The Metaverse is Set to Spin iGaming on its Head

Since the 1990's, the iGaming industry has been at the blazing the path for the use of new technology. Almost since the first year of activity, iGaming had used the internet and digital payment solutions to create the first online casinos.

Online operators were among the first to embrace innovations like HTML5, smart mobile devices, and streaming, which all created incredible new products for casino players around the world and new ways for them to play, no longer limited to brick and mortar casinos nor desktop computers. 

Back then it was all very new, but today, that means that we have limitless versions of popular classic casino games, live dealer casino games, and wonderfully designed mobile casinos that have exploded in popularity. 

So what's next...?

Well, it seems obvious that the next place iGaming will become the norm is on various casino and gambling site metaverses that are being planned for 2022 and beyond. 

What will a Metaverse Casino look like?

There are many arguments as to what the metaverse is, but a generally accepted definition is a “persistent synchronous environment” that we will all be able to access through the internet. There will be full immersion into the inherent virtual reality that the metaverse includes and there will be 3D and 2D elements. 

If you are familiar with metaverse games you may have heard about huge games like Axie Infinity, Decentraland, Victoria VR and Sandbox. 

These fully immersive games have given users the ability to buy, sell, earn, design and create, and basically live in a digital environment, sometimes (for better or for worse) for hours on end. 

Well, a Metaverse casino would be a fully immersive experience where instead of seeing menus and buttons to click on, you'd see a realistic casino floor with a cashier's desk, slot machines, table games with real dealers, a bar area, casino staff, and other players walking about that you can choose to communicate with in real time. 

They will be so realistic when accessed via VR headset that you may find it even better than the real thing. Casinos of the Metaverse could also be located in the most unique destinations. You might be able to play poker at the final table of the WSOP, play baccarat in Macau at the Venetian, or play roulette in Monaco. Or, even better, you could play these games underwater in the mythical city of Atlantis or on the dark side of the moon. 

Are you Wearing your NFT Outfit Yet?

Players' avatars will be completely customizable and outfits could be NFTs (non-fungible tokens) sold by the top designers in the world. Or, companies like META, that are going to scan your entire body into the Metaverse could end the need for the avatars we've become accustomed to seeing and your virtual self will sit across the dealer.  

NFTs will play a major role in Metaverse casino gaming and iGaming operators should definitely see them as a new source of revenue. Casino gift shops and even chips will be represented by NFTs. Payment will be powered on the blockchain or by using hash graph technology like the Hedera (HBAR) innovation. 

COVID actually sped up the plans for the Metaverse and things that may have been 5-10 years away were developed in the span of a few months. Combine that with the iGaming industry’s track record of adopting new technologies shows us we can expect it to be at the forefront of this new digital world.