Virtual Reality casinos are reshaping the landscape of online gambling. Real money games with the ability to create fake realities or ‘meta universes’, virtual reality casinos are heralding a new era of gambling online.
VR gambling is still in its infancy. But it might be only a matter of time before niche areas such as live dealer games and in-play sports betting are completely transformed by the technology. Of course, nothing is ever that simple in the gambling world.
Social interaction
The technology will enhance the social experience for casino players all over the world, providing instant, face-to-face interaction among players wearing headsets who play casino games with each other on the same screen while still able to chat and communicate optimised and directly with each other in real-time. It will elevate the experience to a true-to-life customer engagement, permeating the cultural experience and boost retention and engagement rates.
Scores and free chat boxes within games allow your friends and others to accompany you during your immediate gameplay, competing against each other, which adds to the fun and the sport of gaming for those looking for a challenge. This creates even more entertainment and stimulation – and for those wanting some competitive blood pumping, there could be nothing more exciting!
The same goes for VR gaming which, through self-examination protocols and programmes such as deposit limits, can also reduce the likelihood of problem gambling and create a healthy environment that encourages responsible gambling. Problem gamblers can also find training and therapy for their affliction, and every level of experience can benefit from player health programmes; all of which, in turn, work to combat gambling addiction and lead to healthier and happier gamers.
Real-money games
VR casinos of the future will offer a range of benefits for the iGaming experience, such as new immersive environments in which to game socially, real money cash play and variety that is limited only by the imagination.
A key element of VR is immersion: the player is essentially transported into a different world – one that is visually and aurally distinct from this one – thus placing a gamer directly into the game.
Almost all VR casinos have a social feel to them, but exceptions do exist: SlotsMillion is perhaps the most popular of the VR establishments offering real-money gambling games. But VR casinos face some challenges to success; the preliminary price tag of VR equipment is likely to be a stumbling block, but time, technology and economies of scale should reduce costs over the years, making the services affordable to many.
Accessibility
You’ll need a headset to get an authentic VR gambling experience – the best ones have twin displays, so that your eyes don’t start aching after hours of gaming. And then there’s the computer or console required to run VR games.
When it comes to virtual reality casinos that players can visit, they can experience real-world actions in the virtual world. That is why this technology is so promising: it could have great impact on online gaming. In my view, it will help players interact with each other and the gaming environment in a much more realistic way.
As a result, the VR integration will send casino platforms into mass scenarios, crossing the limits of vegas-themed casinos and reaching people with limited mobility and geography. Although there are still limits to access for a few people due to the price of the VR headset and the extra hardware needed to play the VR games.
Technology
It’s making online gambling more popular as players can get together socially, using VR technology, in these casino games and win cash from tournaments held free, without having to spend actual money.
Combined with headgear, hand controls and a haptic suit, VR casinos offer a spellbinding online gaming experience – floating above a casino floor, talking to dealers, playing slots and table games like never before.
But there are few downsides to VR casino gaming. The first is that its hardware is likely to be expensive. The second is that some may experience eyestrain or dizziness as they move around the virtual world – but any such effects are unlikely to prompt the wearer to take out their VR headset. The third is that the lifelike nature of the experience may induce addiction or exacerbate any other adverse effects, so that we need to have a regime and appropriate guidelines in place to encourage responsible gambling. However, most of these impediments can be eliminated with developing technology and improved affordability – as more realistic, realistic-feeling graphics are made available through improved hardware; as we begin to embrace haptic feedbacks and distributed games; or if casinos start being developed in more than just the real world.
