A brief history of live casino games and casinos
How did the live casino scene develop in Australia
Live dealer games were not a new invention. There were already attempts in 1998. However, the technology was not at the required level then. To give you a clearer picture. In 1995, Microgaming launched the first online casino i. So the first attempt to create live casinos was three years after the launch of the first online casino.
These first games did have some problems. Computers were limited at the time, and internet speeds were slow. Dial-up internet meant that your poker game could be interrupted by a phone call. Notwithstanding these limitations, the convenience of online casinos was impossible to ignore. An increasing number of players took their chances online.
Online casinos were popular, but there was still much doubt about online gambling. With the advent of the smartphone, the whole world began to connect to the Internet every day. Tens of thousands of new players tried their first casino games every year. Online casinos exploded in popularity. As technology improved, so did players’ expectations.
The rise of live casinos
Live casinos, however, appeared just before the first smartphones hit the market. We saw the first titles appear somewhere around 2006 or 2007. They were sporadic at the time. The conditions were not perfect for live casinos, but they were getting better and better. Better internet speeds made video streaming possible. Real dealers playing blackjack could thus deal real cards and operate the roulette wheels.
Live dealer games did benefit from the launch of smartphones. As more people owned phones, internet speeds had to be increased. As smartphones went from cool gadgets to must-have device, live casino games were ready for them. Around 2012, all major software providers started to move to HTML5. This allowed players to enjoy casino games without the need for a PC.
All the others
Evolution was not the only software provider to offer live casino games. But they were the most successful. All the major providers lagged behind. Playtech lagged behind with their own version. Pragmatic Play entered the fray by acquiring Extreme Live Gaming. NetEnt tried to enter the live casino space, but that project was scrapped after Evolution bought them.
That gives us the situation today. Evolution is leading the pack, and everyone else is following them closely. It shows how far live dealer games and casinos have come. What started as a novelty soon became the primary way people played. Players no longer have to deal with substandard visuals and the fact that they are playing on their own. Players can have the real casino experience from home.
We can now look forward to what is to come with the past behind us. We have seen some exciting announcements from all the software providers. Will Evolution continue to dominate? Will another software provider take over the throne? Will VR casinos finally overtake live casino games? Stay tuned, and we’ll make sure you don’t miss the next big news.