In 1891, a New York gambling company built the first poker machine. Players would pull a lever and spin reels, hoping to get a winning combination. Four years later, a mechanic named Charles Fey created the first mechanical slot machine, which he called the Liberty Bell. The success of these two machines meant that, pretty soon, imitation devices would spread throughout the United States of America and, later, the world.
The online slot developed and changed from the late-19th century into the 1980s. Better, simplified mechanics, mass production, and introducing more reels made playing slots much more fun. In the 1980s, there was a new development in slots, which propelled their popularity further. Progressive slots, the first of which was Megabucks, had the top prize grow exponentially. Many believed that this would be the pinnacle of slot games.
However, the 1990s changed gambling for years to come. During the final decade of the 20th century, computer science, digital technology, and the internet made it possible for gamblers to play their favorite game online.
The Online Revolution
The 1990s are widely known as the start of the digital age. Computers first became widely available during the decade. Mobile phones began growing in popularity. And in 1994, Microgaming changed gambling forever. For those who don’t know, Microgaming is one of the most popular and notable online gambling game developers. And they were the first company to create an online casino.
Today, online casinos are incredibly popular, and feature all sorts of complex games. In the 90s, however, iGaming was just starting. Players could find the simplest of games, such as web poker, video poker, and online slots. While Microgaming was the first to release an online slot, similar companies soon hopped on the bandwagon, producing all sorts of exciting and engaging gambling games. In this article, we would like to take a look at how iGaming has evolved and changed over the years.
The Early Years
Despite being a relatively new industry, iGaming has developed incredibly fast. Today, fans of online casinos can easily find and enjoy exciting casino slot games online with just a few clicks. However, this wasn’t always the case. In the early 90s, the iGaming industry was just starting out. Games were incredibly rudimentary. On top of that, most websites were incredibly shady, and people still preferred to play their games in land-based casinos.
Over the years, the online gambling industry became a lot safer. Gambling commissions and licenses today ensure that these websites are fair, safe, and treat their customers with utmost care. Countries in the European Union tend to issue the safest licenses, so pay special attention to casinos licensed by Malta, the United Kingdom, Cyprus, etc.
Late 90s-Early 2000s
The final years of the 20th century were a hugely important time for the iGaming industry. Many young entrepreneurs saw the potential in online gaming, and began forming new companies. During this time, we got some of the most notable, and still to this day most trustworthy, online slot game developers. Among them are the following:
- Microgaming
- NetEnt
- Playtech
- Play’n Go
The aforementioned game developers brought a lot of innovation to the industry. Most notably, they introduced the progressive slot to the world of online gambling. In 1999, the first-ever online progressive slot hit the online casinos.
The mechanics worked just like the land-based counterpart. Every time a player wouldn’t hit the jackpot, the grand prize would grow larger, eventually hitting a certain peak. Once someone won the jackpot, the grand prize would go back to its original offer. The introduction of the progressive jackpot to online slots was a huge step for online slots, and the iGaming industry in general.
Modern Slots and Mobile Gaming
The mass production and availability of smartphones has had a huge impact on the gambling world. Online slots already made gambling a lot simpler and more available. Now, with mobile gambling technology, gamblers can easily access all of their favorite slots from their smartphones. And while there are some downsides to mobile gambling, most agree that the future of iGaming lies in appealing to smartphone users.
For the curious, the biggest problem with online gaming is the unavailability of games. Despite most companies striving to create games that are compatible with a smartphone, most gamblers still have a hard time playing on their device. However, this seems to be changing drastically, in large part thanks to the incorporation of HTML5 software technology.
The Future of Online Slots
Most agree that the future of online slots lies in the mobile gambling industry. However, this fact does not mean that PC-based online gambling will disappear. In fact, quite the opposite. Online slots are now more popular than ever, and they continue to grow in popularity with each passing year. Most analysts expect that, in the future, online gambling might just overtake the land-based industry in terms of revenue.