It’s mind-boggling to consider the fact that the casino games that we know and love today have been around for a very long time – in some cases, for hundreds of years. Roulette was invented in the 1700s, the first poker games were held in the early 1800s, and blackjack can be traced back as far as 1650! Even slot machines are over 100 years old.
There are two big reasons why these games are still so popular — they’re incredibly fun to play, with fairly easy rules to learn, and casinos have continuously innovated and evolved the games to keep them modern and fresh. The most important innovation has been the jump to the digital world.
Casino games first became popular in the 1990s. From Nintendo’s Vegas Stakes to today’s online casino boom, casino video games have developed a massive fanbase. In this article, we’ll trace the evolution from Vegas Stakes to the games of today.
Playing on the best new casino sites gives some insight into just how far casino games have progressed in the last decade. At the end of this examination of the evolution of casino games, we’ve provided a list of some of the sites where it’s possible to experience the latest from top studios and developers.
Vegas Stakes
Nintendo released Vegas Stakes for Super NES in 1993 and it was an immediate hit. They followed it up in 1995 with a version for the Game Boy. The game is straightforward – the player starts with $1,000 and the player’s goal is to win $10 million. There are five casinos that the player can play at. The game options are blackjack, slots, roulette and poker.
The graphics are fairly simple and the gameplay is straightforward. Players start at the Golden Paradise and after winning a certain amount of money, are given access to the Laurel Palace Casino. There are slight differences between the casino settings, including the soundtrack and the amount the player can bet on each game.
Overall, it’s a game that captures the excitement of playing casino games and teaches some of the basic strategy involved in poker and blackjack. One of the best features of the game is that it has both a single player and multiplayer version.
Vegas Tycoon
In Vegas Tycoon, players don’t play games in casinos, they build the casinos. Released in 2003, it was a game that capitalized on the popularity of casino games and of business simulators. Those were the days when there was a big audience for games where players had to run a company of some sort. Popular titles included Airport Tycoon, Cities in Motion, Zoo Tycoon, Mall Tycoon and RollerCoaster Tycoon, all of which had numerous spin-offs and sequels.
In fact, Vegas Tycoon wasn’t the only casino simulator. Similar titles Casino Empire, Casino Mogul and Casino Inc. also let players navigate the highs and lows of running The House. While these games didn’t feature a lot of casino game gameplay, they did give players some insight into the inner workings of a casino and which games are the most popular.
Live casino games
Live casino games are where we’re seeing the most innovation in gaming today. These games are already bordering on augmented reality (AR) and we won’t be surprised to see them reach into the world of virtual reality (VR) in the next few years.
These games use a combination of technologies, including optical character recognition (OCR) software, streaming, chat features and multicamera systems to create a game that closely mimics the traditional casino experience. The player gets to engage with a real dealer in real time. Being able to play the cards as the dealer deals them really takes the experience to the next level and it’s easy to see where AR tech could fit into these games.
Roulette and blackjack are the most popular live casino games, partly because most online casinos offer multiple varieties of each game. The upcoming trend in these games is to move away from traditional casino games into more unique games. They will feature a wagering element but the games will incorporate elements from other genres and styles of games. Some online casinos are currently experimenting with offering live games inspired by board games, and these seem to be going down well with players.
Live casino games feature heavily in the libraries of the best new casino sites, so keep reading to see which sites have caught our attention recently.
Today’s best new casino sites
Vegas Wins
Vegas Wins was launched in 2023 and like the name suggests, it’s already won over a lot of players. It has a modern and classy aesthetic, without being boring. The site is easy to navigate and has an intuitive user interface. This is very helpful since there are over 500 games to choose from.
The welcome bonus at Vegas Wins is spread across the first three deposits, which makes it more manageable. Overall, it includes deposit matching up to £500 and 150 free spins.
Jackpot City
Jackpot City has been around for many years but it only made its debut on the UK market last year. Its years of industry experience are obvious in how well the site works and the game developers that it chooses to work with. The majority of its slots are from NetEnt and Games Global, two very highly regarded developers.
The welcome bonus at Jackpot City includes £100 deposit matching and 100 free spins. Disappointingly, there is no VIP program to reward returning players.
BetMGM
BetMGM is a familiar name for gambling fans as it’s the online arm of the world-renowned MGM casino company. The saying ‘go big or go home’ applies to BetMGM’s game library – it has over 2,400 games to try! Most of its games are slots, drawn from all of the major developers in the industry.
The welcome bonus includes £200 and 100 free spins. There is a fairly high wagering requirement, so keep that in mind when playing.
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