There’s a reason historians have named the time we live in the Digital Age. Numerous technological advancements have taken place in recent years, making our lives significantly different. They’ve changed the way we communicate, learn, work, and have fun.
This new reality has made multiple industries rethink the way they function. One such industry is gambling.
Technology has given birth to an entirely new branch of gambling and made it insanely popular. Online gambling managed to grow into one of the most lucrative industries in the world in just a couple of years, and it shows no signs of stopping.
If you’re wondering what made the gambling industry into what it is today, stick around to find out. This article will explore five technologies that have had the biggest impact on the gambling sector.
Mobile Technology
Mobile technology has proved to be one of the biggest game-changers in the gambling industry. There’s no mystery as to why that’s the case.
Mobile technology has become an omniscient force in our lives. We all have smartphones that we carry with us wherever we go. These smartphones have tons of apps that give us access to information and activities we wouldn’t have had otherwise. Savvy casino operators have used this situation in their favor.
It’s been years since the US got its first real-money mobile casino platform, and the ball hasn’t stopped rolling.
The online gambling scene now teems with mobile casinos of all shapes and forms. Their creators have made sure they cover all the markets. Their mobile software is designed to be compatible with multiple devices and operating systems.
Gamblers can play their favorite games in browser-based mobile casinos or standalone casino apps. The apps are easy to download and simple to use. They’ve evolved so much that their performance is almost identical to desktop casinos.
Making gambling so accessible proved to be a genius business move.
A growing number of players are now choosing to gamble on their phones because it’s so convenient. They gamble on their commute to work, waiting in line, or during work breaks. So, it’s not surprising casinos are investing heaps of money into this new industry.
Mobile gambling is progressing at lightning speed, so there’s certainly more we can expect in the future.
Live Streaming
Many players’ favorite aspect of gambling is its social component.
The lively atmosphere, fierce competition, and socialization are some of the reasons why land-based casinos have become popular in the first place.
Nothing beats the thrills and excitement of playing against real opponents. Cheering, celebrations, lights, and music only add to it.
For a while, live gambling was the only thing land-based casinos had on their online counterparts. They could provide an authentic casino experience that no virtual gambling site could replicate. Now, live streaming technology has put an end to that.
Nowadays online casinos in the USA offer a wide array of interactive and social games. Players can join real-money live streams of classic casino games, from poker to roulette. They get to hone their gambling skills by playing with real opponents from around the world on a daily basis.
What’s more, they can gamble live even if they’re on the move. Live streaming is now available even on mobile casino apps. Some of these platforms stream niche games like Bingo 24/7.
Besides bringing immersive gambling to people’s homes, advanced technology improved it. Cutting-edge software allows casinos to offer interactive displays that help players keep track of the game and make better decisions. This technology takes the pressure off gamblers and makes complex games more accessible to a larger pool of players.
Live streaming has already done plenty for online gambling, and it looks like there’s much more it can bring to the table.
Cybersecurity
Safety concerns have been among internet users’ main worries since the Wide World Web became a part of our lives.
As technology evolved, security risks have become more numerous and common. Users face myriad threats today, from malware and viruses to DDoS attacks and spyware.
Unfortunately, the online gambling industry isn’t immune to any of these risks — quite the contrary.
The stakes are even higher since online casinos work with sensitive data and money. They have plenty of information hackers could target, causing irreversible damage to the casino, its brand, and its members.
Thankfully, technology has provided gambling operators with various tools to protect themselves from cyberattacks. For instance, SSL encryption has become one of the industry standards. The technology is built to encrypt the information exchanged between a site and its users. So, even if a hacker succeeded in intercepting it, they’d find a series of meaningless numbers, letters, and symbols.
All reputable online casinos today make sure to keep themselves in check, too. They keep their users’ personal and financial information locked away in firewall-protected servers. These gambling sites also comply with KYC procedures and collaborate with third-party regulators who ensure that their games are fair.
These cybersecurity measures have helped many players put more trust in online casinos.
Blockchain Technology
The rise of blockchain tech is one of the latest technological developments we’ve witnessed. This technology initially became popular for its power to support cryptocurrencies, but that was only a tiny part of its functionality.
Blockchain has found a purpose in a wide range of industries and fields since then, gambling included.
Blockchain technology has two well-known uses in the online gambling sector today. It plays a role in its financial and gaming sectors. Gambling with cryptos like Bitcoin has many benefits. For example, its decentralized nature facilitates and records financial transactions without the control of a centralized authority. In this way, blockchains allow players to keep their transactions anonymous and their money safe.
More recently, many casinos started using blockchain technology to show that their games were legitimate. This technology’s immutability and cryptographic features allow casinos to use the so-called provably fair algorithm. This algorithm creates two keys that players can compare to verify whether the outcomes of casino games are fair.
These two uses are not all online casinos can leverage blockchain technology for. Its high versatility gives it the potential to provide a lot more to casino players and operators alike.
Data Modeling
Businesses have long learned that one-size-fits-all solutions do not produce good results. So, companies have started using technology to curate their services and products to suit their customers better.
The gambling industry has jumped on that trend recently, too.
Operators started leveraging data modeling, predictive analytics, and machine learning capabilities to customize their offers. For example, they’ve begun tracking their users’ behavior and habits by using radio frequency identification chips or analyzing slots’ game histories.
The gathered information can help casinos identify popular games and features and invest more into them.
Similarly, sportsbooks started using AI-based prediction systems to analyze athletes’ performances, weather conditions, past game outcomes, and much more. This knowledge helps them create more betting opportunities for their users.
Casinos and sportsbooks utilize data modeling tools to recognize patterns and trends in their customer’s behavior. This data allows them to:
- Change and optimize their marketing strategies
- Increase customer loyalty
- Grow their user base
These changes, in turn, generate more revenue and improve profit margins.
Data science keeps advancing, so we expect casinos and betting sites to become even more successful in personalizing their customer experience.
Conclusion
Technology has been developing at a staggering rate in the last few years. Its influence has taken the gambling industry to another level. Gambling entered the online realm, expanded to mobile devices, improved its services through live streaming and blockchain tech, and enhanced its safety through cybersecurity.
Since the era of technological progress is nowhere near an end, these shifts in online gambling are only the beginning of what we’ll see in the future.
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