The online casino market has made strides to replicate the success of land-based gambling houses in an internet setting. Now, following the last ten years, the online casino industry is booming and has brought about new ways of playing classic games. This is especially true with titles like blackjack, which now encompass a variety of fresh strains for players.
Land-based casinos may start bringing in popular variants from the online world, and upcoming technology could help with this. Augmented reality, for example, would be a great way to offer new blackjack games.
Online Blackjack Has Led to New Strains of the Game
In the early days of online casinos, developers simply adapted games like blackjack for a digital audience. Now, anyone searching for a blackjack online game will find themselves faced with a wide array of options spanning way beyond the traditional version of the much-loved casino classic. For example, there’s Blackjack First Person, Quantum Blackjack Plus, and Buster Blackjack for players to choose from.
All these versions have the fundamental aspects of blackjack at their core but offer slightly different features. For example, the Quantum version of the game has multipliers on random cards. Offering different themes allows casinos to market their products to a broader audience as well.
Real World Blackjack Could Use AR to Mirror Online Casino Games
AR could soon have an impact on land-based casinos because it would allow for some digital elements to be superimposed on live games. There are loads of AR apps now that do this, and they have been popular with users. For example, IKEA Place allows users to see what products from the company would look like in their own homes. It only seems like a matter of time before casinos introduce it as well.
Soon, casino patrons may be able to put on AR headsets when they sit at table games and see additional aspects of the game. For example, there could be AR animations between rounds. These could fit with a particular theme, such as ancient Greece or a popular film. There could be additional features like lightning strikes on certain cards that then become multipliers. The possibilities of implementing AR in blackjack games are endless, and casinos that jump on the technology first could prosper.
When Will AR Boom?
AR is expected to be a mainstream piece of technology by the 2030s, which means that it will seep into everyday life gradually over the rest of the decade. It is already starting to do this, with many websites and apps now offering AR features. Still, there’s a long way to go. In 2022, the mobile AR market size was valued at around $16.6 billion, and the AR hardware market is projected to rise by over $8 billion by 2027.
For AR to propel itself into the mainstream, it may need a major catalyst. Some analysts are expecting Apple to push it forward, and the company may announce its headset in 2023 or 2024. If this happens, it is likely to influence many more people to jump on the technology.
The casino industry has historically adapted well to emerging technologies, and it will do the same when AR comes to the fore. Land-based casinos may then take inspiration from their online counterparts and start offering more varied strains of blackjack.