Even for those who don’t take part in it themselves, the world of gambling as a whole is quite familiar to everyone by this point. Thanks to TV and movies, we all know about poker, roulette, blackjack, and the rest of the online casinos staples.
However, especially when it comes to online gambling, few know exactly how big and varied it is, and just what goes into making the entire thing work. The iGaming industry, which encompasses almost every form of gambling and better across the Internet; is one of the fastest growing industries in the world and there are many things people just don’t realize.
The Basics of Online Casinos
The online casino is the primary hub for gambling for the majority of players in the world. These sites feature games created by game developers, although the available range will vary from site to site. Some of the largest casinos have several titles they’ve developed themselves on top of the regular catalog. These games make up a small percentage of the whole library, so players are still much more likely to be playing slots, bingo, or even Slingo games at Paddy Power over the home-grown titles.
As the name implies, part of the library of a normal casino is dedicated to what is normally seen as casino games. Poker, blackjack, and roulette are all staples of casino sites, and more than that, there is a great variety of unique versions of each one. There are a dozen blackjack types available with different rules, a huge number of poker variations; and even roulette types with extra features and bonuses.
Beyond this are slot games which come in hundreds of varieties and themes; including everything from Ancient Egypt to Incan treasures to Merlin in King Arthur’s Court. There is a slot game for virtually every topic; activity, or theme, and each one will have unique features in it; like different bonus games, different layouts, and unique symbols for each title.
Unique Features of Online Casinos
One of the biggest factors behind online casinos is their ability to incorporate new technology quickly, and there are many examples of the latest tech finding its way into casino titles. Take for example the integration of smartphones; every single modern casino slot or table game that gets released is developed mobile-first, with the standard PC browser versions being ported over from them instead of the other way around. Statista’s most recent data puts U.S. smartphone penetration around the 72% mark, so casinos have latched onto the technology of it. Titles are also made to be data-friendly with carefully optimized designs and coding.
At the more basic level are things such as live casino games; where games like blackjack and roulette are played with a live dealer from a casino studio. While they can just the basic game played remotely, the more advanced live games have an entirely different feel. The most elaborate live games are essentially like interactive game shows, with hosts; multiple special features, and extremely high-quality production values. These live games can played at almost any time around the clock; and in some cases incorporate the very latest in available technology.
New Technology:
As of 2022, we are starting to see technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) appear across online casinos; with live games so far getting the most advanced versions. Live games can now become fully-immersive worlds of their own if you happen to be one of the 171 million VR headset owners reported in a recent article by Zippia. With that said, even without a VR headset, AR is possible for anyone; with characters and special games overlaid onto a real-life background and host. It’s a level of live interactivity rarely seen in any industry, not just iGaming.
One last thing that iGaming has adopted en masse is the use of a wide range of cutting-edge payment platforms for monetary transactions. All the largest online casinos will provide several payment options beyond the standard Visa or Mastercard; including Skrill, Neteller, and the standard PayPal.
How Online Casinos Stay Secure
The fact is, any online casino can expect to see thousands upon thousands of transactions happening every single day; with numbers going up into the tens or hundreds of thousands. Whether that’s deposits or withdrawals, every transaction must be completely safe and secure. Thankfully, this is another area where online casinos are making sure to use only the latest technology.
For a secure casino site, they use extremely high-end encryption methods; often in multiple layers, so that all transactions are nearly impossible to break into or manipulate. It isn’t just money either – personal information provided to a casino gets the same protection behind it; even in message exchanges with support team members. As an extra level on top to help their customers protect themselves, features like two-factor authentication are also sometimes present. Overall, a reputable casino site is one of the most secure places you can be on the Internet these days.
Final notes
While this article covers all of the most critical information to know about the inner workings of iGaming; there are plenty of other features that can still explored. For example, there are progressive jackpot slots or Megaways slots that have unique features all to themselves; state-of-the-art software that goes into slot game development; or even the growing concept of entirely virtual casinos with AI hosts and dealers.
All in all, iGaming is a much deeper and more complex industry than anyone from the outside would ever know. More than that, it’s a technology leader in many areas; and it wouldn’t surprising for many of the advancements found to translate into other media.