Technology is changing our lives every day and thanks to high-speed internet, mobile devices and PCs we can sort out our everyday things instantly with a few taps or clicks. We bank on our mobile or on our tablet, play video games, watch movies, stream music and so on. It is not surprising that gambling is also moving towards the digital world, hence being available for anyone interested in playing.
The casino industry has hundreds of years of history but new technologies in casinos have changed the ease of playing radically. In this article, we are going to discuss these developments with Swedish iGaming expert Dominic Andreasson. You can read more about Dominic’s work here.
From brick-and-mortar casinos to online casinos
The most important technological step in the casino business was undoubtedly going online. The first online casinos opened their virtual doors in the mid-90s and started gaining popularity rapidly. At the moment there are thousands of online casinos out there to choose from. On 1st January 2019 Sweden introduced a new gambling law allowing casinos to apply for a Swedish gaming license. So, players can choose to play in casinos that have this Swedish license or in the vast amount of casino utan svensk licens if they want to broaden their gaming choices.
The biggest advantage of online casinos to land-based ones is that anybody can play in them from anywhere. In Sweden, there are only 4 physical casinos and they are all situated in the southern part of the country – in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmo and Sundsvall. So, players from the Northern part of the country might be over a thousand kilometres away from the closest casino. Online casinos bring the real casino experience to these people, who simply couldn’t have access to these establishments.
Mobile Gaming
Online gaming had been a thing for years when the first smartphones and tablets appeared on the market. Casinos quickly recognized the potential in mobile gaming and started mobile-optimizing their games and creating their apps. And in fact, today more people play on their phones than on laptops and PCs.
Mobile gaming makes it possible to play games any time and from anywhere. Now you can play your favourite slot while sitting on the bus or play poker against other players while taking a bath. Unlimited mobile data packages enable anyone to play without worrying about their phone bill to pay.
Game Development
The variety and the constant development of casino games is another great advantage online casinos have over their land-based counterparts. No matter how great a brick-and-mortar casino is, it is impossible for them to have thousands of slot games and dozens of blackjack tables to choose from.
New games are coming on the market every day and the best online casinos make sure they are always up to date when it comes to the trendiest games. Sweden is very innovative when it comes to game producing and in fact, some of the biggest names in the industry are Swedish companies. NetEnt, Yggdrasil and Play’n GO are among the best in the field. Some of the best online casinos are also from Sweden such as Betsson, Mr Green and Leo Vegas.
Both online casinos and the casino games themselves are licensed. They use random number generator technology which ensures that the games are fair and truly random. If you ever have doubts about games being rigged in land-based casinos, this is something you don’t have to worry about if you play at a licensed online casino.
Virtual reality is among the newest technological developments in the online casino industry. Some VR games are already available in certain online casinos. VR games bring the brick-and-mortar casino experience to the players, as by putting on the headset you feel like you are inside a casino. You can walk around, and try out different slot games. VR poker also exists and here you will play with other people being able to read their body language.
Security of Payments
The way you can deposit to and withdraw from your player account has improved dramatically in the past 20 years. One of the most important casino development trends is the variety of ways players can deposit to their accounts. They used to accept only debit cards or bank transfers but nowadays there are much more deposit methods available. You can deposit through third-party e-wallets such as Paypal, Neteller or Skrill. If you choose any of these methods your card details are not shared with the casino but handled by the e-wallet company.
Cryptocurrency is among the newest deposit methods and it is currently one of the safest ones as well. Crypto deposits and withdrawals usually don’t carry any fee, the transactions are encrypted and they are instant.
Another payment method that is uniquely Swedish is the bank ID that allows players to play at any participating casino without having to register first. This is very convenient to players who might not want to spend time with registration and would not like to share their data with the casino.
Conclusion
Technologies are making the casino experience available for anyone. New game developments ensure we will never get bored with games, and safe payment methods and random number generator technologies give us peace of mind so that all we have to do is enjoy the games.
