The iGaming industry, like all other industries, is affected by trends. These can sometimes be so effective that they completely change how we play casino games. As technology advances, trends that fit this description are becoming more common: they do not change the rules of traditional games, but they are poised to revolutionise how we play them and manage our gambling budgets. In this article, we will take a brief look at the most impressive of these trends as of 2023. You can be sure to see these trends in action on the sites listed at https://highstakes-casinos.com/ first.
Augmented Reality May Be the Next Big Thing
Virtual reality (VR) technology has been in our lives for a long time. It asks us to wear big glasses and use special equipment, and in return, it promises us a uniquely immersive experience. We can interact with the game world using our bodies instead of controllers: this means that playing casino games will be quite impressive. For example, imagine spinning the roulette wheel with your hand, or actually holding the cards in your hands in blackjack: much more fun than clicking a mouse, right?
The problem is that VR technology has never made the expected leap. It has managed to create great excitement in several industries, that’s true, but VR glasses have been in our lives for almost a decade and the number of games using them has hardly increased. We saw the first examples of VR slots at the 2016 ICE fair, and VR casinos that you can visit with virtual reality glasses also appeared during this period, but none of them lasted long.
Fortunately, there is an alternative: augmented reality (AR). This is a technology that can access the camera of your smartphones and tablets and place virtual items that you can interact with in real-world images. For example, you can place a roulette table in the middle of your living room that you can only see from your smartphone screen. Developers such as Metaprolane and ARCardPlay already have nearly a dozen games that can be played this way.
The most important advantage of this technology is that it is accessible and affordable: you do not need to buy or use special equipment. If your smartphone can run, for example, Pokémon GO, which uses the same technology, you are ready for AR casino games too. Augmented reality is currently among the top trends in many industries, including iGaming, as it may also become part of the Metaverse: we are sure that in a short time, there will be a significant increase in the number of studios and games using this technology.
Blockchain V2 Will Change Gambling Payments
When we say V2, we are talking about modern blockchains that are not only used for money transfer but can run external programs and offer “token” support. Bitcoin and most of its derivative altcoins cannot do these, but Ethereum supports them all. Using the Ethereum blockchain, an online casino can create a digital token (chip) that will only be valid on its site. This chip can be used to place wagers in games and represents the player’s actual balance on the same blockchain. In other words, it offers these advantages:
- Ownership of the tokens always remains with the player. This means that the player does not have to transfer his money to a balance controlled by the casino. His balance is safe on the blockchain, the coin he purchased can be verified as belonging to him, and the casino does not manage transfers in any way: deposits and withdrawals occur on the blockchain.
- For the same reason, all transfers are instantaneous and do not need to be confirmed. Crypto tokens can be linked to a smart contract and ensure automatic/instant payment as soon as the player wins.
In other words, you no longer have to struggle to send your money to your casino account and withdraw your winnings through third-party controlled methods: the blockchain can handle all of these transactions without relying on a central authority. There has been a significant increase in the number of online casinos supporting cryptocurrencies over the last few years, but they only allow you to deposit & withdraw using Bitcoin and altcoins. This new trend aims to benefit from all the advantages of blockchain technology. We think that in the next 5 years, we will see a huge increase in the number of casinos that have left balance and payment management completely to blockchains.
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Any form of gambling should always be fun, playing in a way that is right for you. It’s good to set limits, take time out or set up reminders.
Please gamble responsibly and in moderation.
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