If you gamble online, you might be wondering what all the fuss is over virtual reality gambling.
Virtual Reality gambling is predicted to be the next significant advancement for the gambling industry. Hence, regardless of any virtual reality gambling pros and cons that you have to know, it’s still a booming industry.
The internet brought gambling to millions who had never gambled before. Now gamers and gamblers can get a more real-life gambling high using their virtual reality devices.
What Types of Virtual Reality Gambling Can I Try?
Virtual reality can offer a more social experience for gamblers, who can now gamble in character, with other players as avatars.
It’s much more interactive and immersive than 2D online gambling. Players can visit virtual casino’s, laid out just like brick and mortar casino’s, and pick and play their games while walking around and interacting with service staff and other players.
Here are some of the most popular VR types:
- Casino style card games like Poker and Blackjack
- Other card games such as Gin Rummy and Spades
- Dice games
- Slots
- Betting on sports events
- Bingo
- Skill games
- Mah-jongg
The Pros of VR Gambling
#1 More Entertaining Than Just Click and Bet
VR gambling stands a good chance of putting the virtual reality entertainment factor back into gaming. Though hugely successful online, web-based gambling was very “flat”, most gambling games and sites were based on click and play.
Real gambling has long been a physical and social experience – watching a race, playing a game of cards, putting cash into the slot machines, marking cards at bingo. Gambling is traditionally playing with, and against others.
Virtual reality, where we take a physical presence, or avatar, and can see and interact with other players will bring the social and physical element back.
#2 It Will Be More Social
We mentioned the social element VR gambling could add. Though we can chat now on gambling sites, it’s not quite the same as physically laughing during a good game of cards.
Gambling socially, online, with friends could also help people to enjoy it more, but also balance the amount that they spend, or lose, while gambling.
Playing online with real friends, who will frown when you’ve spent too much, might just be what you need to play within your limits!
The Cons of VR Gambling
#1 It Might Encourage Bad Habits
On the flip side of the above, we can’t ignore that gambling is hugely addictive. Virtual reality also has the danger of being so real, so like the ideal life, we aspire to, that we don’t want to leave.
The danger is we create a persona in virtual reality, the successful business person, the high-flying celebrity, the dangerous gambler.
Wanting to stay in virtual reality, and gamble could be a dangerous combination if we end of gambling far beyond our means.
Hence, there are a lot of ethical issues around virtual reality.
Users will have to be careful, and the gambling operators will need to demonstrate their responsibilities in this area.
#2 VR Gambling Might Not Take Off
We think it will, and be very successful. But, there are some objections to virtual reality gambling.
That it’s anti-social and lazy, indulgent and harmful to us. Many of the objections are similar to those for traditional gambling and internet use. And the complaints didn’t hold for much there.
However, what might delay the success of VR gambling, is the technology.
VR headsets are still expensive; they are bulky, and still the domain of the tech-savvy younger generation. It will be a while before virtual reality devices are in every household. The gambling operators and game developers realise this, and some are slow to leap into virtual reality.
There is a worry that virtual reality could be the next big-miss, like Google Glass.
Developing fully immersive virtual reality environments is expensive. The gambling/game developers have the money to invest, but it’s not clear yet whether they will take the risk or wait until virtual reality is more mainstream.
Virtual Reality Gambling/Betting on Sports Fixtures
Imagine standing at your favourite racecourse, placing bets at the booth and standing watching your race, ticket stubs in hand.
This can happen in virtual reality.
William Hill and another gambling sites already have full sports betting sections. From virtual cycling to speedway, football, and of course horse racing.
William Hill – “Get in the Race”
Working with a digital production company, Unit9 William Hill, have developed an innovative horse-racing prototype called “Get in the Race”.
The app works with live betting and Google Cardboard. Data is collected in real time from the horses themselves using GPS trackers. Players can see the horse as if they were the jockey, and view critical statistics on their horse. The data for the VR experience has been gathered from races at Kempton Park.
William Hill also plans to introduce virtual reality headsets in their betting shops. Taking an online and digital experience back to the physical high street. It’s an opportunity for gamblers, who might not usually invest in a virtual reality headset, to give them a try.
They are even developing a device race viewers can sit on, to simulate a horse, while watching the race through the eyes of the jockey.
Tomorrow’s betting shops could well be a 360-betting experience that will attract both traditional gamblers and younger generations who love the idea of a high-tech experience.
Virtual Reality Gambling – What About the Casino Experience?
Alongside sports gambling, virtual casinos could be the other most significant take-off. Experiencing the atmosphere, lights and sounds of Vegas-style casino’s might just attract more gamblers, just like virtual reality tourists, to try something new.
Virtual reality casino games are a mix of gaming and virtual reality gambling. There are some virtual reality casino’s already available for your virtual reality devices, and they can include the following features:
- A combination of online gaming and casino gaming for an exciting, enthralling experience
- A casino environment which stimulates the both the auditory as well as the visual senses
- Real-time multiplayer games – play with friends or strangers
- Choose your avatar/character
- Interact with other gamblers and service staff by controlling your avatar
- Voice chat and messaging
SlotsMillion – the first virtual reality online casino for real money
SlotsMillion describes themselves as having the first virtual reality online casino for real money.
In the virtual reality gambling application, you can have a private casino room with 40 of their games available. It works with Oculus Rift, and you can download the app and log in to your usual SlotsMillion account.
It also works in 3D on a standard PC, so you don’t have to have the full experience using your virtual reality headset. Other players can enter your virtual casino so that you may see different players or their avatars around you.
Will Virtual Reality Gambling Take Off?
If virtual reality achieves the success that many predict, virtual reality gambling will be just as successful.
If virtual reality use starts to decline, then virtual reality gambling is unlikely to adopt the technology alone.
Virtual reality will be a thing; we can’t deny that, though it’s been toyed with for decades we are now indeed seeing mainstream adoption, reasonably priced devices, and wide-scale adoption within the entertainment industry.
It’s not just the software and hardware companies introducing new devices and applications. Media and entertainment giants are looking to see how they can offer virtual reality experiences at events, theme parks and even bringing virtual reality rooms and booths to our malls and high streets.
So, if virtual reality is a dead-cert, so too will virtual reality gambling be a good bet for the future, with all of its virtual reality gambling pros and cons.
And if you’re ready to take your VR experience to the next level, you should check our guide to the best VR headsets on the market.
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