The most popular casino games, such as blackjack and roulette, have been around for centuries and don’t look like losing any of their appeal anytime soon. Yet, that doesn’t mean that there is a lack of innovation in the industry. On the contrary, a look at some of the latest online casino trends lets us see how quickly the industry is moving to adapt to the possibilities offered by new technology.
A growing number of live experiences
The availability of new streaming technology has been put to good use in the online casino world. This is because casinos can now offer live dealer games where the human dealer is streamed directly onto the player’s screen, giving an authentic casino atmosphere and a human touch that appeals to many players without affecting the odds of winning at roulette or other games.
Evolution Gaming is a leading name in this area, with their games such as Crazy Time, Sic Bo Live, and Live Dream Catcher all included in the collection of live dealer games in the Betway casino. We can also see Texas hold ‘em, roulette, and blackjack among the options. The popularity of casino games based on TV game shows is reflected in titles such as Deal or No Deal and Mega Wheel. These games can offer players the chance to view the action from different camera angles, such as seeing close-ups of the dealer’s hands at the vital moments, for instance, when they are turning over the vital card to decide which hand wins a game of baccarat. In some cases, the players can also interact with the dealer as the game is carried out.
Mobile-first games
The huge popularity of smartphones and tablets can be seen in the fact that close to 4 billion people around the world now own one. It’s thought about 2.2 billion of us play mobile games of some sort and over 60% of people install a game within a week of owning a new smartphone, so it is easy to see why this is a market that casino games developers are keen to expand.
The arrival of the HTML5 programming language in 2008 made it far easier to develop mobile games that can be played instantly in a smartphone’s browser. This has led to leading companies such as NetEnt close to hugely popular slots like Starburst to the mobile market. Microgaming and Playtech have also put a strong focus on the mobile approach.
Some game developers proudly state on their websites that they are mobile-first. A look at the Play N´Go site confirms that new releases such as Prism of Gems and Scroll of Dead are available on mobile devices using a variety of devices. In the same way, slots like Wild Hot Chilli Reels and Dream Destiny are mobile-optimized releases from Red Tiger Gaming. Of course, new releases need to be available on desktop devices too, but it may not be too long before we get mobile-only casinos. With smartphone penetration rates increasing in many regions and sitting at under 50% on a worldwide basis, there is clearly still a lot of potentials for this market to grow.
The use of artificial intelligence
Perhaps this last point isn’t as obvious to players as the others we have looked at, given that artificial intelligence is something that can be embedded in a casino’s operations rather than being a factor that stands out when you enter a site.
The biggest impact that artificial intelligence has had in this industry so far is in customer service. This is because the use of an AI chatbot can allow players to get fast answers to anything that they want to know about using the site. They probably won’t even realize that they are speaking to an AI bot rather than a human.
However, it seems certain that this type of technology is used more extensively in the years to come. For instance, they could be used to collect data on a player’s playing method and recommend certain games that appear to best fit their strategy and tastes. It could also be used to work out what people most like about certain games, allowing developers to create more popular new games.
There is no doubt that the latest advances in technology are helping to make online casinos more attractive for many newcomers. However, it is worth noting that there has been a focus on maintaining the classic style of gameplay that has appealed to players from all over the world for so long.
Read more: Best Canadian Online Casinos
