Online gambling evolution in the UK and Europe explained
Submitted by Andy_B on Monday, 05 October 2020 Page Views: 316
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Would you like to know which the first online casino in Europe was? Would you like to know how online gambling started on this continent and how it was developed to this level we have today? If the answers are yes to both questions, continue reading. We will provide all the answers and facts you would like to see and know. The first ever online casino
The first online casino that was released on the web was Gaming Club Online Casino. It was launched back in 1994 by Microgaming, a small company form the United Kingdom. Here you can see how the first casino looked in 1998. Sadly the version from 1994 is unavailable. The first casino was very simple, with a dozen games. All of them had simple and basic graphics for the time. An interesting fact is that website had minimum system requirements your PC had to meet in order to load the site. This is something you don’t see in modern casinos.We must add that Microgaming developed the first progressive slot game called Cash Splash back in 1998. Obviously, the game became available at their new online casino at the time. Keep in mind that some claim that the first online casino was InterCasino. However, this casino was launched in 1996. But, InterCasino has been operating since 1983 via telephone. You could place a bet via hardline and enjoy it. On the other side, this isn’t related to online gambling, hence it cannot be the first ever online casino.
Further improvements and additions
We can see the years 1997 and 1998 as the most interesting time frame for the evolution of online gambling. In 1997 there were 15 online casinos on the web. All of them were simple, with the same or similar games. There were not a lot of casino games available, therefore gamblers had to play what was available. In 1998 the number of online casinos available was 200. Most of them targeted the UK due to the fast growth of internet coverage in the country.This is also the time frame in which we were able to see the implementation of many new games. This is due to the fact many new software developers were created. These include NetEnt, being launched in 1996 in Sweden, Playtech in 1999 (Isle of Man), Play'n GO in 1997, and several others.
At that time gamblers were able to play slots, poker, craps, blackjack, baccarat, roulette, scratch cards, and many more. Live casino games came later. The first available options were live roulette and as you may have expected live blackjack. At first, computers and internet connections were incapable of meeting the requirements for these games. This changed with technological advancement.
The same evolution can be seen in the payment method. At first, online casinos accepted cheques, bank wire transfer, and debit cards. With technology development, we were able to see more and more banking options supported here. These included PayPal, Skrill, and many others.
Microgaming made one of the biggest contributions to the online gambling realm back in 2002. They developed eCORGA which is an international organization (non-profit) that controls online casinos, set rules, and new standards. eCORGA is beneficial for online gamblers especially in the UK and other countries of Europe. The logo of this organization can be seen in the footer of some of the best online casinos in the world. It states that an online casino is a safe and reliable place to gamble.
Online gambling laws and regulations
We must explain that laws in Europe, especially the United Kingdom had a positive impact on online gambling. As you may know already, at first there were no laws affecting this industry. Operators were able to offer any game they liked, any casino type and etc. This changed in 2005 with the UK Gambling Act. It legalized gambling on the territory of the UK and it allowed commercials to be provided to people. Some of the first ads were related to online casinos instead of land establishments. In 2005 we were able to see the beginning of one organization that affects online gambling today. It is the rise of UKGC or the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. They were the first gambling authority here and the one that protected online gamblers. Players now were protected at online gambling and had rights which guaranteed them fair play, payouts, and more. An online casino must get the permit by paying fees and meeting the UKGC requirements. The permit can be provoked if a casino breaks the rules.
An interesting fact is that in 1994 Freed Trade and Processing Act was enacted by Antigua and Barbuda. These were the first countries in the world to legalize online gambling.
Future of online casinos in Europe
Today, online gambling is one of the most profitable and the most advanced industries in Europe. For instance, in the UK, it has GGY (gross gambling yield) of over 14.3 billion GBP. It is known that the industry is growing as we speak and it will reach an even higher value in the near future due to an increase in online gambling popularity.The future is definitely bright for online casinos. Obviously, we can see more and more of them, as an example more then 10 new casinos not registered with Gamstop were released during this year. New casinos are more unique, more versatile, and offer better bonuses, which directly promoted gambling even more. New technologies are transforming online gambling as we speak. The first ones are already implemented. These are Virtual reality and augmented reality. There are no a lot of casinos with these features, but there are a few. The next tech that will be implemented in artificial intelligence. This tech will allow casinos to serve the best bonuses, promotions, and more to each particular gambler. It can be used for completely autonomous customer support which won’t use bots or support agents but AI.
Another change in the future are skill-based games. These are still new and only a few ideas are available. The goal here is to play a game at an online casino, which is similar to a PC game. You will be paid according to your accomplishments such as reached level, solved puzzle, or something similar. There is no need to add that these games are very appealing and they do not have links to luck-based developments.
Conclusion
The evolution of online casinos is definitely interesting and appealing. Here you were able to see how they changed from simple websites with old-school graphics into complete platforms that are amazing, advanced, and stunning. You were also able to see which technologies are going to be implemented next and which ones are going to change the online gambling into something even more advanced.With many thanks to Steven Lilley, NGScasinos and Andreas Ghiraldaio for their kind help and support of this article, including Creative Commons photos.
