By SWL staff
March 4 2020, 10.30
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Online casinos have been around for about 25 years now. They were, in fact, expected to be one of the early examples of digital disruption, i.e. where you take an existing industry and replace with a digital one.
But online casinos, while hugely successful, did not replace real casinos in the same way as, say, Netflix famously sounded the death knell for video rental stores like Blockbuster.
In a sense, you can understand this. If you want entertainment in London, there is something to be said for putting your best garb on and heading out to the Ritz Club or The Palm Beach Casino for a night of revelry. In short, both land-based casino and online sites have co-existed peacefully for the last quarter of a century, neither treading upon each other’s territory.
But has there been a shift change in recent years? Nowadays you can play live games at sites such as this one www.casino.com/uk/blackjack/. Real dealer casino games, which use streaming and console technology to bring the authentic experience to your device, arrived in the middle of the 2010s, and have proven to be a massive hit with players.
Blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps – you name it; these games can be played just like they would be in a casino resort.
Tech has enabled new gaming concepts
And yet, if you excuse the pun, online casinos have another ace up their sleeve – technology. Offering real casino games that replicate everything you would find in a resort is one thing, but using technology to enhance the games is quite another.
Consider how you can use RNG (random number generator) software to offer big jackpots alongside the traditional casino games. This is seen in live dealer studios such as Age of the Gods Live and Quantum Blackjack Live. Every turn of the card and
every spin of the wheel is just like a real casino, but the tech involved means a random player can walk away with a fortune.
Moreover, there is a push away from traditional games online, something that leads to more variety at online casinos. Take, for example, the game Deal or No Deal Live, which was launched by Evolution Gaming last year.
As you can guess, it’s based on the Channel 4 game show hosted by Noel Edmunds. It’s not exactly like the television show, but it’s a live-action interpretation that has become a huge draw at some online casinos. Other new concept games like Monopoly Live have similar appeal.
Online casinos have pushed gaming with a different trajectory
The point is this: For many years, the online casino industry strove to replicate what went on in a real casino. They achieved this with the live dealer technology.
Today, they have arguably perfected the technology that allows them to outstrip the casino resort experience. Yes, you won’t be able to score yourself a free cocktail, but you can certainly try some games that aren’t likely to be featured in a resort.
But there is another element at play here, one that isn’t reserved for casinos alone; namely, the wee societal changes have caused a shift in how we view entertainment.
Many of us, especially millennials, see the virtual world as the main entry point for social interaction.
You might think land-based casinos have the upper hand in the area of socialising, but it’s worth remembering that these live dealer games allow players to chat and interact. For many, that online world of interactions is the real one.
