Online casino gambling has been heavily influenced by major developments and innovations in technology, both hardware and software. Be it the apps, the games, or the websites, online casinos have come a very long way over the past 20+ years.
People new to playing casino games online may be surprised by some of these developments and how much gaming tech has progressed, especially when it comes to table games.
Table games represent the classic sitting down at a casino, having a dealer and opponents or fellow players, and enjoying the unique atmosphere of cards, chips, and cash. The way that modern technology has taken this old-fashioned pastime into the digital age is both impressive and forward-thinking.
Live Streaming
If any technology can be credited with popularizing online casino gambling in general, it’s the advent of the live stream. With a solid internet connection, a good mic, and a good quality camera, any casino establishment can put their actual, physical selves and services into the digital realm and interact with players from all over the world.
Live-streamed table games blew up in popularity during the pandemic years, and it’s easy to see why. With people stuck at home, live-streamed casinos were able to deliver a similar experience of dealing with a live dealer from the comfort of their own homes.
Poker and blackjack were unsurprisingly the two games most impacted by live-streaming technology, but all of the most popular casino table games can be played and live-streamed these days. As long as one is using a licensed casino with the right capabilities, you can engage in live-streamed table games within minutes.
Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain Technology
Online casinos that accept common forms of cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, or Ethereum have grown in popularity. As more people become aware of the benefits of cryptocurrencies, particularly their privacy and security, the demand for using them at online casinos will only continue to grow.
Cryptocurrencies in particular have a great advantage over the more standard payment methods, such as debit cards, credit cards, or services like PayPal — the transactions are immediate. This definitely comes in handy at online casinos in general, but especially with table games.
If you win at a table game, and use cryptocurrencies to make bets, you’ll be able to receive your winnings instantly, just like gambling at a casino in real life. With other methods like Mastercard or Visa, there is often a pending period that can last anywhere from one day to one week.
Thanks to the instantaneousness of Bitcoin and the like, you can ride the high of a victory without having to wait several days for your money to come in. This makes betting with crypto a more authentic gambling experience.
Blockchain technology also comes into play thanks to its protection against malware and other forms of cyber-attacks looking to acquire personal info and data.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
Whereas slot games are looking to implement even more advanced visuals and computer-generated graphics, casino table games are the ones more likely to embrace technology related to augmented reality and virtual reality.
VR hardware in particular already uses a lot of headsets, which makes it a natural and logical thing to combine with live streaming.
Though this technology is still far from being mainstream, let alone achieving its true potential, some casinos have implemented VR-compatible mechanisms for table games. You can put on your headset and feel like you’re in the same room as the dealer.
With AR, the focus is less on altering reality and more on adding on top of it — in the form of advanced user interfaces and menus when it comes to table casino games. AR table games will give you access to tons of stats that will always be clearly visible. It combines the traditional feel of table games with the advanced architecture of a well-optimized mobile app.
Artificial Intelligence
AI is involved in nearly everything these days, and online casino table games are no exception. Often referred to as predictive personalization, AI can be used by online casinos to analyze player’s habits. After collecting enough informative data, the AI can recommend games to the player based on their playing history.
When it comes to table games, AI can even be used to recommend people suitable dealers for their dice and card games. Just like at real casinos, different dealers can have different personalities and interactions. Pairing players with the most appropriate dealer is great for customer satisfaction and customer retention.
AI is also commonly used in chatbots for online casino sites, another trend to be on the lookout for.
Mobile Gaming and Apps
Online casinos were quick to adapt to the needs of mobile technology, and they are better off for it. Though it is not the most advanced technology out there, it certainly is popular and lucrative.
Most people do their online gambling on portable devices like smartphones or tablets, and table games are no exception either. Many people are already using their phones to watch live-streaming platforms like Twitch, so why would live-streamed poker or blackjack be any different?
Online casinos have fully taken advantage of mobile apps and learned how to format their menus and their games for smaller screens, and it has had a major impact on the online gambling industry. The amount of energy and money put into their mobile tools shows how much they really care about this portion of their player base.
With table games in particular, mobile apps are now powerful and optimized well enough to support live feeds of casino table games with minimal latency and excellent audio-video quality. The same is true for people who want to enjoy digital versions of table games, complete with user interfaces, text, and visuals that all look spectacular on a small screen.
