How Can Online Casino Players Stay in the Loop with Developments?

The global online casino market has exploded onto the scene, and it only continues to heat up. From the first online casino software launched in 1994, global online gambling has turned into a market worth in excess of $78 billion. With so many competitors and studios arriving from different parts of the world, it can be very difficult to stay on top of, let alone ahead, of the game. To get a sense of how quickly things can change, we’ll recount the major advancements in iGaming that have led to the present day since the market’s inception, and then discuss some ways of staying in the loop with future developments. 

Three Decades of Rapid Progress

The company Microgaming, which doesn’t operate on the game creation side of things anymore, kicked off the iGaming industry 31 years ago. Their technology made it possible to host real money casino games online that mimicked those of real land-based casino games. They created many hit slots, but vaulted the industry up another tier with the launch of the first hit progressive jackpot slot, Mega Moolah, in 2006.

A huge range of progressive jackpot slots followed, including Jackpot Giant and a suite of games that was re-skinned into Age of the Gods a few years after the brand was taken over in 2009. During this time, slots were also moving forward, going from three-line to five, ten, 100, 243, and 1,054 paylines per spin. By 2011, NetEnt had committed to a mobile-first mentality for its slots, remastering Gonzo’s Quest for touchscreens.

Over this span already, some grand technological developments have been made, which the ever-competitive iGaming scene was more than happy to ride. We later got the low volatility slot trend thanks to Starburst in 2013, followed by a pivot to high volatility games with 2016’s Book of Dead. The first fishing feature game, Fishin’ Frenzy, came out in 2014, but Big Bass Bonanza truly popularised it in 2020. Then, Megaways was invented by Bonanza in 2016.

Add in the newer popular and expanding mechanic series Gold Blitz, which first arrived in 2022, and it’s clear that slots have evolved tremendously. Elsewhere, we actually saw a form of live casino game take place in the late 90s for a poker game, but Evolution Gaming truly transformed it in 2007 with its live games, and then they kicked off the game show craze with Dream Catcher in 2017. In 2019, we got our first crash game, Aviator.

How to Keep Up with So Much Progress

The key to keeping up with the developments of the online casino industry is finding a trusted source that will, more or less, do the work for you. Hence, the best guide to online casinos will review hundreds of sites and provide updates very regularly. These updates might include any breakthroughs, emerging trends, or new drops that are noteworthy. CasinoAlpha includes all of this information in their blog and player guide section. 

Here, players will find in-depth analysis of key topics like bonus withdrawal conditions, wagering requirements comparisons, what makes casinos reputable, and tax guidance for winnings. Amongst the player guides, there’s help for choosing the right casino, using responsible gambling tools, how to complete KYC requests, and the legality of casinos in certain nations.

The online casino scene moves at breakneck speed, but with useful resources to hand, players can stay in the know.