One of the biggest success stories of the past couple of decades has undoubtedly been the rise in global popularity of online casinos.

Advancements in technology have helped to facilitate a seismic shift in the way people play popular casino games such as roulette, blackjack, poker and slots.

Building and maintaining a quality online casino requires significant investment from gambling operators, particularly with regards to the technology side of things.

Read on as we look at the main technology behind online casinos and assess innovations that could have a significant impact in the future.

Website

Every online casino is built around a website, which effectively houses all the other technological elements that contribute to the overall experience.

Building the website is a labour-intensive process that requires input from at least a dozen people who possess a wide range of technology skills.

Front-end design, game software integration, payment gateways, chatroom facilities and customer support software are amongst the main areas for consideration.

Online casino websites generally feature a marketing and advertising section, which is usually powered by WordPress or a similar content management system.

Mobile Apps

In addition to ensuring a casino site works on desktop and laptop, gambling operators must also focus on optimising it to load correctly on mobile devices.

Most online casinos are available via mobile browsers, with players able to access all the same great features they can find on larger digital devices.

However, many operators push the envelope even further by developing standalone apps, which make it even easier for players to play casino games.

The ongoing maintenance costs to the operator can be fairly sizeable, particularly with apps requiring regular updates to ensure they run smoothly.

Game Software

The software that powers the different games is unquestionably the most important part of an online casino.

Some operators develop their own games, while many others use the services of iGaming software development companies such as Playtech and Microgaming.

Whichever route they head down, online casino games must incorporate a random number generator to ensure total fairness.

Once the games have been developed, they are integrated into the casino website or app with the rest of the supporting technology.

Instant Messaging Software

Interacting with the dealer, croupier or fellow players is a key part of the experience of playing games in a brick-and-mortar casino venue.

Online operators have wisely recognised this by incorporating instant messaging software alongside the games on the sites.

These allow for real-time interactions between the chatroom host and players, thus recreating the social element of casino games.

Some social casino sites have started to go a step further by using video technology to allow players to see each other while playing poker.

Payment Methods

Online casinos have significantly widened the scope of their payment methods in recent years – Image via Pexels

The earliest online casinos relied heavily on payment methods such as debit cards to facilitate deposits and withdrawals.

While they remain an integral part of the modern landscape, several other payment technologies have been added into the mix in recent years.

These include digital wallets such as PayPal, Skrill, Google Pay and Apple Pay, and open banking methods such as Trustly.

Each of these must be incorporated into online casino sites to ensure that players can complete payments in a safe and secure manner.

Live Streaming

As we mentioned earlier, random number generators are used in online casino games to make sure that the outcome of each one is totally fair.

However, many players believe that this removes the skill element that is present in games such as blackjack in land-based casinos.

This issue has been addressed by the introduction of live casino games, which use the latest video streaming technology to be broadcast in real-time to digital devices.

Cameras, optical camera recognition technology, a game control unit and instant messaging software are amongst the technology elements used to create live casino games.

Virtual Reality & The Future

All of the technology we have identified up to this point is evolving to create increasingly immersive online casino experiences.

The current landscape bears little resemblance to what passed for the norm 10 years ago and that will probably be the case again in another decade.

One emerging innovation that has been widely forecast to have a major impact on online casinos is virtual reality (VR) technology.

Development specialists Evolution Gaming have been at the forefront of innovating with VR, and made a major breakthrough in 2021.

The VR version of Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt – a entertaining blend of live slots and game shows – received widespread acclaim when it was launched last year.

Players use a VR headset to view stunning 360-degree video content, which effectively takes them into the heart of the game using the latest technology.

With further VR casino game releases in the pipeline, use of this technology is fully expected to become commonplace over the next few years.

Increased adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technology should also have a major impact on online casinos over the coming years.

AI has the power to enhance elements such as customer support and marketing, while responsible gambling is another area where it can be implemented.