When the shipment date of Oculus Rift was finally announced this year, the gaming community went into a frenzy about all the opportunities that were lying ahead. But while most eyes were turned on the world of PC and consoles, another form of gaming was quietly shaping up beneath the dust – VR casinos.
With the first test samples of VR goggles launched, the casino community was also greeted with the world’s first VR casino, SlotsMillion, which set out to revolutionize digital gambling. During the following months, the casino was eagerly awaited by every gambling portal that wanted to include a report of this pioneering change among its impressive collection of information.
But are VR casino games really worth the fuzz? Well, the answer to that question depends on what you are looking for in your casino experience. But to answer it fully, join us as we take you through our first look at VR casino games.
A New Life to Casino Games
The casino game industry is home to some of the best game designs of today. Leading developers like NetEnt, Playtech, or Microgaming go to incredible lengths to create fully immersive games that come with a variety of themes, great audio and graphics. And yet, they are most likely to be enjoyed via a full screen view on your smartphone or PC.
But with virtual reality, casino games become an entirely different experience. By playing slot games on your VR goggles, you experience them as they were meant to be enjoyed. The visuals, animations, and sound take you to a whole different world where all your senses are tuned to the game in front of you, creating a fully immersive world of entertainment.
Putting the Reality Back into Online Casinos
The online casino industry is very proud of the fact that you now can enjoy quality casino games from the comfort of your couch, or wherever else you go. And although this is an impressive achievement, playing by yourself at home can get quite lonely and, at times, even un-stimulating.
On the other hand, with VR casinos, you get to enjoy the same social aspect of land-based casinos, minus the trip expenses. Slots Million, for example, takes you to a skyscraper lobby in the clouds where you can hit the bar, play slots and even chat with other players around you.
But where the feeling of reality truly comes to life is when you see other players hitting jackpots as you stand aside and cheer them on. And the whole thing doesn’t stop there. To make the experience as close to real life as it can be, as a player you’ll also get to:
• Join a card game with other people;
• Watch movies on VR iPads with other friends;
• Raise your hand to get a customer support agent to talk to you;
• Get visited by the pit boss to receive a bonus.
Winning Prospects Meet Gaming
Building a VR casino platform can be risky. Of course, it sounds interesting and attractive to try, but how can you justify replacing your regular online casino with a VR casino? Well, that’s when the incentives come in.
Like any business opening its doors to the world, VR casinos offer attractive welcome bonuses that are very likely to grab your attention. And once you sign up and start playing, there will be lucrative promotions in place, just in case the VR experience is not enough for you.
The Future of Online Gambling?
Introducing bold changes might sound strange, especially when your player base already has strong roots in traditional gambling. However, once you consider the current trends in the gambling industry, you realize that this transition is only logical and natural.
The Millennial generation is one of the toughest demographic for casino operators, since they don’t really like what older generations like. This is a new generation that was raised on playing PC and console games and has little to no interest for the current forms of gambling.
The Millennials are why even land-based operators like Caesars Entertainment are forming partnerships to introduce things like social casino games or skill-based slot games in their venues. This is also the same generation that is most likely to invest in expensive PCs and VR goggles.
When you take a look at the direction the gambling industry is currently heading to, the only natural destination seems to be VR casinos. These casinos of the future will mostly likely be places where a mix of social, skill-based, and traditional games will be mutually enjoyed via a VR headset.
