Provable Fairness and Live Dealers: Exploring the Key Online Casino Trends This Year

The world of online gambling and casino platforms is constantly evolving, with new games, experiences, and features to keep players coming back. In recent times, the developments of online casinos have shaken up the industry and broken down many of the barriers that have prevented players from joining. At the same time, there have been other notable shifts, such as a movement towards high-quality video streaming, with live dealers.

Best-in-class casino platforms are taking steps to separate themselves from less reputable sites by offering provably fair games and higher return-to-player (RTP) rates. There’s also a greater emphasis on mobile-first gaming than in the past, with the latest technology used to respond to changing customer browsing habits.

This article explores all of these trends and more, so you can gain a better sense of the current lay of the land with online gambling, and so you know what to look for when exploring the various casino options.

The Rise of Online Casinos

Online casinos have become one of the fastest-growing areas of online entertainment, providing an increasing number of ways to fund your account instead of more traditional currencies, like Dollars, Pounds or Euros. These casinos offer several significant advantages over more conventional platforms, with one of the most notable being instant deposits and withdrawals.

This is made possible because some transactions are not subject to the same kinds of lengthy checks that financial institutions carry out. These transactions also introduce additional levels of security, privacy and transparency, which can be appealing to players who intend to gamble regularly.

One of the most fascinating aspects of these deposit methods is their borderless nature. For instance, some currencies are completely decentralized and are not based in a single country. They also hold the same value regardless of whether the person using it is based in Europe, North America, Africa, or anywhere else in the world. When this is the primary payment method linked to a casino platform, it opens up the potential for players from all over the world to play under a single banner.

Provably Fair Casino Gaming

When players start exploring casino gaming, it’s natural to have some skepticism about how fair the games are. After all, nobody wants to be taken advantage of by unfair practices. A significant trend, spearheaded by platforms like Stake.com, has been the move towards provably fair gaming, which players and third parties can verify.

This is achieved through a process called cryptographic hashing. Casinos provide both a server seed and a client seed, meaning neither the player nor the casino fully controls the outcome of randomizers. As the player, you’re given a hashed version of the casino seed before you play, so you know the casino has committed to that seed.

The client seed can be freely changed, and both seeds then participate in the randomization process. The number is generated using your seed, the casino seed and a round counter. As a result, once the game is over, you can check to make sure the casino seed didn’t change, and the outcome wasn’t unfairly manipulated.

With cryptographic hashing, the randomness of outcomes can also be verified by third parties, including those committed to maintaining provably fair gaming. Therefore, the casino is fully accountable for delivering fair outcomes, allowing players to play with greater confidence. The best casinos also provide built-in verification tools, so you can easily check seed information, while external verification tools are also available for extra peace of mind.

In addition to using cryptographic hashing, another significant trend around fairness involves offering games with a high return-to-player (RTP). This is the amount of money bet on a game that is eventually returned to players, over the long term. A high RTP game means the casino doesn’t automatically hold a considerable advantage over the player.

Live Dealers and Social Games

Another observable pattern in the online casino space has been the growth of live dealer and social games, where multiple players can play together and interact with one another or the host. The growing popularity of these games is driven by their combination of elements of the real-life casino experience with the convenience of online play.

With live dealer games, the dealer is a real person, and players can see them dealing cards and spinning wheels via live streaming video technology. Crucially, players can also communicate with the dealer.

Ever-improving internet speeds and the greater availability of large data plans on mobile networks have also aided live casino experiences. Many people were also drawn to these gaming experiences during the pandemic, when they provided valuable social interaction for those often confined to their homes.

So what are the best online casino games to play if you want the live experience? Roulette, baccarat and blackjack are all classic options, while you can find interesting variations of these games too, offering advantages like multipliers and faster gameplay. Other popular choices include Snakes and Ladders, Texas Hold ’em and Sic Bo.

One of the most significant evolutions in the live casino gaming space has been the emergence of live game shows. These may require the player to spin a wheel, roll dice or answer questions to advance, with a live host running the game.

