Online casinos are now the dominant form of entertainment for gamblers, who have shifted from land-based casinos. The first establishments were founded nearly 3 decades ago and the software behind the games has improved ever since. To better understand the quality of the games today, we need to take a closer look at the evolution of gambling since the early casinos of 1994.
Microgaming and The Gaming Club Paved the Way
The beginnings of online casinos are rather humble, with the first gambling operators opening shop in 1994. Microgaming and The Gaming Club claim to have been the first casinos, as they opened shop a few months apart, but with a basic set of services. The casino technology evolved greatly over the next few years and InterCasino and FruityKing were the first proper online casinos to welcome an international audience in 1996. All this was possible thanks to the bill passed by Antigua and Barbuda in 1994.
The early live casino operators like FruityKing were only able to offer a few games and real money gambling was frowned upon by many conservative punters. Software developers picked up on the vibes and realized that a huge opportunity was within their grasp. Inspired by the popular games of the early 90s, especially slots and card games, they came up with a few varieties for Internet gamblers. Speaking of which, only a fraction of the population had decent Internet access in the 90s, so the audience was relatively small.
The 21st-century ushers in sophisticated games
Significant progress was made nearly a decade after the first casinos were founded, with better-looking games seem and superior game mechanics. Slots became more creative and their themes were inspired by Hollywood blockbusters, history, and exotic civilizations. The software behind the scenes was still shrouded in mystery and this was a big concern for prospective punters. The idea of not being able to fully charge the algorithms had a daunting effect on those considering real money games.
Modern slots and casino games use the random number generator, which is a superior technology that maintains a level playing field. Information about the house edge, the average return to player, and other facts that can help forecast long-term performance are available. An important step forward was made when crypto casinos came along, introducing the provably fair concept. It allows players to check the fairness of the games themselves for free, so they can put away any lingering doubts.
The evolution of software is even more obvious when we look at mobile-friendly games. Today, most of the slots, table games, video pokers, and other genres are accessible on smartphones and tablets. These handheld devices are almost as powerful as computers and can run even the most demanding games flawlessly. You can play them in the browser or download the dedicated apps for free and use them as a Gateway to a comprehensive portfolio of games.