If you are just starting out in online gambling, then you may not note that it has gone through a lot of evolution to be where it is today. Have you ever asked yourself who was the first person to try gambling? How were gambling regulations created and how have they changed over the years? What has been the role of technology?
These are some of the questions that may cross your mind as you are playing modern slots such as mystery jack. We cannot highlight everything that has happened in the gambling world, but at least we can discuss the major events and how they have created what we have today:
Harry Ogden becomes the first person to win from bookmaking
Harry has been documented as the first person to profit from bookmaking in the 1790s. He operated from the Newmarket Heath where he would predict the winners of various horse-racing events. He studied the field and then started laying odds on each horse rather than have just two propositions, which was the common approach during that time.
There was a time that gambling was limited to race tracks as there was a law that prohibited public games of cards and others, where money was at stake. It was not until the mid-1800s that brick and mortar bookies were allowed to operate bets on other fields such as sports.
Legalizing betting shops
Different countries have different time frames when they legalized betting and gambling. In the US, Nevada has been documented as the first state to promote the gambling spirit after Las Vegas was established in 1905. The UK provides a different case as it was not until 1961 that betting shops were legalized in the country. The move saw the introduction of more than 10,000 betting shops in a span of six months.
These shops had a ‘board man’ who would mark up the results and prices for the race and a bookie who operated behind the counter. The 1980s saw the introduction of technology which led to the introduction of fruit machines, computer-generated racing courses, fixed-odd betting terminals, and the shops could show races in stores.
Online bingo sites and online betting introduced
The internet has been in development for many years. The first commercial application of the internet was through emails. However, it was not until the late 1990s that the internet wave became into full swing. It was at this time that bookmakers realized the potential that online betting has and started exploration. Major gambling companies started to open poker and online bingo sites and others followed suit. The only thing that was missing in these online sites is the social aspect that people get in a land-based casino.
The era of live casinos
Do you know that there was a time that there were no live TV programs but all were prerecorded? We have come a long way and the same has happened in the gambling and casino world. Live streaming is what gave birth to live casinos. In a live casino, there is a live dealer that deals cards just as it happens in a normal casino. The player will stream live all the events which makes it easy to make moves and communicate with the live dealer in real-time.
Gamification
It is the process of incorporating gaming features to specific systems to make the processes more fun and engaging for participants. Online casinos can make video-game-like features to existing gambling games.
A good example is when you spin a slot so that a pirate reaches the Treasure Island. The pirate will move a distance relative to the amount that you win. However, when you lose, the character can move a few steps backward or stay on the same spot. Gamification helps to create a mental picture that you can follow and enjoy every step of the way.
The introduction of enhanced graphics
It is hard to talk about a gaming machine and fail to highlight graphics. Customers are not only looking for somewhere they can place a bet; they also want to have the best experience. They can now enjoy HD graphics that are combined with sound effects and engaging animation. It is the modern graphics that recreate slots such book of dead to give them a modern touch and more interactive.
Flash technology was the dominant tech in the past and it was used to introduce sound effects and animate graphics. However, most developers now use HTML5 which has a lot of benefits over Flash. For instance, the former requires less processing power, it is open-source and lightweight; which means fast downloads.
Mobile gaming
A research conducted in the UK indicates that almost a third of all the traffic in gambling sites is from mobile devices. Mobile technology has been one of the biggest boosters for sports betting across the globe. Betting sites are now coming to terms with this trend and thus making their sites mobile-friendly. The beauty of making betting sites mobile-friendly is that customers can bet even when they are on the move. The fact that one carries a mobile device everywhere makes it easy to increase activity on gambling sites.
A good number of betting sites also have standalone apps that users can download for free. These apps have some of the major features that you can find on the main site. Most of these game developers create different apps for major operating systems such as android and iOS. The beauty of a mobile app is that you do not have to remember the URL of the sites you want to visit.
Virtual reality
Virtual reality is one of those areas that are transforming the gambling space in ways that you cannot imagine. A VR handset allows the gamer to have an interactive experience, similar to what they get in a land-based casino. VR is yet to mature in the casino space but we can say that it is the right route. There are those who play in casinos for fun and there is another group that is looking for an entertainment platform. The latter group benefits a lot from VR even though the former is also looking for a platform that gives the best experience.
