When you see an online casino today, with all its bells and whistles, thousands of games and smooth user experiences, you might not realize just how much scientific innovation has gone into bringing gambling to your device. The evolution and development of online casinos is a story that goes hand-in-hand with the history of the internet, and the science behind the scenes is often nothing short of remarkable.
From the invention of high speed online payments to the first, primitive RNG-powered online slot games of the mid 1990s, or the emergence of live streaming tech allowing for ever more interactive games, this is the science behind some of the biggest developments in gambling in history.
The Digital Leap from Mechanical Reels to Video Slots
The beginnings of the modern online casino space can be traced back to the first digital slot machines. Slots have been the big revenue driver for casinos since mechanical games first proliferated in the early 1900s.
They can be played much faster than table games, and are more accessible as you don’t have to learn the rules – you just press a button. Turning slots from mechanical reels to computerized, screen based games was arguably the biggest innovation in gambling history.
Top real money casinos today have thousands of video slots to choose from. Choosing the right site for you is easier than ever, with casino experts who meticulously comb through every detail of online casinos to get you the best deal – from games to bonuses to payments or user experience.
The first digital casino game was Fortune Coin, which hit casino floors in Las Vegas in 1976. Around the same time, video game developers were trying out virtual blackjack for the emerging home console market.
Both these innovations were built on the key bedrock of RNG, or random number generators.
RNG Changed the Game Forever
Random Number Generators have existed for a long time, or at least mechanically. A simple set of spinning plates or cards with numbers printed on them is not hard to set up, and neither is a lottery ball drawing machine. However, they can only go so far. They are either noisy, expensive, slow or prone to mechanical failure.
And, crucially for casinos, they are very much random. For a long time it was thought you couldn’t have a huge jackpot prize on a mechanical game without having thousands of combinations or asking players to make a dozen picks.
This means any big prize has just as much chance of coming up as another. And potentially many times in a row. That would be unsustainable for casinos, who need a house edge – even a small one – to be profitable businesses.
There is also the problem of cheating. When deployed at scale, people will work out how to cheat mechanical gambling games.
Therefore, virtual, video-based gambling games need controllable randomness. Every spin is random, but the odds of any one spin hitting a certain combination are set. This ensures fairness and a house edge.
These algorithmic models are called Pseudo-Random Number Generators are they are key to online gambling. Some examples used by gambling game developers today include:
- Mersenne Twisters
- Xorshift Generators
- Inversive Congruential Generators
The RNG algorithms developed for online slots are now certified by various agencies including third party testing labs like eCOGRA, and sometimes even state regulatory agencies in licensed jurisdictions.
Live Streaming Spun Things Around Full Circle
Interestingly, after years of RNG-powered online casino games at the forefront – a new challenger appeared. And, initially, one of it’s key selling points was taking back to the old school.
In the late 2010s the rise of simple and accessible online video streaming led to the emergence and incredible rise in popularity of live casino games.
Instead of using RNGs, which by this time some online gamblers were becoming wary of, live casino games stream physical gambling action directly to your device.
This means real blackjack and baccarat decks with real cards and real roulette balls. As well as real live human dealers to interact with.
This was popular – but it wasn’t until European live casino developer Evolution realized you could combine the two styles of online casino games that things really took off.
Evolution took a giant mechanical wheel, with several dozen segments, and streamed it from a studio to let players bet on where it would land. But if you hit the bonus segments, you would go into a semi-virtual green-screen bonus game with loads of added ways to win prizes.
This combination of mechanical and computerized RNG plus live casino and augmented reality gameplay streamed from impressive custom built studios was a huge hit. Just some of the games you can play today include:
- The original Dream Catcher
- Lightning Roulette
- Monopoly LIVE
- Candyland Bonanza LIVE
- Ice Fishing
- Funky Time
Evolution is now one of the biggest gambling companies in the world. It also went on one of the most impressive stock price runs of all time between 2018 and 2023. All from one innovation, combining the emerging technologies of live streaming and augmented reality.
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