Over the past decade, virtual reality technology has made incredible leaps and bounds in terms of improvement and affordability.

Today there are a whole range of VR headsets available to purchase, along with an ever-growing number of games, virtual environments, and applications being made for it.

Of its many potential uses is virtual casinos and gambling, where it’s widely been predicted to be the next big technological step in the evolution of the casino world.

What is VR?

Virtual reality is a simulated experience, created by a device usually worn over the eyes (eg. a VR headset), together with specially designed computer software, that gives the user the impression of being in another reality.

While VR is currently mostly limited to visuals, audio, and some rudimentary synaptic feedback (vibrating controllers that simulate touch, and impact, etc.), it is nevertheless already a highly entertaining (and immersive) experience. In the coming years, this exciting new technology is predicted to take the world by storm, with the general aim to make it indistinguishable from actual reality.

What Are The Practical Benefits?

Besides the obvious entertainment value of entering another reality, VR has a number of practical benefits for both gamblers and the casino industry.

For the players:

• General comfort, safety, and the convenience of choosing when and where to visit a casino without ever having to leave the house.
• Save money on travelling expenses.
• Avoiding the personal risk and health concerns of entering public areas.

For the casinos:

• Casinos will rake in huge profits while potentially saving money and resources that they might otherwise be spending on casino machines, staff, and facilities.
• The potential for VR to also replace the old, outdated tech currently used in land-based casinos.

What Will VR Casinos Be Like?

Currently, the visuals/graphics for VR are made relative to the computer software and headset that is used, which are, for the most part, still somewhat below par in terms of modern graphics and resolution. The first VR casinos (some of which are already being launched) will likely be relatively simple and unrealistic in comparison to real life.

Despite this, it is still bound to be a highly immersive and entertaining experience with players able to browse over and play casino games, as well as see and interact with other players in the virtual world.

Soon, however, players will be able to slip on their headset and enter huge, spectacular, super-realistic virtual casinos, filled with thousands of games and other players. It will have all the familiar sights and sounds one would expect when visiting such an establishment, plus more. For instance, it might be set next to a beautiful tropical shoreline, or in the middle of a volcano, or in outer space orbiting an alien planet!

The potential for VR is endless, and though it will likely be some time before it achieves the realism that is aimed for, at the current rate of progress, it might be a lot sooner than we think.