What Does The Future Hold For Online Slots?

When the inventor of the first slot machine revealed his creation to the world, he probably didn’t think it would survive into the 21^st century. But if you look back in time, it should come as no surprise that slots are still going strong and getting stronger still.

What history has taught us is that slots are highly adaptable to change and this is part of their success. In the early 19^th century and not long after slots made their first appearance, gambling was banned. This obviously could have spelt the end for slot machines. Instead, slots took on the guise of vending machines and fruit machines that dispensed sweets and gum as prizes - why not try slots for free online.

This obviously meant that slots makers had to adjust the symbols on the reels and remove any that were related to gambling. Of course slot makers were just biding their time and waiting for gambling bans to be lifted, so that slots could return to what they were made for.

The Online Slots Story

It took a long journey before slots became the online juggernaut entertainment form they are now. In fact, slots had a long period of time when they didn’t advance and this was mostly because of the lack of new technological influencers in society. It wasn’t until 1963 when the first electrical slot was introduced to the world and this really got the ball rolling. By the 1970s, the first attempt at a video slot was rolled out. This was improved upon in the 1980s but the 1990s was the decade that saw slots progress rapidly.

The Digital Revolution

In the 1990s digital technology began to sweep everything before it. Most forms of entertainment began to feel the full impact of the digital revolution and the gambling industry was not spared. Digital technology actually proved to be highly beneficial to the gambling industry, as gambling products became readily available to the masses courtesy of the Internet. Virtual casinos and online video slots became huge hits with the gambling public and huge demand for slots created bigger and better games. Slots developers, who became major players in the creative industry, used more sophisticated technology to produce more extravagant slots to please an ever changing clientele.

The Online Slots Of Today

Online slots continue to thrive and this is reflected in the revenue figures that were announced last year. Online slots players alone, generated nearly £2 billion, and the demand for slots has created a slots studio system that is similar to that of the film industry. There are the major studios that release many new games every year and the medium sized studios that continue to progress. At the bottom are the smaller independent studios that have more creative freedom due to their smaller budgets.

Future Prospects

The production side of slots is in a healthy state and the industry is gearing up to move to the next level and this is to create fully immersive Virtual Reality slots. A downside is the continual government law changes that could impact slots revenue further in the future.