We all know that the internet is big business. Many of today’s most valuable companies started on the internet, facing trials and tribulations on a winding journey rife with failures and setbacks. Online casinos are rare from this point of view, as an industry where the trajectory has grown solidly over the last 25 years.
Taking a look back at the major steps and leaps from online casino history, we want to explore what rendered this industry so successful for so long. Where did the early steps originate, what make online casinos so consistently successful, what challenges did they face, and what can we expect next?
An Early Fit
The first steps of casinos into the online world appeared around 1996, back in the age of dial-up modems and Windows 95. This was a decade before the advent of smartphones when the internet itself was still a niche concept. In other words, the hardware of this era was extremely limited by today’s standards.
As it turns out, this limitation acted in the favor of online casinos. Casino games have always benefitted from faster technology, but they’re never relied on it. Instead, it’s the core gameplay aspects of casino gaming that serve as its strength, and even limited tech can handle these aspects easily. Simple poker and slot translations showed the world what online casinos could do, and this helped them survive the dot-com bust of the late 90s.
Unlocking Potential
As we stepped into the new millennium, the internet and home computers became much more powerful and common. Gaming online started to explode in popularity, and the graphics and gameplay potential of these games saw enormous leaps. Casino games offered better visuals, more variety, and many more websites on which players could engage. Loading times decreased, options opened, and the age of exploration began.
A Mobile Frontier
Further exploration saw its next leap following the launch of the first iPhone in 2007. Though this was not the first smartphone, Apple’s system did popularize the smartphone in worldwide markets, and online gaming took notice.
Online casinos then experienced a rush to evolve their offerings into the mobile space. Many websites offered special downloadable apps, which while clunky by modern standards, still streamlined the playing process. Browsing websites via smartphones could be a problem around this time, as HTML technology was slow to adapt to the demands of the mobile market.
Changing Platforms
The final big leap in bringing online casinos to where they exist today was triggered by the death of Flash. This was the old software on which many browser-based interactive experiences were built, including casino games and early YouTube. Eventually, Flash proved too clunky, limited, and flawed, so it had to be abandoned.
In its place came developments in HTML code, with the latest incarnation of HTML 5. By utilizing a range of different technologies alongside HTML5, developers could mimic everything Flash could do without any of the downsides. It required online casino games to be rebuilt, but this enormous task was soon achieved. Just as importantly, HTML5 proved an effective way to bring mobile casino websites up to par with their desktop and laptop counterparts.
Now and Soon
Today, online casinos have consolidated their position in the online entertainment environment. They have grown to such a point that it’s not just the casinos themselves that succeed, industries that support them are also performing well. Comparison websites, for example, have proven their way of helping guide players through an enormous modern environment. The casino rewards network by Casinobonusca displays welcome bonuses like deposit matches and free spins for 30 of the best online casinos. They act alongside the mobile and desktop services, aiding in even greater visibility and industry performance.
In the coming generation, we don’t just expect more online casinos, we expect further exploration into new types of gaming. One probable method is an exploration of genres, such as a greater emphasis on live-streaming versions of titles. Virtual and augmented reality games are also expected to grow, which might cross over into website functionality too.
It’s been just over 25 years, and already online casinos are nearly unrecognizable from their roots. While we can’t say for sure what comes next, we don’t expect casinos to slow anytime soon, and we’re excited to see what comes next.