One of the most popular types of gaming found at online casinos today are online slot games, which have certainly come a long way from their mechanical predecessors, which first arrived in Australia from the United States in the 1890s.
In fact, those very early slot machines featured playing cards glued to spinning drums, followed by mechanical ways to accept and reward coins. Interestingly, this also explains why “slots” is the term used by Americans, while “pokies” is the local vernacular for Aussies. Both terms were shaped by functions and features of these gaming machines.
But before we dive into the technological advancements that casino games have undergone, and more specifically online slot machines, let's review some history.
Brief History: The Pioneering Days of Mechanical Slot Machines
Bavarian migrant Charles August Fey is often credited with inventing the first slot machines, created at his small workshop in San Francisco, California. He also devised mechanisms that could accept coins, and when these quickly became successful, his innovation extended to the first three spinning reels that automatically paid out cash prizes.
Those and similar electromechanical machines remained popular for decades, before the next big technology leap came in 1964. This was the year that Bally Manufacturing, who also made pinball machines, launched Honey Money. This was the first completely electromechanical slot machine, and by the end of the decade Bally dominated 90% of the global slot games market.
Nevertheless, the first Australian pokies for real money had already appeared in Tasmania during the 1950s, which also heralded the emergence of Aristocrat who manufactured them. Inevitably, they followed the same technological trends, producing the first electromechanical gaming machines and slots that arose Down Under.
The next giant leap for Aussie pokies came with the invention of video slots, created by Fortune Coin in Las Vegas. Although the computer technology was quite rudimentary, they actually used a modified Sony TV for the display, although continued progression would bring fully customized screens for the gaming cabinets.
Life-Changing Sums: The Early Days of Progressive Jackpots
For the physical casino venues and establishments hosting slot machines, the next important step came with the introduction of progressive jackpots. The first of these was called Megabucks and created by International Game Technology (IGT) in 1986, and by 1987 the first progressive jackpot was paid. That lucky winner walked away with almost $5 million USD.
Then came the domestic and commercial arrival of the internet in 1990s, and that was a complete game-changer for how slots work, most notably for the industry that revolved around Australian pokies. Indeed, it was an Aussie casino business Lasseter’s who launched the first regulated online casino, having already trialed an internet gaming site, heralding an entirely new digital age for online gambling.
We have to be mindful that back then, people only had access to dial-up connections through their landlines, therefore the capabilities were extremely limited and games were very basic. However, the huge potential was clear and also in 1994, Microgaming in the Isle of Man, United Kingdom, developed the first genuine online casino software.
But what online gaming truly heralded was an exciting new era of limitless possibilities, generating the kind of boom which the wider casino industry had never experienced before, and that extended to the players themselves.
The Digital Age: Cutting-Edge Technology Behind Online Slots
While it might seem quite the cliché to say we now live in a digital age––, truth be told, we have now become a society in which technology has deeply enriched our lives. And when it comes to diversity and choice, playing online slots or pokies has never been more varied and engaging. Likewise, game developers are using technological advancement to come up with fascinating ways to grab our attention.
Let's review some of the most cutting-edge technologies applied to online casino games today.
Technological Innovation in the Online Gambling Industry
Mobile Gaming
While mobile gaming is certainly not new to any of us, it cannot go unmentioned when talking about the technology behind online slot games.
Land-based casinos have quickly caught on to the huge demand, and potential of offering gaming experiences on mobile phones and casino developers have rolled out apps that offer a large variety of casino games on mobile devices.
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
VR and AR are often used interchangeably, and while both offer an immersive gaming experience, they're not the same.
Virtual reality creates a fully immersive computer-generated environment that replaces the real world. Player's wear VR headsets and are isolated from their physical space.
Some online casino platforms offer VR slots. Instead of clicking buttons on a screen, players use motion controllers or gestures to interact with the game elements in a three-dimensional space and play virtual reels. This makes gamers feel like they are physically present in a brick-and-mortar casino, without leaving their homes.
Augmented Reality, on the other hand, overlays digital content onto the real world, enhancing a player's perception of their environment.
AR can be applied to online slot games in many ways: it can provide real-time statistics, interactive elements or player information on the screen, it can create a virtual casino environment through AR glasses, slot machines could have animated 3D characters or bonus features, online casinos can use AR to host virtual tours and immersive promotions... The possibilities are endless!
RNG Software
RNG stands for "Random Number Generator", and its application to online slots is a good example of where technology and entertainment converge to ensure a game's fairness.
An RNG software is an algorithm designed to generate random sequences of outcomes that are statistically unpredictable.
Any online slot game is required to have provably fair algorithms in order to ensure fair play and give their users a chance to land the winning combinations.
In online slot games, RNGs determine which symbols appear on the reels. A good RNG software will also constantly be generating numbers, even when games are not being played at a given time.
A reputable online slot machine will use certified and audited RNGs to ensure fairness to its user's, but it also adds a layer of security. By relying on unpredictable algorithms, casinos make it very difficult for external entities to predict or manipulate their games.
Graphics and Animation
Let's not underestimate the enormous importance of enhanced graphics and high-quality animations when it comes to attracting and retaining players in the online casino industry.
If the game is well-designed, it will transport players to a different world enhancing their gaming experiences.
Visual elements are also key when it comes to defining the brand image, ensuring that the game remains in the user's memory and that they will return to play in the near future.
Graphics are also essential for building user-friendly interfaces. Buttons, menus and controls must be clear and visually appealing to make it easier for players to understand and interact with the game.
Animations and graphics are also capable of evoking emotions and provoking reactions from players: this could be the excitement of winning bonus rounds, the joy of unlocking special features or the anticipation of a spin.
Blockchain Casinos
Blockchain casinos use cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and others for financial transactions in online gambling.
Some examples of how online casinos use blockchain are: players can use blockchain to make deposits, withdrawals and place bets, blockchain casinos operate on decentralized networks that contribute to greater transparency and fairness, it also offers a degree of anonymity as players do not need to disclose personal information.
There are no borders with cryptocurrencies, so blockchain casinos are accessible worldwide, which facilitates international gambling.
And last but not least, blockchain also enhances secure transactions through cryptographic algorithms, transactions and data stored on the blockchain are immutable, making it difficult to manipulate records.
