Today, it is not unusual to see new casinos pop up online, like Vulkan Bet. It is much easier to build an online casino now than ever before, thanks to the support of governments and the advancement of technology. The industry did not use to be this way. It was more challenging back then.
The 1990s
The worst years of the online casino industry happened in the 1990s. The very first gambling program offered to the public was the lottery that Liechtenstein created and released in 1994. At that time, most countries banned gambling.
It was in 1998 when Planet Poker established a poker gaming site, and then Paradise Poker also opened its online poker lobby in 1999. From 2003 to 2006, there were several poker websites opened, and it was a period that people now call the Poker Boom.
Microgaming made the first online casino back in 1996 and launched The Gaming Club. At that time, the games found in the online casino were all made by Microgaming.
Since casino games were not as profitable and popular, online casinos had a tough time looking for patrons. For thousands of years, people gambled in land-based casinos and gambling houses. An online casino was looked at as a novelty — people also thought it was dangerous.
In addition to that, there were concerns about the social impact of online casinos. Add to that the issues that land-based casinos had — these online casinos could take their customers away.
Because of these concerns, many countries banned online casinos, but some in Europe allowed them. As history would have it, even the law was against these online casinos and poker houses.
There is this thing called Black Friday, which refers to an incident that happened on April 15, 2011. Federal authorities revealed an indictment against three major online poker businesses: PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker.
The indictment claimed that these three companies were using fraudulent methods to lure players and that they were using methods to circumvent federal laws. They were also charged with manipulation to allow banks to process gambling payments.
Many gambling companies steered clear away from the US market when this happened. Thankfully, Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware jumpstarted the process of legalizing online casinos. Today, it is legal to operate online casinos in many states — the politicians finally decided that the government could earn a lot of money from it.
The Good Years
The good years of online casinos happened in the late 2010s. This was the period when many countries took a good and hard look at the industry ad decided that the existence of casinos could be controlled and profited from — in the form of tax.
Before this, developers released HTML5 back in 2008. The Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group released it, but then it was only in 2014 that the World Wide Web Consortium recommended its use.
HTML5 is the fifth and final version of the language. What made it a great deal is that HTML5 made it possible to display virtually anything on a browser, including games and other interactive applications.
Before HTML5, people who gambled needed to download what was called “clients.” Clients were software programs or applications that needed to be installed on a computer. This software program, when launched, would connect online to the casino’s servers.
Pretty much, casino “clients” worked like the modern mobile app today, but only for PC. The thing with operating a client was that it needed firmware updates. In addition, a player could not play on a PC without this client.
With HTML 5, all it takes is for the player to go to the website, log in, and then play. You can play on any device without needing to install anything.
The Legality of Online Casinos
Online casinos are enjoying good years in the early 2020s because many politicians have legalized them. Some countries are also mulling it over.
Today, online casinos are legal in the following:
- USA
- UK
- Many European countries
- Asia Pacific
- Australia
By no means is this list exhaustive. Also, please take note that some states do not allow online gambling. There are also some countries where gambling is completely illegal, like China.
Not only are countries legalizing online casinos, but they are also legalizing sports betting and eSports betting. Leaders have come to realize that gambling will not go anywhere, so they might as well take advantage of it.
The future of online casinos is bright. The technology is secure, and even if some traditional banks refuse to deal with online casinos, there is a plethora of online exchanges where one can buy cryptocurrency. Online casinos are also on the move to make their systems crypto-friendly.
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