When online casinos appeared back in the mid ‘90s, their main purpose was to replace “real” casinos in a more convenient format. They were meant to attract players who wanted to gamble anytime, anywhere. But today, the online gambling industry offers much more than a convenient alternative to land-based casinos.
Through AI technology, online casinos bring you a more personalised experience than we ever imagined. When you add VR technology to that, the games are getting extremely immersive and realistic. Thanks to those advancements, the websites overcome a serious disadvantage: the lack of social interaction during the gambling process.
Let’s see: how exactly do online casinos use VR technology?
Five ways VR technology is used in online casinos
- Realistic Casino Sounds
When you play the usual online casino games, the soundtrack in the background helps you relax. But with VR technology, the providers are able to replicate the real ambiance of a brick-and-mortar casino. You’ll hear subtle music, people chatting, gaming chips in action, and cards being dealt.
Background sounds are essential in giving you the right mood for gambling. Online players are getting bored by the generic music of slots and table games. Finally, we’re seeing a change in that aspect.
- Actual Casino Rooms
The live dealer casino experience is getting more popular by the day. This method enables gamblers to play against other players and a live dealer. The live dealer guides the game from a studio, and players from all around the world can join the room in real time. Thanks to live dealer games, online gambling is getting closer to the experience that land-based casinos provide.
VR technology takes us a huge leap forward. We don’t simply watch a dealer guide a game. We can get fully immersed into the game, walk through the room and chat with other players. You can choose your seat and join the action on a 3D game table.
- More Realistic Slot Machines
Entering a VR casino lobby with slot machines is a fun, relaxing, and unique experience. You can choose a 3D video game while navigating the space filled with other players. It’s a level of connection that traditional online casinos cannot provide.
You can still choose your slot and spin one round after another; but a VR online casino offers a more relaxing, interactive environment that gets close to the real gambling experience.
- Social VR Gambling Rooms
For gamblers who are just there for the experience, social casinos work well. Although they don’t play with real money, they can switch their credits for prizes or cash. VR social casinos focus on socializing, but also offer single-player gambling.
- Showcasing Hand and Body Gestures
Observing another gambler’s attitude and body language is the essence of successful card playing. For seasoned poker players, who consider gestures to be an important part of their strategy, nonverbal communication is essential. That’s why they rarely like traditional online casinos. Thanks to VR technology, they can have this next-level experience online.
Body language includes not only gestures and posture, but facial expressions and eye gaze as well. Those aspects are a bit more difficult to translate into the VR environment, but the technology is consistently getting better.
Can you play in VR casinos now?
Metaverse, a network of 3D virtual worlds that’s focused on building connections, triggered the start of the VR casino era. This aspect of online gambling is in its infancy. There are a few online casinos, such as SlotsMillion, Social Club VR, and JackpotVR that allow you to join rooms with a VR set. We can’t say they are perfect, but this technology is here to stay and it’s getting better by the day!
The good news for gamblers who want to try these casinos is that not many people use them nowadays. The relaxed environment will give you a chance to practice and get used to the idea of using a VR set to gamble online.
The future of VR online gambling
At the moment, there are a few online casinos that play with the idea of VR gambling. But as the number of people who use VR sets grows, so will the number and power of these websites. The industry is in its infancy, but the potential for growth is extreme.
We expect a future of physical casinos investing in virtual reality games that gamblers can play inside their establishments. As far as online casinos are concerned, there’s no other way to go; they have to grow in the direction of VR gambling.