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The first online casino launched in 1994. At the time, neither Google nor Amazon had started. Netflix wasn’t a thing either and the smartphone technology was far from being a reality.
Nearly 30 years later, iGaming is a $70 billion industry. It’s legal in more than 50 countries, including in the US, the UK, Canada, and most of Europe. In countries where online gambling is legal, casinos and sportsbooks use these technologies:
Mobile Gaming
Microgaming launched the world’s first mobile casino game in 2005. Two years later, the iPhone launched. And online gambling has never been the same. Mobile gaming is now more popular than PC gaming.
Unsurprisingly, nearly every new online casino has a mobile-friendly website. Developers use HTML5 to code web apps that can operate on both Android and iOS devices.
One of the reasons mobile gaming is so popular has everything to do with convenience. Although many people own laptops, smartphones are more convenient.
Sure, you can use your laptop on the bus. But playing slots with your Samsung Galaxy phone feels more convenient. When you think about it, smartphones are also more affordable.
We know. The upcoming iPhone 15 won’t be cheap. And neither will be Samsung Galaxy 24 Ultra. Still, most Android phones are cheap. And this makes gaming affordable to the majority of the world.
Crypto and Blockchain Casino Games
As Bitcoin grows in popularity, so is the number of online casinos accepting cryptocurrencies. Some sites welcome you with huge bonuses—you could receive up to 5BTC as your welcome reward.
Some of these casinos are also providing games created on the blockchain. For clarity, the blockchain allows developers to create provably fair games of luck. That means you can play slots, roulette, blackjack, and craps games that are 100% fair.
Another genre of casino games built on the blockchain is called crash gambling. It involves games that stack up your winnings continuously until you cash out. The multiplier can magnify your money as high as 500x your stake. But there’s a catch.
If you don’t cash out your money before the multiplier crashes, you lose it all. The only way to play most crash gambling games is through crypto coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum. So, load up your crypto wallet.
No-Registration Casinos
We can all agree that far too many websites and apps force us to create accounts unnecessarily. Maybe you just want to download a short video online. You really don’t need to give out your email address.
Speaking of email addresses, some casinos now allow you to play slots and poker without revealing your personal information. We’re talking about no-registration casinos.
These sites work with Trustly—a popular Swedish digital wallet. Trustly handles identity verification in the background. It also helps gamblers deposit money to their casino accounts quickly.
You receive an ID to help you keep track of your account. But you don’t need to reveal your email address, home address or upload your ID. Due to this, both deposits and withdrawals are fast.
That being said, no-registration casinos are available in a few countries only: Finland, Germany, and Sweden.
Live Casino Gaming
Live casino gaming is an exciting way to play poker, blackjack, baccarat, and roulette. It simulates Las Vegas casinos using branded virtual casino rooms and human dealers.
As a player, all you need is a device with a clear camera and fast Internet. Of course, you need money to spend. The best live casino games provide a wide range of games. They also give you special live casino bonuses.
Evolution is arguably the best software provider in this space. So, find a casino with games from the developer. It provides numerous high-quality live games. It supports multiple languages and has casino rooms in all major cities.
As an alternative to Evolution, find casinos with games from Pragmatic Play, Ezugi Studios, NetEnt, or Playtech.
Pay by Phone
Pay by Phone is yet another banking technology designed to change how people gamble online. It works in a few countries. Only a small number of mobile payments support it—Boku, PayForIt, Apple Pay, and MuchBetter.
Put simply, Pay by Phone payment methods lend you money to play online casino games. You pay the loan afterward while clearing your phone bill. Because of the high risks involved, most Pay by Phone companies lend you small amounts of money.
They can give you $100 or $200 if you have a good credit rating. But they could still lower your maximum loan amount if you’re unable to pay on time. The beauty of these sites is that they make gambling convenient.
They allow you to enjoy casino gaming even if you don’t have the cash to spend. But they don’t lend you too much money to ensure you can manage your debt.
AI-Powered Customer Service Bots
More and more casinos are replacing email support with chatbots. It’s a cost-effective measure now that bots don’t need breaks and salaries. But is it effective?
Modern AI-powered chatbots are surprisingly helpful. They use sophisticated language processing algorithms to make sense of a customer’s information. They then provide an appropriate reply.
To ensure they provide effective customer service, most casinos don’t rely on chatbots alone. They also have staff that chat with customers. Live chatting allows you to communicate with a human support staff conveniently.
The best casinos provide 24/7 live chat. This means you’re assured of receiving customer service regardless of when you decide to gamble online. Most sites also feature alternative communication methods.
If 24/7 live chatting is unavailable, you can use email support or contact the casino on social media. Some of them also have phone contacts you can call during normal business hours.
Conclusion
Technology is disrupting the iGaming space. It started by popularizing mobile gaming. Then it introduced live gaming to make poker and blackjack lively. Next came Fintech companies like Trustly.
In the future, AI will play a bigger role in the growth of online casinos. It will influence how developers create slots. It will disrupt customer service, website design, and other aspects of the industry.
