Since time immemorial, humans have engaged in gambling. The earliest evidence of gambling comes to us from Ancient Greece and Ancient China. Archeologists have discovered sets of dice whose origins can be traced to Ancient Greece. Many historians believe that these dice were used for playing various games of chance, many of which served as gambling games.
Throughout history, gambling has evolved to stay with the times. At first, it was street games. Peddlers would play dice on the street, or in taverns. Soon after that, gambling dens started becoming popular. Throughout history, most of these dens had to remain secret, as the practice was illegal. However, in quite a few European countries, gambling became legal in the 17th century. It was then that the first casinos were built.
Since then, the casino industry has flourished. It especially hit its stride in the 20th century. However, it was also during the 20th century that computer and information science hit its stride. And it is thanks to this that we’ve entered the Information Age. With the new age, comes a new form of gambling.
Online Casinos
As the name suggests, online casinos are websites that offer all of the popular gambling games that one might find at a casino online. In other words, gambling websites host a library of virtual versions of popular games, such as blackjack, poker, slots, baccarat, etc.
The popularity of these casinos has risen drastically in the past 10 to 20 years. During these years, the industry has changed significantly. First of all, it has grown rapidly, to the point that it is considered one of the most lucrative businesses that one can have online. Secondly, the regulation of the industry has become much better in the past decade or so. Nowadays, licensed casinos like the Silver Oak Casino are the standard. So, for anyone curious to play their favorite gambling games without having to leave your own home, try out the countless online gambling websites that have become all the rage in the past few years.
And speaking of the past few years, we’ve certainly seen some huge improvements in gaming software during that time. And it is precisely this improvement that has brought upon some major changes in the world of online gambling. So, how has the development of better software improved the industry? In this article, we will talk about the many ways in which this has happened.
A Wide Variety of Games
The first and major way in which online casinos have been impacted by developing software is in the increase of the game variety. So just how does this work? Well, for one, thanks to the development of different software, online casinos are capable of featuring a wider variety of games. For example, during the early stages of iGaming, websites would either work as slot websites, poker websites, or focus on any other one game.
However, thanks to the development of better and better software, a single website can now feature all of these aforementioned games. On top of that, many of these games can be improved with the addition of certain features. An example here would be the online slots, which once upon a time were simple fruit slots, similar to the once that can be found in brick-and-mortar shops and establishments. However, with improvements in software, online slots can now go from classic slots, to cascading, to even featuring different mini-games, that make the game all the more enjoyable.
Another example would be the inclusion of fishing games. For those who may not be aware, fishing games are exactly what they sound like. The player takes control of a fisherman; whose goal it is to gather as many fish as they can. Usually, there are different fish, each of which yield a different result. These kinds of games would not have been possible without the improvements made in gaming software in the past few years.
Mobile Compatibility
Another example of the ways that better gaming software has impacted the online gambling industry is by making mobile compatibility possible. During the late 1990s, the introduction of online poker rooms made gambling a whole lot simpler. No longer did poker players need to leave their house in order to face off against tough opponents. They had the games available at the tip of their fingertips. The same could be said in the early 2000s, when online casinos in general became popular.
However, since the late 2010s and now in the 2020s, developments in gaming software have made it possible for casino games to be compatible with a mobile phone. While there is still a number of slots that don’t take advantage of this feature, more and more producers of slot games are becoming aware of the fact that people prefer to gamble through their smartphones.
The reasons for this are simple. A smartphone is always with you. You can take it anywhere, meaning that the gambling game will always be available. And with smartphones being so widespread, is it any surprise that the amount of games with mobile compatibility is on the rise?
An Overall Improvement in Graphics and Gameplay
Lastly, and possibly the most important way in which gaming software has impacted online gambling is just by ensuring that these games will both look better and run better. With better software come better graphics. This is why a lot of older slots have very simplistic looks and designs, whereas more recent slots are a lot more complex and interesting to look at.
And exactly the same can be said for the gameplay. While there is not much to improve, gameplay-wise, when it comes to online slots, certainly, with better software, you can make the game run a lot more smoothly. And, on top of that, as we already mentioned, mini-games and extra features can be added to the game, without detracting anything.
Final Word
So, as you can see, online casinos have certainly seen massive improvement in the past few years. This, in large part is thanks to the rapid developments in gaming software.
This article was written in collaboration with real money casino experts.