The past few years have made us feel like all our friends are online. US news outlet CNN has reported on how the pandemic has forced many people’s social lives to become reliant on the internet, with online gaming forming a big part of that. But lockdowns only sped up a trend that had been in the works for years. By the end of 2021, over 2.8 billion people around the world played games online, in one form or another.
It isn’t just games like Call of Duty or Fortnite that have benefited from the growth in online gaming. Online casinos grew in popularity during the lockdown, as traditional venues closed their doors in April of 2020. During the several months while casinos lay empty, players found a new home by playing the same games online.
Many people found that the online versions of their favorite games, such as blackjack, poker, and slots, were not only just as fun as a day at the casino; in many ways, they were even better. They were more convenient and easier to access. As sites look to take advantage of the influx of new players by differentiating themselves from their competition, most are turning toward technology to make that happen.
Every site offers something a bit different, but here are some of the key ways that many online casinos are using technology to keep their players keen to keep coming back even as their local venues start to open back up.
Innovation
Approximately 75% of the US is covered in 5G mobile broadband, a number that continues to grow each month. This means that players who are away from home don’t have to sacrifice speed when playing their favorite online casino games. Many sites have taken advantage of this and now offer what is called live-hosted games.
While traditional online poker, for example, is run by a computer dealer, a live-hosted game has a real dealer there to keep the action moving smoothly. It isn’t just poker that takes advantage of this innovation; there are plenty of live game shows on Gala Spins, including Monopoly Live and Mega Wheel. These take the live dealer angle, but change the game from accepted casino norms to something more fun and interesting, based on programs you may have seen on TV. These games wouldn’t be available to players on the go without the continued rollout of 5G, using the opportunities this technology offers to keep their fans connected wherever they are.
Geolocation Tracking
Knowing where your players are based isn’t just useful for marketing purposes; for some industries, it is a legal requirement. Online casinos, for example, are only allowed to operate within certain physical boundaries. That might be specific states or countries, but these companies can’t offer their services to those outside of their licensed region. For years players could get around this restriction with the use of a VPN, but new Geolocation Tracking Technology (GTT) has given companies the ability to track the location of their players more accurately.
GTT can work alongside the 5G technology that has allowed so many players to keep connected on the go. By capturing the information that their phones collect from nearby broadband towers and satellites, they can ensure that they are complying with local laws and giving players the best possible environment to play in. This includes offering games and dealers in their native language and currency.
Advanced Security Measures
No matter how lucky or how well you plan your finances, the nature of the Internet poses several risks. Any time that someone puts their credit card details on a website, they need to feel that their data is safe. That is why websites are constantly investing in their security features; to protect their users and, with them, their reputation. Using protocols like SSL certificates and encryption, companies can keep everyone involved as safe as possible.
It isn’t just the financial data of their customers that online casinos seek to protect. They also need to protect their servers from attacks by hackers or malicious users. Attacks like Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) or ransomware attacks can cause chaos in an online community and bring sites down for hours or even days if the right security isn’t introduced. That is why most sites have a firewall and continual backup servers to rely on if someone does seek to attack them.
