The Beginning
1969 is the years it all began with the ARPANET which was an early form of internet connectivity that was meant to share information among universities. The United States Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency sponsored its development. The system would start getting adapted into the 1070s, and this is when the Dial-Up Bulletin Boards started and became popular into the 80s. The Dial-Up Bulletin Boards were a way through which players could play against each other over the internet on multi-user games. These multiuser games were known as MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). These games meant that you would take up the role of a character and play against your opponent who had also taken up the role of another character.
In the 1980s interactive online games started coming up, and unlike the modern games where you can play for free like free Buffalo slot machines, they had to be paid for because they were only available on commercial online services. By this time, these games were beginning to draw attention and had brought in quite a number of die-hards.
The 90s
By this time, the Flash and Java coding languages had been created. This is the time online gaming attracted a large population of web users who were young. This is when hundreds, then thousands of sites started popping up on the World Wide Web. The gaming sites online could be accessed through paid subscription, still, although others had begun offering their sites for free. The revenue for most of the free sites would come from adverts on these sites. This is the period where the online revolution truly happened. There was an increase in the demand for online games in Europe, Asia, and America.
It is also during this 90s period that gaming software developers decided to try and creates games like the roulette, Bingo, and slots for the online audience that was growing at quite a pace. The adaptation of these games to the online platform saw a significant growth in the number of gamers.
2000s
The online gaming platform was growing at a fast pace. The first online game, World of Warcraft continued to succeed with it users surpassing 11 million. Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft joined this industry and started developing games that have lead to another huge growth of MMO. The number of casino sites also continued to grow during this period. Free gaming also came in as an option. Games where you use real money and can make money also started gaining traction.
The first online casino was started in 1995 with only 18 games in its staple. Now, gaming sites have grown significantly to hundreds. These casinos are now available to play at for free or with real money. With an industry that had 30 million people visit in 2005, the number of people that have visited gambling sites in the recent past is placed at 11% of the population.
Now
Significant strides have been made. The industry is at its peak, and it keeps getting better. Now, the industry is worth about $50 billion, and this number is set to keep growing. Online casinos like the Free Slots No Download can offer you hundreds of games, and you get to play them either without making any payment or with real money. The growth of this online gaming industry has seen the rise of game developers who are pushing boundaries with the types of games they are innovating every day.
These online sites are now available on mobile devices either as instant play or as Apps that require being downloaded. Now, you can play your favorite games while on the go and with the comfort of a manageable device.
Casinos are now adopting a new currency, the cryptocurrency. This payment option has been gaining traction among many casinos because of the ease with which you can transact using it; it’s considered more secure compared to standard currency. This currency lets the player remain anonymous, and there is no need for middlemen in order to transact with cryptocurrencies. There are casinos that only accept this mode of payment. Others have included it as an option.
This industry is perhaps in its best years. Even with the constant shift in sentiments on whether to prohibit gambling or embrace it, the growth keeps happening. The growth projections indicate that the industry will be worth $84 Billion. While there is the topic of the health and social impacts of gambling, both online and land, measures are being put in place by the casinos to ensure that people do not spend all their time online gambling and that they do not use all their money. There are those casinos that have set a limit to the amount that you can gamble, and others write about the side effects to make you aware.