These days when it comes to discussing which devices people play games on, they will more than likely mention smartphones and tablets. These have become the go to devices for gaming, especially gaming on the go, but there’s one bit of technology that people seem to have forgotten about, smartwatches. Like most other pieces of technology they have come a long way since their introduction to the market and they are now capable of doing a lot more, which includes being able to play mobile casino games.
Just like smartphones, smartwatches have become an integral part of peoples’ everyday lives as they are capable of making the day run much smoother in many different ways. This not only includes being able to use smartwatches to answer the phone, take notes and messages, play music, check your heart rate, schedule meetings and of course tell the time; but also to spend quality time playing online casino games as a source of entertainment. However, this concept hasn’t been around for too long. In fact it was 4 years ago at the World Mobile Congress in 2014 where the idea was first coined, and it became a reality a year later.
It will come as no surprise that leading casino game developer Microgaming were the first to bring a casino game to smartwatches in the form of Thunderstruck. The Dark Night Rises slot game followed and this saw the focus really switch to being able to play casino games on wearable technology such as smartwatches, although at the beginning it was just for fun and players couldn’t win real money.
Nowadays people who own smartwatches, either running Apple WatchOS or Android, can enjoy online casino gaming as often as they like and for real money too. The likes of video poker and slots were the first to be produced but now other games such as blackjack, roulette, baccarat and other dice games are set to be introduced to the mass market. With Microgaming on board from the off and now other industry experts including the likes of Playtech getting involved, it certainly means casino and slots gaming on smartwatches will grow at a rapid rate.
When it comes to the requirements for the apps, this is where there still needs to be a little bit of work. Because smartwatches and their operating systems differ it means their capabilities do too. This means that some casino games and apps are unlikely to work one some devices but on others they will. The solution to this is to create apps that are cross platform and cross device so that they work on every Android smartwatch or on every smartwatch powered by WatchOS. Microgaming are pushing ahead with this and once universal apps are produced, casino gaming on smartwatches will become much more popular.
As things stand, it’s very likely that we will not only see more games on smartwatches, but more casino games too. Having the likes of Microgaming and Playtech involved means that they believe it’s a viable way to play and they constantly deliver quality content. With the screens on smartwatches being small, the games must be simple while still being effective and this is what developers seem to be focusing on right now. The future certainly looks bright for gaming on smartwatches. The gaming industry has always been one to embrace technology and change, so there is no doubt that we will see more and more established online casino brands like Unibet, seriously consider adding games that are compatible with smartwatches in the near future.
