Over the last 10 years, the online casino industry has experienced a massive boom. From simplistic dice games to live casinos that allow users to play table games in real-time with real dealers, its growth has been limitless and its potential remains endless.
We’re now in 2019, and with developments around cryptocurrency and blockchain technology gathering steam, we could see online casinos flourish even further and rise even higher than ever before.
Let’s take a look at the 5 exciting online casino trends in 2019 that are taking the industry to newer heights every single day:
1. Cryptocurrency Payment Methods
Since the price of bitcoin skyrocketed in 2017, interest in cryptocurrency has grown exponentially. More and more people have started buying, selling, and ‘hodling’ crypto in the last 2 years, prompting a number of online casinos to introduce cryptocurrency deposit and withdrawal methods alongside traditional banking options.
In 2019, an increasing number of casinos have started to accept bitcoins for the most part, with quite a few also dealing in ether, litecoin, and dogecoin.
2. Blockchain Casinos
With the advent of bitcoin in 2009 came the revolutionary technology called ‘blockchain’. 2019 has seen a rise in blockchain casinos – casinos and games that are completely built on blockchain tech. Instead of looking at blockchain as just a building block for cryptocurrency, developers are using the technology to create provably fair games with secure, verifiable, and immutable transactional support.
With people rallying for more transparency and security in the online gambling scene, blockchain casinos promise to be the next big thing.
3. Live Table Games
In any business, user experience plays a big role in differentiating an entity from its competitors. Online casinos have been offering amazing experiences to their users by trying to blur the line between virtual gambling and real-time, land-based casino gambling, and live table games are at the forefront of this movement.
Several big game developers like NetEnt are constantly developing new live table games like Poker, Roulette, Baccarat, and Blackjack so that online gamblers can play alongside people actually present at a casino, in real-time with real dealers.
4. 3D Slots With a Twist
In 2018, we saw 3D slots taking the virtual gambling industry by storm. Amazing graphics, interactive gameplay, and breathtaking designs drew in a large number of people to online casinos. In 2019, game developers have taken 3D slots to the next level. 3D slots now feature beautiful animation as well as elements of story and roleplay, making slots the go-to game at any casino on the internet.
5. Mobile-friendly Games
In 2018, Google introduced the mobile-first algorithm which uses the factor of mobile-friendliness to rank webpages. Basically, if an online casino wants to survive, it has to have a mobile-friendly version that can be accessed on mobile browsers. In 2019, online casinos have been introducing an increasing number of HTML5-based games that can be played on mobile browsers.
The online gambling industry seems to be going from strength-to-strength in 2019, and it is becoming evident that advancements in technology will only facilitate this growth. We can’t wait for 2020 to come around.
