The online gambling industry is one of the few industries that are booming in 2024. This year, the competition between the casino games providers is fiercer than ever, and we saw numerous interesting slots that immediately found their place on the fans’ favorites’ lists. CasinoHorse.com is the place where you can read everything about it, and find your favorite slot to play in 2024. In this article, we will show you what we already saw this year, and what we can expect in the upcoming months.
Virtual Reality
Virtual reality and VR equipment are becoming accessible to a broad audience, and some of the online casinos decided to offer that experience to their customers. This technology is revolutionary, but it is been around for a few years. But with the stability and the price decrease usually come mass audience and that’s exactly what is happening right now.
This is a great moment for the introduction of VR technology in the world of the online casino world. Because of the COVID-19 pandemics, people all around the world are inclined to stay home, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get a unique casino feel. As a part of their premium service, many casinos offered a virtual reality version of a famous land casino. There you can walk into the lobby and meet the competitors head to head on the poker or roulette table.
There are a few downsides to this – the premium service cost, and the equipment also cost a lot of money, although the price is way lower than it was a few years ago. Now you need around $400 to get decent VR equipment.
Cryptocurrency Casinos Expansion
After the Bitcoin bubble, the craze for cryptocurrencies diminished, but both supporters and opponents can agree – crypto is here to stay. It is somewhat surprising that online casinos based on cryptocurrencies are booming right now, some would expect it should have happened sooner. Nevertheless, in 2024 we already saw crypto casinos that emerged and grew exponentially to one of the tops in the industry. Even the most established and traditional online casinos are opening and many started to accept Bitcoin as a value, which is a huge win for them, and the cryptocurrency market as a whole.
Artificial Intelligence Influence
Machine learning and artificial intelligence are also around for quite some time, but they are becoming a standard in the online gambling industry now. The use of these technologies is broad. First, machine learning is analyzing the preferences of the players after entering the site, or while playing games. Based on this data, the developers can create better user experience when it comes to site design, interface, or even playability.
It becomes clear while some game is more popular than the others, and casino games providers can then use that knowledge to create more games that will be an instant hit!
Slot Games Themes Become Broader Than Ever Before
The time of Egyptian-themed or fruit-themed slots is definitely behind us. There are still providers that, from time to time, create a slot with a classic theme, maybe with a little twist, but in 2024 neither of those slots gained significant popularity. The casino games providers that take a risk and play with different themes and concepts are usually way more successful.
In 2024 we saw everything from the classic 5×3, to gigantic 7×5 layouts, progressive jackpots, extreme volatility slots, with completely different themes.
Adult-themed slots are gaining popularity, as well as slot in the cyber-punk style, with a dystopian feel. There is still a significant amount of cartoonish slots, but it seems that the new generation of online casino games players is valuing the design and interface more than the older slot junkies. Of course, the decision is still based on the RTP and volatility of the slot. The slot can have the best design and story in the world, but it won’t attract many if the potential of winning big for the player is not there.
Huge Offer of Other Casino Games
Not so long ago, the most popular online casino sites were focused mostly on slots. There were other games such as video poker, dice, blackjack, etc, but most of those games weren’t interactive and couldn’t provide the real-life casino experience. However, with the introduction of VR technology and live dealers, the offer on other games started booming. The experts from online-casinos.id tell us that in the last couple of years we saw the rise of online casinos that offer only live dealer games, while in 2024 when technology and COVID-19 pandemics kicked in, the ones who were able to include more high-tech solutions and implement them into their casino really turned heads around. In a few years, it will probably be possible to get a completely simulated experience from your living room! It would be the same if you went to the casino or you are sitting at home, and the presumption is that most of the people will choose option number two.
Where Are We Going Until the End of 2024 and Beyond?
We expect that until the end of the year, especially if the COVID-19 pandemics continue to be a major problem for getting back to “normal life” in most of the countries, the trends we mentioned speed up. Also, with Flash technology becoming obsolete, the providers who are not able to successfully convert their slots to HTML5 technology will certainly encounter major difficulties. Creating new slot games based on Flash is already a bad business decision, and it will become even worse shortly.
We also expect that the wealthiest casinos will compete which will simulate the real experience the best, because of the pandemics. As one of the few industries that are still experiencing growth, many casinos will certainly invest more in new technologies and see this as an opportunity for further development.
Conclusion
The world of online gambling will certainly not be the same after this year. As one of the few industries on which the COVID-19 pandemic had even positive effects, the development and the changes that we are currently experiencing will accelerate. We will see where it will get us.