Every industry, indeed, practically every activity, has been affected by the technical revolution, from big data technology driving marketing activities to streaming apps changing the way we watch TV and movies. Yet the casino industry is one that has seen more changes than most and continues to do so. The appearance of online casinos a decade ago and their growth have driven both regulatory and philosophical change. Casino gaming is transparent, accessible, and, to a large extent, socially acceptable when done for fun and in moderation.
The transformation is, however, a work in progress. It’s an evolving industry that’s highly competitive. That means change is the only constant, as every innovation can provide a competitive edge. Let’s take a look at the tech areas that are the real game-changers.
The move to mobile
As recently as 2020, we were talking about mobile casinos as being a subset of or appendage to online casinos. The world has moved on, mobile accounts for more than 50 percent of gaming in general today, and that’s certainly the case with online casinos. After all, about 90 percent of adults in the western world own a smartphone – why would they want to play casino games from a PC or laptop?
It’s led to a 180-degree change of perspective. The sites and games are designed first and foremost with mobile in mind. It’s more of a challenge for the established providers with archaic legacy systems than anyone else, but this is an area in which it would be suicidal to be left behind. The PA online casino app from Unibet gives you a taste of what can be done.
Live gaming
It used to be the case that online casinos could not compete with land-based ones in terms of the fun experience and social interactions they provided. The past two years have shown us that we can still have fun and be social in cyberspace, and this has been especially so in casino gaming.
Live games make it more like a visit to a “real” casino, closing the competitive gap. Of course, the most recent innovation has been to bring live gaming to mobile. It’s something that would have probably been impractical with the previous generation of average handsets, so this really is an example of tech-led change in action.
Digital transactions
One of the biggest barriers in the early days of online casinos was getting money to and from the gambling account. Currency exchange mechanisms, banking regulations, and rules related to credit cards all added up to one giant headache. Today, digital wallets, online payment processors, and more widespread use of crypto are changing the game beyond recognition.
This is another example of change that is happening right before our eyes as processors like Trustly and iDeal gradually expand from their European origins and start to launch in other parts of the world. But even now, it is arguably more convenient to make deposits and withdrawals from an online casino than a physical one.