How VR is Changing the Game for Online Casinos

Virtual reality (VR) is more than a mere buzzword; studies show that VR is set to grow from an industry worth $6.2 billion in 2019 to $16 billion by the end of next year. By 2025, it will reach $22.5 billion. This translates to nearly four-fold growth in just six years!

While VR is used in a lot of industries like healthcare and business, its features truly shine in gaming and entertainment. This much is true from the creation of Beatsaber, Job Simulator, and other best-selling VR games.

However, there’s one sector in the industry that VR is slowly becoming a more prominent part of: online casinos. What will a fusion of these two platforms look like?

What are online casinos?

Online casinos are exactly what they sound like — traditional casino games played online. Unlike brick-and-mortar casinos, online casinos are available 24/7, wherever you may be. They may or may not have live dealers in games, depending on the provider. And because they are determined by algorithms, these platforms are regulated by governing bodies to ensure fairness. An article by Towards Data Science suggests players can even estimate their winnings if they’re willing to do the numbers. All these have led to an increase in players and gaming providers over the years, making online casinos the billion-dollar industry that it is today.

Plus, since they’re published online, online casinos have plenty of opportunities to be creative with their games. Pala Interactive, for instance, specializes in “social casinos,” where you can play with multiple people online. They’ve recently partnered with Pennsylvania’s Wind Creek Casino to enter the US market. Meanwhile, the collection of online games from Ladbrokes features many iconic films and other franchises, ensuring that there’s a title that appeals to every kind of player. For example, those who love eighties films can play games based on The Terminator and RoboCop. Across other providers, films such as Ghostbusters: Afterlife have been given the online slot treatment, and even big rock bands like Guns N’ Roses have got on board.

However, what if we told you that this exciting experience could be elevated further? That’s where VR tech comes in.

How are VR casinos different?

VR casinos are much closer to physical casinos than online ones, at least, in terms of atmosphere. VR casino providers like Royal Panda, Emojino, and Betsafe create digital casino centers where people can play a ton of games, almost as if they’re in a brick-and-mortar location. SlotsMillion, a VR casino by Lucky VR, even “built” their room on top of an 80-story skyscraper. Players can check the virtual city out while standing near a window.

On the other hand, VR casinos are still online casinos, which means that winnings are regulated for fairness, too. Plus, the games are just as creative as those produced by Pala Interactive, Ladbrokes, and other traditional online casino providers. It’s just a lot more immersive — a hybrid of an at-home and on-site experience brick-and-mortar casinos can never hope to replicate. The only catch, of course, is that players need a VR headset.

The future of VR casinos

As VR technology continues to grow, so will its adoption in the online casino market. Plus, VR headsets are becoming so mass-produced these days that they’re more accessible for the average consumer. There’s also a big movement led by major VR providers like Oculus and WalkinVR to make the technology more intuitive for people with disabilities.

In time, more online casino providers like Lucky VR will appear, creating unique gaming experiences for this growing market.