Simple, Mobile-First Gaming

In the past, online casinos were primarily targeting desktop and laptop users. However, they’ve gradually adapted to users’ changing browsing habits, who often visit these platforms on mobile devices or prefer apps. This is why most modern casino games are built using HTML5, which runs natively on all modern browsers and devices.

Mobile-first game design goes further than this, however, with a move towards clean interfaces and large buttons that are easy to press on a smaller touchscreen. When you visit a modern platform like Stake, you’ll find games like Mines and Plinko, carefully designed to be visually appealing without being cluttered. All of the essential game controls are large enough to be easily pressed on a mobile device as well.

Many of the mechanics in these games have been engineered with mobile players in mind, such as games that allow you to place a bet with one tap and cash out again with another tap. As a bonus, mobile-first design and simple mechanics can also improve overall accessibility, allowing casinos to reach more players.

A related trend has been a shift away from games that force players into longer sessions. Instead, a growing number of online casino games are intentionally designed to allow for quick games, which you can replay as many times as you like. This is perfect for players who want to squeeze in a gaming session on a commute or while on their break at work.

Built-In Progression Systems

Modern online casinos put a lot of effort into retaining customers, and one way they do this is by creating progression systems. These systems can take many different forms, including progression within individual games or account-based progression, where customers can increase their player rank.

Progression systems within online casinos can help to make games feel more engaging and provide a reason to keep coming back regularly. It’s also worth noting that online casinos often appeal primarily to the most tech-savvy players, and many of these customers are already familiar with progression systems from video games.

The rewards on offer for progression can also look very different. In some cases, progression within a game might allow the player to display a special avatar, use a particular in-game character, or access unique features. With account-based progression, advancing up the ranks could unlock bonuses, access to exclusive games and more.

Many progression systems offer cosmetic rewards, such as badges, special name tags, or other small ways to customize a profile. This can help players feel a sense of achievement and something to work towards. Simple cosmetic items can also allow players to stand out from other gamers when playing social or table games.

Responsible Gambling Tools

There’s a heightened awareness throughout the industry about some of the potential dangers that can be associated with gambling, like gambling addiction and other examples of problem gambling. For this reason, it’s now more common than ever to see online casinos offering an array of responsible gambling tools.

Examples include deposit limits and loss limits, which can automatically restrict how much a player can lose while gambling on a particular platform. Some casinos also offer additional limits, like a break in play feature, which effectively serves as a temporary account suspension, or self-exclusion, where you take away your own access to your account for a defined period of time, or even indefinitely.

The signs of problem gambling are not always immediately apparent to a player, and there’s an increased willingness within the industry to try to help customers understand when their own behaviours are becoming problematic or harmful. For instance, many top online casinos now offer access to a self-assessment quiz, which can help you to understand your own gambling habits better and whether they show the telltale signs of problem gambling.

While gambling can be a fun activity, with the potential to offer monetary rewards, it’s not for everyone. The best online casinos set themselves apart from less reputable platforms by acknowledging this fact and providing the necessary tools to help people who may be developing a self-destructive relationship with casino games or online betting.

VIP and Premium Memberships

Another noticeable trend among some of the best online casino platforms has been the inclusion of VIP memberships or premium offerings for players willing to spend more and play more frequently. These options reward the most loyal players and help to provide incentives to keep them coming back and playing the games.

In many cases, this marks a significant shift from how online casinos have operated in the past. Previously, it was common for casinos to direct most of their incentives to new players to entice them to sign up. For many modern casinos, especially online casinos, the focus has shifted to rewarding long-term players. This can be mutually beneficial, with casinos retaining their most valuable customers.

Some of the offerings for players who join VIP clubs or similar schemes include bonuses that can be used for bets or instantly withdrawn, as well as money back on losses in certain circumstances. There may also be a progression system with missions, different ranks, and long-term achievements to unlock, adding extra gamification elements.

Among the biggest and best casinos, we’re also starting to see dedicated VIP hosts or customer service agents. They can provide 24/7 support to VIP members, answer questions, and tailor services as much as possible.