Mobile casino gaming is one of the most popular industries around. Over the years, we’ve seen the launch of new technology allow for groundbreaking new casino games and mechanics, including the use of virtual reality. But can its sister technology, augmented reality, ever be used for mobile casino gaming? Let’s find out here.
Mobile Gaming’s Popularity
Mobile casino gaming is one of the largest markets around the world, with mobile users making up a large proportion of the online gambling industry. In fact, the Gambling Commission – the organisation responsible for the UK gambling regulation – found that the most popular way to access online gambling in 2020 was via smartphones.
One of the reasons mobile casino gaming is so popular is due to its accessibility; you can play casino games anywhere and at any time as long as you have an internet connection. The fact that most casino games are now developed to be mobile-friendly and compatible with all devices means it’s easy to see why mobile casino gaming is on the rise.
The Rise Of Virtual Reality
Over the last few years, we’ve seen many game developers embrace virtual reality technology, which places you in a computer-generated environment through a specialised headset. Virtual reality is compatible with a small selection of PC and home console games, and there are a handful of apps you can download for smartphones that support the use of virtual reality. Like the majority of the console and PC games that support VR, however, they’re less like games and more akin to unique experiences.
Virtual reality casino games are different as they function more like traditional games. A few developers have adopted the technology and have created VR-compatible slot games that place you in the middle of the action with giant reels. Operator SlotsMillion even launched a VR casino that you can walk around and play games in, coming close to blending brick-and-mortar and online play.
Unfortunately, all of this is still relatively uncommon and is only available on desktop computers. While this might change in the coming years as smartphones become more powerful and technology for virtual reality becomes more accessible, we think augmented reality can work as a great substitute in the meantime.
What Is Augmented Reality?
Augmented reality is similar to virtual reality, but while the latter places you in a computerised environment, augmented reality does the opposite by projecting computer-generated objects into your local environment via your smartphone.
We’ve seen several hugely successful mobile games that use augmented reality, including Pokémon GO, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, and more, all of which require you to explore your local environment to discover collectables or creatures that are projected onto your smartphone’s display.
However, we’ve yet to see a casino game developer create and release an augmented reality casino game, leading many to wonder whether augmented reality can be used in mobile casino games.
How Augmented Reality Be Used In Mobile Casino Gaming
Although no developers have yet to create and release augmented reality casino games, we believe they could definitely be used for mobile casino gaming. Casino game studios could create exclusive mobile slots that use augmented reality to project a slot machine into your local environment and, in theory, use touch-screen technology to interact with the slot; adjust bets and press the “Spin” button to play.
The above would merge online and real-life play to offer a brand new immersive experience. Augmented reality mobile casino games would benefit from the ease of access and portability mobile casinos offer. What’s more, gamers wouldn’t be as restricted as with VR mobile casino games since augmented reality is compatible with all phones, and no pricey headset is needed.
Since most mobile casino game developers have yet to embrace virtual reality while the rest of the gaming industry has, it’s unlikely we’ll see this happen in the near future, if at all. Still, we believe it’d be great to see and could provide an unbeatable experience.
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