented reality headsets. How far these devices have come in such a short amount of time is quite breathtaking when you consider all the different components and infrastructure they need to operate.
Now, virtual spaces are taking over reality itself. There has been a huge uptake of VR devices thanks to Meta, also known as Facebook. They have led the way with their Quest 2 package which made in-depth VR experiences accessible to the average gamer without the need for a powerful PC.
This technology is already being explored by casino game developers and online casino venues. Social VR is one of the most rapidly expanding spaces in the virtual reality world. Soon, a new gaming destination will become the norm, as virtual casinos where people interact and play together like they do in physical spaces.
Augmented reality is going to free mobile gamers from their phones. AR headsets project images and information over the world we live in. This can be a handy tool to find your way across a new city, with directional arrows pointing you towards your destination, or it can be a way to play games while completing mundane tasks. With the use of hand gestures and voice recognition, you could play a live game of Texas Hold-em while doing the dishes.
The changes being made to games and online casinos today are just the beginning. As new gaming technology like virtual and augmented reality become mainstream, online casino games will again be at the forefront of these emerging technologies. The longer casinos continue to bring players new gaming experiences, the more successful they will become.
