Jeremy Kaplan
The online world develops at rapid speed, so the same thing is with online casinos. Since the first civilizations, gambling has been one of the most important recreational activities. So, it’s no wonder that online casinos started right after the internet was commercialized. We didn’t have to wait for too long to see first online casino platforms. The first one appeared already in 1995, called InterCasino. Although there are some sources that suggest some other online platforms, this is definitely the first online casino that allowed betting with real money. Interestingly, this online casino works even today, 25 years later.
Although we usually praise these pioneers of online betting, there is another aspect of this evolution we definitely shouldn’t forget to mention. Of course, we are talking about companies like CryptoLogic, which invented completely new, fast and safe payment methods. The world of online transactions has been revolutionized and that it the thing that allowed online casinos to develop.
Just a couple of years later, the first progressive slot and poker online games appeared. This is particularly important for lovers of online poker games, which is extremely popular these days. The first online poker website was launched in 1998, known as Poker Planet. In the same year, Microgaming launches Cash Slash, the first online slot game with a progressive jackpot.
By the end of the 20th century, online casinos became quite common thing. Of course, this was still far away from regular brick and mortar casinos, but there were already hundreds of websites on the network at the time. In 1999, the first online casino that offers multiplayer games appeared. This was another revolution in the online casino world, which allowed players to interact and socialize.
Development continues and the following years bring more and more interesting games and important design solutions. This is also the time when some of the records have been set. For example, one player won $414 119.00 playing slot games, a record that still stands, and it was made in 2001. Just a year later, the first 1-million jackpot has been won. The winner played a slot game at Captain Cooks Casino.
The early 2000s were also very important in terms of legislation. While some exotic countries were legalizing online gambling in the mid-’90s, developed countries were a little bit more cautious. In the UK, for example, online gambling was legalized in 2001, while the first act that completely covers this industry in the UK dates from 2005. By the way, the first county that legalized online casino was Antigua and Barbuda. The Free Trade and Processing Zone Act was passed by the government way back in 1994. Interestingly, some major online casinos still operate on these exotic islands.
Further development of online gambling was mostly about improving the playing experience. Of course, we were seeing all kinds of new games at first, while a big step up was made in this decade. With the arrival of smartphones, all websites became available in versions for smartphones, for Android, iOS and Windows operating systems. Since 2015, every new casino game is designed to be mobile phone-friendly, so players can enjoy a great experience on all platforms. Further improvements were made to the whole online casino experience from the payment methods used to how accounts were created with innovations like bitcoin casinos and pay n play casinos taking place.
The aspect that’s taking over the whole online casino industry these days is a live casino. Thanks to advanced streaming technologies, it is now possible to play real-time casino games. These games include studios that bring authentic brick and mortar experience and include real dealers. You can chat with other players in the room as well as with a dealers, and all that is something that provides the feel of genuine casino house.
It’s not hard to presume that the next step in the evolution of online casinos would be virtual reality. Some VR platforms have already appeared but the problem is that an average VR set is still pretty expensive for most potential players. However, we presume this will change in the near future and that VR casino games will become a pretty common thing.
