Casino and Culture: The Evolution of Online Casino Culture

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If there’s anything that’s forever constant, it’s changed! Everything in this world must have witnessed some form of change – a form of evolution. Casino games and gambling have also undergone some form of evolution in the past few decades.

To begin with, gone are the days when you would have to visit a land-based casino to wager some money with the intent of winning extra cash. Now, you can be in the comfort of your room, with a glass of wine in one hand and your smartphone in the other, and do all the wagering.

For individuals looking for the right online casino games to wager on and win some extra cool cash, FanDuel Casino slot games offer a great option in the current market.

The comfort casino players enjoy today didn’t appear overnight. Let’s look at how the online casino culture started and how it has evolved over the years.

How The Online Casino Culture All Began

Although online casinos are very popular today, it was not until the early 90s before they became available. The first online casino was created in 1994 by now-famous software company Microgaming.

However, no one found the idea of paying the taxes to be pleasant. As a result, online casinos and gambling sites began their full legal operations from Antigua and Barbuda. The country passed the Free Trade and Processing Zone Act, which allowed licenses to be granted to organizations looking to open online casinos.

Soon enough, other US states and countries worldwide couldn’t stay away from this lucrative business, and they began to grant licenses. Two years later, after the pacesetting effort from the government of Antigua and Barbuda, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission was also established in Quebec, Canada. This kick-started the online gambling and casino revolution we have come to know.

The Rapid Growth

By the mid-1990s, the growth of online gambling and casinos was already in full swing. There were already 12 legally recognized online gambling platforms at the time. Because the business seemed promising, new websites kept popping up now and then.

The growth was so fast that by 1998, there were over 200 online casinos, poker rooms, and sport betting venues.

The trailblazers of online gambling at that time were:

• Casinos

In the beginning, there were only a handful of online casinos, with InterCasino being the first one in 1996 (which is still online, by the way). It’s, however, difficult to pinpoint the first slot machine to go online, but only a few of them were available at the start of online casinos.

Still, Microgaming was the first company to jump on the train of making casino games and has developed several games over the years.

• Poker

Poker was reasonably popular before its migration into the online realm. However, it became more popular upon its migration with some modifications like fitting more players.

Among the two leading poker rooms from those times, Party Poker and PokerStars became more prominent. All thanks to the game’s migration to the internet, offering everyone a chance at something grand.

Before playing poker, you need to understand the game, and it’s a little trickier to learn than slot games. This is possibly a reason it’s less popular compared to slot games.

• Sports Betting

By the end of the 1990s, the most notable bookmakers joined the online gambling train. Top bookmakers whose names were familiar to everyone brought their activities online. A few years later, Betfair was credited to have provided the first P2P payment system for online sports betting, and this was a game-changer.

How Online Casinos Changed Over the Years

Casino games have been popular long before the internet came around. People have always loved the idea of winning extra money with little effort. With the migration of casinos online, it became a lot easier.

Since coming to the scene, online casinos have undergone a series of modifications to become what they are today. Some of these modifications are:

• Enhanced Graphics

If you’ve played the first online casino developed by Microgaming in 1994, you’ll be more appreciative of the online casino games we have today. At that time, the hardware in use didn’t give room for flashy aesthetics. Today, we enjoy 3D and HD graphics with engaging animations and sound effects. All these have made the online casino experience better.

• Payment Methods

Although online casinos were introduced decades ago, they didn’t reach their full potential until several years later. This was because the world of online payment was pretty new and was still in development. People were still skeptical about trusting websites that required their credit card details and bank information. Today, we have many payment options for online gambling.

• Live Casino And Virtual Reality

The internet has so much evolved that it can now support streaming. This feature opened up doors for live games dealers. Many online casinos have incorporated the live viewing and gambling feature. This feature allows players to interact with dealers and other gamblers like they would in a physical casino. It’s not the same feeling, of course, but it is somewhat close.

Virtual reality, on the other hand, gives players the real-life experience they love. Casino players chat with one another and enjoy an immersive environment.

Final Note: The Future Of Online Casino

It’s difficult to say what the future holds for online casinos. However, one thing is clear; online casinos are here to stay. So, you might just enjoy the experience.