As Mark Zuckerberg and the Metaverse’s newest peripheral, the Meta Quest Pro, is rolled out to the world, people are starting to see the scope of Zuckerberg’s promise. Not only is he bringing about yet another social media platform, but he’s bringing us a new way to work from home, a new way for customers to interact with businesses, and a new way to experience life. With positive reviews coming back on the new VR visor, it seems the technology is preceding along nicely. And although the jury is out on the Metaverse, the next few years will unveil how much this technology will change life as we know it.
However, that starts at a small scale and builds from there. First, it will change gaming and entertainment, then it will affect retail businesses until finally it will be woven into the internet as a whole, as well as just about anything else we can imagine. So we wanted to start at one of entertainment’s oldest sectors: gambling.
We’ll go over three of online casinos’ biggest games and predict how virtual reality might change them over the next three to five years. Let’s start with arguably the simplest and most recognisable of the bunch.
Slots
Everywhere you look, both online and offline, slots are there. So how do you improve upon something that’s already thriving? The casino offers from Betfair show the full range of what’s popular at online casinos. There are slot games for every theme under the sun, and there are live casino games like blackjack. There are promotions for all the types of games on offer because people love them all!
So with promotions available for all the games people like to play already, what can VR do to help? We think virtual reality will streamline the process of playing while also securing deals. The technology will be able to do this by allowing the player to multitask on the user interface. Although face recognition is the talk of the town right now, having multiple panes in your view (like different tabs on a browser) will enhance our multitasking capabilities. So while you watch the reels spin on Age of the Gods, you’ll be notified of deals related to DaVinci Diamonds and be able to switch as you see fit. In this, we see playing as a much smoother experience.
Poker
If poker is anything, we’d say it’s one of the most social games in a casino. While each player at a table is looking to outplay the others, they all come together for the same experience. They also often pass the time by talking and commenting on their play. This differs from the more solitary experience of slots as it creates community within the game itself. We think virtual reality will only strengthen those communities by making it easier to get together virtually when they can’t physically. If a VR choir can be a success, we think that same concept can apply to a Saturday night poker league.
Live Dealer Blackjack
We decided to save live dealer blackjack for last as it combines parts of the first two games we mentioned. It sits players down with like-minded individuals but allows them to play their own game. In blackjack, it’s the players vs. the dealer, and while poker offers a sense of competition among players, blackjack can offer a sense of camaraderie.
Now, we don’t expect this to be the future of online dating, but we do think it has the potential to bring people together in positive ways that have players looking forward to their next session. These sessions can lead to friendships that the players can explore in different ways throughout the Metaverse, but we think live dealer blackjack tables are a place where those connections will be made.
So in taking the best parts of both online and offline casinos, VR gambling can merge the best parts of both worlds to really create something unique. And these three gambling staples will offer some of the best experiences upon release, so keep an eye out for them over the next few years.
