How Technology has Benefited Slots Games and the Casino Industry
How Technology has Benefited Slots Games and the Casino Industry Pixabay

The online casino industry has been one of the biggest success stories of the past couple of decades and the trend looks set to continue for the foreseeable future.

Revenue in the global online gambling market is likely to top $65 billion in 2021, and has been forecast to keep rising at a rapid rate over the coming years.

Advancements in technology have powered the growth, allowing casino operators to develop immersive sites that keep players engaged for hours on end.

Read on as we look at some the ways technology has driven the rise of online casinos and assess how things may progress in the future.

Choice of games

It was once the case that players were able to choose from just a handful of table games and slots when they visited a land-based casino.

However, technology has moved on significantly since then, with software developers creating thousands of different iGaming titles.

Companies such as Scientific Games, Playtech, International Game Technology and Microgaming are amongst the pioneers in this area.

Pinning an exact figure on the number of games available is a near impossible task, although it has been estimated that there more than 15,000 slot games alone.

With developers continuing to churn out new titles every week, this tally will continue to rise steadily over the next few years.

Immersive gameplay

In addition to having a major impact on the number of online casino games available, technology has also significantly changed the gameplay element.

For instance, traditional slot machines were initially a very basic affair, with the games generally featuring just three reels and one payline.

Fast forward to today and online slots provide a truly immersive gameplay experience, with bonus features and additional levels adding to the excitement.

Most modern slots take inspiration from how video games are played, making them more about the journey to get to the jackpot rather than actually winning the top prize.

This ethos has its roots in the competitive nature of humans, luring them into continuing to try an ‘defeat’ the game they are playing.

Bonuses & promotions

If you head into a brick-and-mortar casino for the first time and buy some chips, it is highly unlikely that the venue will give you any more than you pay for.

That is not the case where online sites are concerned, with operators using offers such as free spins, matched deposits and bonuses to attract new customers and retain existing ones.

The software that powers online casinos allows the owners to change the promotional offers at the touch of a button, giving them the chance to react quickly to market fluctuations.

Technology has also provided operators with the tools to tailor promotions for individual players by tracking their spending habits on the site.

This provides players with a more personalised experience and increase the chances of them remaining loyal to a particular online casino brand.

Mobile & Wi-Fi technology

Another massive factor in the rise in popularity of online casinos has been the improvements in smartphone technology and Wi-Fi connectivity.

The early incarnations of online casino sites could only be accessed on desktop or laptop, but things have moved on significantly since then.

Smartphones have advanced massively in recent years, and are now the ‘go-to’ device for the majority of people who access the internet.

It is estimated that people already spend an average of around four hours per day entertaining themselves on mobile devices, highlighting how integral they have become to daily life.

The rollout of 5G Wi-Fi technology will also have a positive impact on online casinos, providing players with more stable connectivity when they are playing their favourite games.

Safer payment methods

When casino games were first made available on the internet, many people were concerned about how safe it was to share payment details with online casinos.

A handful of unscrupulous operators gave the industry a bad reputation during the early years, but things have progressed a long way since then.

Advancements in digital payment technology have created a more trustworthy environment, giving people peace of mind that their deposits and withdrawals will be facilitated safely.

Credit/debit cards remain popular, but alternatives such as e-Wallets and cryptocurrency have become much more prevalent in recent times.

Open banking methods such as Trustly are also gaining traction, with around 525 million people worldwide currently using their services to make online payments.

Advertising and marketing

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, online casino operators must work hard to retain existing customers and attract new players to their sites.

Technology has proved to be a Godsend in this respect, providing casino brands with the tools to aggressively market themselves to a much wider audience.

Social media and content marketing are amongst the ways that operators have been able to attract a new demographic to online casino games.

Studies have shown that around one-third of online casinos players are now female, demonstrating the impact that technology has had on the sector.

With technology making it much easier for casino operators to capture data, future growth in the industry seems an inevitable outcome.

Future casino innovations

As with most sectors that have been impacted by technology, the online casino industry will continue to undergo further changes over the next few years.

Virtual Reality (VR) technology is finally making its mark, with the recent release of a live game show and casino game by Evolution Gaming sparking plenty of excitement amongst operators.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been widely tipped to be the next innovation to have a significant impact having already found its way onto some casino sites.

Several operators currently use automated chatbots to enhance their customer service and many more are expected to follow suit in the future.

With AI also tipped to be used to improve security and address problem gambling, technology will clearly continue to benefit the casino industry for some time to come.