What's New in Gambling in 2019
In 2018, high technology played an important role in the development of the online gambling industry. The most significant changes affected live casinos and VR-projects, although advanced systems were also introduced in land gambling establishments. So, in Spanish casinos, they started installing ultra-modern face recognition systems, and in Las Vegas robots are now able to stop the robber or find a car lost in the parking lot of a gambling establishment. 2019 promises to be no less eventful on bright events in the gambling industry. But the main trends will be associated not only with futuristic technologies.
Mobile Casinos
In 2017, a survey was conducted and found that 10% of people regularly use smartphones for gambling and sports betting. In 2018, casino operators published the following data, according to which more than half of the clients of virtual gambling establishments use mobile devices for entertainment. In 2019, this figure will only grow, as well as the amount of time that players spend by playing on smartphones. The number of official sites on which it will be possible to download the application form online casinos bypassing Google Play will increase, and the number of mobile versions of slot machines from popular developers will increase as well.
Multilingual Live Casinos
In December 2018, English-speaking gamblers more often than ever before drove the words live casino into the search engine string. Online establishments with real dealers working in real-time are becoming popular all over the world, so in 2019, gambling business owners will further develop this area. Live-casinos will move in several directions: improving the interface, expanding the range and switching to a multilingual interface - all this attracts more visitors. Platforms for innovative projects are already being released by SpinPalace Casino and NetEnt. Representatives of the casino also plan to introduce artificial intelligence, which will be able to authorize the user by voice and make an individual list of games for each gambler (most playable and favorites).
Gaming based online slots
In 2019, the number of slots that use elements of traditional online games and skills will increase. Such applications have a well-developed plot and graphics, carefully selected sound effects, the ability to choose tasks and even accumulate points, which in some cases can be exchanged for prizes. Many large developers have interactive applications: Max Damage from Microgaming, Mars Attacks! from Blueprint Gaming, Steamtower from NetEnt, Viking Runecraft from Play‘n GO and others. The most popular will be free video slots and sites that collect demos of popular slot machines. The developers are well aware that now online players are looking for an alternative to the classic slots, in which you only need to press a button and hope for good luck.
Bitcoin in an online casino
Bitcoin casinos will become another trend of 2019. In 2018, the cost of bitcoin fell from $20 thousand to $ 3.8 thousand per coin, but Spencer Bogart, a partner at Blockchain Capital, claims that this is a temporary phenomenon. The market stabilizes after launching cryptocurrency futures on Nasdaq and Bakkt. At the moment the cost of Bitcoin grew again and cost per 1 bitcoin is 12 thousand dollars. In 2019, gambling operators will continue to implement blockchain in virtual casinos and will enable gamblers to pay with cryptocurrency. The technology is considered promising due to the transparency of all operations, simple and quick calculations, as well as minimal fees for deposit and withdrawal. Cryptocurrency wallets allow players to maintain their anonymity, but so far you can directly pay with bitcoins mainly in poker and roulette. Slots on the blockchain platform are under development. On the other hand, some land-based casinos allow their visitors to exchange cryptocurrency for real gaming chips, which can be spent on any gambling entertainment, including slot machines.
Tightening security measures in online casinos
In 2018, Sweden abolished the state monopoly on gambling. At the end of December, authorities issued licenses to 28 companies, including GVC Holdings, Svenska Spel, Betsson, and Kindred. The example of Sweden was followed by Belarus. President Lukashenko signed a decree according to which all online casinos in the country will be legalized in 2019. A similar law was passed in Buenos Aires and Pennsylvania. In Japan, Brazil, and many US states, laws on the legalization of online gambling are under development or consideration. Licensing and taxation of gambling activities have a positive effect on the enrichment of the state treasury; therefore, it is considered a promising area. Authorities allow online casinos to officially operate in the country, but at the same time tighten the requirements for the processing and storage of personal data of players. Some countries plan to use hi-tech developments to control operators and players.