The global online gambling market has experienced significant growth in recent years. The convenience of online gambling and the extensive choice of betting sites and games means that more and more people are heading online to gamble.
In particular, Asia’s online betting market is growing well, and shows projected compound annual growth rates of 10.59%. This could see its value rise from $26.61 billion in 2022 to a projected $53.83 billion in 2029.
The legality of online gambling varies across the continent: South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Macau actively prohibit online gambling and act against those using offshore sites. Countries like Japan and Malaysia are less strict and many citizens enjoy offshore gambling, whereas the Phillipines has its own online casino regulator.
This competitive market across Asia sees operators offering a range of incentives to attract and retain customers. Some of the top online casinos in Malaysia even offer impressive welcome bonuses and cashback deals to make them stand out from competitors.
Another way that operators can appeal to new customers both in Asia and wider afield is by offering the best user experience. This is typically done by making the most of the latest games and technology including artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR).
VR in Online Casinos
Embracing new technologies can give online casino operators access to a range of new games and is also a great selling point for potential new customers.
Virtual reality typically requires a headset that allows the user to immerse themselves in a realistic experience and shuts out the real world.
VR headsets are often used to stream movies or play video games, and the gambling world has embraced this technology to bring the casino experience into your own home.
What Hardware is Needed for VR Online Gambling?
There are multiple VR headsets available on the market, with some of the most popular including the Oculus Rift, Google Daydream View, Samsung Gear, and HTC Vive.
In order to create an immersive VR experience, the headset should shut out the real world and allow the user to focus solely on the sights and sounds being played to them.
The technology typically uses a pair of LCD screens, lenses, and pixels to position 2D images in a way that our eyes can process them as real-life images.
A wide field of vision provides a truly immersive experience for the user and a minimum of 60 frames p/s is needed to ensure a smooth experience. Other features VR headsets need to provide a real-life experience include head and motion tracking features.
The headset is connected to a laptop or PC which allows access to VR casinos. Headsets will have recommended and minimum technical specs required to support VR games. For example, the Oculus Rift requires the following minimum specs:
- FX4350, AMD Ryzen 3 1200, or Intel i3-6100 processor.
- Radeon RX 470 or GTX 1050 Ti graphics card.
- 8GB memory
- Windows 10 operating system
- 2 USB 2.0 ports
- 1 USB 3.0 port
How Secure is VR in Online Casinos?
The use of VR in online casinos can help to improve security because players are closely monitored. Biometric authentication can also be implemented as an additional security measure to identify players.
The Benefits of Virtual Reality in Online Casinos
With so many online casino operators competing against one another, it is essential that they offer the best gambling experience available. Investing in VR technology benefits both the operator and the user in a number of ways.
Immersive Experience
Attracting customers using welcome bonuses can be a great way to get them to sign up. However, ensuring their online casino experience is as good as possible will help them to stay. This means that operators who invest in new technologies and regularly update games are in a better position.
Gamblers will benefit from an impressive user experience that includes seamless technology, smooth gameplay, and an immersive experience.
Social Interaction
Another benefit of implementing VR into an online casino setting is that it will improve social interactions. The social aspect of casinos can be replicated as players can move about the virtual space and interact with other players.
Greater engagement with other players and dealers can result in longer gaming sessions that benefit the player and online casino.
Convenience
Online casinos offer users the convenience of being able to gamble from their own homes at any time of the day or night. VR improves this experience and allows players to experience a variety of games in a more realistic setting.
Conclusion
VR casinos will not completely overtake regular online casinos as they require significantly more hardware to run. Mobile betting allows any customer with a strong internet connection to play anywhere, whereas VR players need to have a laptop or PC with the required specs.
However, those who want to enjoy a more realistic casino experience will benefit from investing in a VR headset. Casino operators will also benefit from investing in this technology as it will provide their customers with a high-quality level of gameplay.
VR casinos are already in operation and this technology is likely to become more widespread as its success grows.
