Gambling is a constantly evolving market that quickly incorporates the latest trends. The previous decade has brought us mobile play and crypto casinos. It seems that augmented and virtual reality integration is the next step. These technologies are not new but still not widely used in the entertainment industry. Since the growth potential is immense, the first casinos to successfully integrate them into the gaming experience will relish the biggest benefits.
Augmented Reality in Gambling
If you’ve heard about augmented reality before, it’s probably due to popular games like Pokemon Go. Such gaming products create an additional machine-generated layer of virtual objects that are placed in real-life settings via the phone’s camera and screen. Though Pokemon Go was a very successful game, the industry, in general, is still at an early stage.
Augmented reality in gambling is currently something new and a bit obscure for players. People are used to conventional ways of playing real-money games. You just go to a land-based casino nearby or visit BestCasinoPlay, choose a good website, and gamble online. Other options are usually not on the table.
The integration of augmented reality will change things drastically in both offline and online spheres. Land-based casinos can use the technology in the way implemented in Pokemon Go. Imagine that you point the phone’s camera at a slot cabinet and see its key stats, the latest wins, and other essential information. The same approach could be applied to gaming tables to learn about the limits, the latest activity, and the dealer’s profile.
Augmented reality in online gambling works differently. It creates a virtual space that mimics real life. For example, a player can make an avatar on the casino site and use it to interact with gaming machines, other players, and a dealer in the computer-generated environment. The biggest benefit of such an approach is that no additional equipment or accessories are required. An average-level smartphone is enough to enjoy the perks of augmented reality games.
Virtual Reality Gambling
Virtual reality has been used in entertainment for a rather long time but it remains a niche technology. VR can’t surge into the mass market due to the high price of related gadgets and the lack of content.
Gambling in virtual reality already exists and several online casinos are currently offering such an experience to players. The volume of the niche is still low but the biggest software providers have recently turned their attention to it, which poses significant growth perspectives. The latest major milestone of VR gambling development is the release of a virtual reality version of Gonzo’s Quest iconic slot machine. It shows that major game studios take it seriously and prepare for strong competition in the new niche.
Players that want to enjoy gambling in VR need a special headset. The best-to-consider options currently are:
- Meta Quest 2;
- Valve Index;
- HTC Vive Pro 2;
- HP Reverb G2;
- Microsoft Hololens 2.
Playing casino games in virtual reality is a unique experience for a gambler. It allows you to interact with slot cabinets in a 3D space and brings live dealer gambling to a completely new level.
Mixed Reality Gambling
Mixed reality is a merger of VR and AR. It utilizes the strongest angles of both approaches to provide mesmerizing gambling experience to the users.
You have to use a VR headset to play in mixed reality to see the objects in 3D space. Due to the AR technology, you’ll be able to interact with them like in real life. It creates a state-of-the-art casino environment that will soon compete for popularity with standard ways of gambling.
Playing in Virtual and Augmented Reality
New forms of casino play deliver a completely different kind of experience but the tips for conventional gambling work here as well. There are a few things to bare in mind here:
- VR and AR casinos should be licensed by reputable authorities.
- It’s better to start with demo currency rather than real funds if possible.
- Use only the money you can afford for gambling entertainment.
- Take time to review some gaming startup tips to get the essential information.
- VR and AR gambling is very engaging, so do your best to play responsibly.
Final Thoughts
Augmented and virtual reality is the future of gambling, though it’s unlikely that they will displace other forms of casino play. AR and VR will probably coexist with online and offline iGaming, slowly growing their market share. That is good news for players who’ll get a wider range of gambling entertainment with many options to choose from.
About the Author
Elaine Bailey is a professional writer with a strong interest in the igaming niche. She does a lot of research in the field to provide readers with the most current and accurate information. Elaine’s articles and blogs focus on the value for players, which they can then incorporate into the gaming experience.