We are currently living in Busted's Year 3000, with robots dealing cards through a screen, facial recognition in casinos, AI-generated gambling bots and even VR gaming experiences - BonusFinder looks in to what has already been and what is yet to come in the world of AI technology and casino.
Research by Graphite shows that AI-generated content is now consuming over 50% of content on the web, so what will the future of casino and AI have in store for players? Well, since online casinos came about 32 years ago, in 1994, we have witnessed phenomenal developments across the online gaming world - and many more are yet to come.
The future of casinos: What can we expect in 2030?
Pokerstars also touched on the future-forward topic stating we can expect to see holograms in the future with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) simulations - blurring the physical and digital boundaries in what would be a totally immersive reality experience of playing at a casino.
The hologram idea is for land-based casinos and instead of having a real-life dealer you will be dealing with a hologram of a person who can be there 24/7 - like a real life ChatGPT dealer that you can see basically.
Whether or not this would totally kill land-based casino footfall, or not, is up for debate but nonetheless the future of casinos definitely has not ended at online casinos and has much further to go.
AR/VR casino concept
The AR/VR aspect will be for online casinos - not land-based - allowing players to feel like they're walking through a casino and being dealt to in a 4D fashion. This creates a virtual world with other players that you can chat to - kind of like that Black Mirror episode called 'Striking Vipers'. Our reality now, in general, is not too far from most Black Mirror TV episodes but this concept is basically 'Striking Vipers' but make it casino-themed.
Essentially, it is a VR video game that shows you details of the games, tutorials, offers guidance in terms of what games would suit you, with demo games available, and you're also able to interact with other players and the dealer whilst also playing with real money options too.
Currently, this is concept actually available, but it is at beginner stages and has got a small augidence thus far. Craps is noted to be one of the most popular VR casino games as players can actually roll the dice themselves. As of right now, there are no real money VR casinos available to US players but you can play at VR social casinos such as Pokerstars VR.
Robot cocktail waitresses: Is tipping still required?
Robots delivering food already exist around the world, but robot cocktail waitresses - which would take orders and bring the order back - is a concept still unexplored. However, we are not far from it. This is another futuristic idea that could well come to fruition in the next few years. The big question is - would you still be expected to tip them? Who knows!
Assuming the casinos replace real cocktail waitresses - and save on the money doing so - tipping might be out of the question but this could change the complimentary factor, and casinos could start charging players for drinks. But, if they're cutting costs on staff this service should stay as it has always been - complimentary.
Another concept not too far out of the realms of possibility could be robot bartenders too so there would be little human interaction with staff, allowing players to drink and play with few human interactions - begging the dystopian question of 'how will society be if this completely takes over every aspect of life?' Such as shopping, going out for dinner, going to the doctors etc. Does the future of AI look good or evil? Much is up for debate, that's for certain.
AI dealers: Still need work…
AI dealers, again, is something that has already been done and is in the beginner stages. This is a concept we could well see perfected in the upcoming years, as currently they lack the nuance of human interaction and are rather impersonal.
As expected, the AI robot dealers are heavily lacking in social skills. On the other hand, as AI gets perfected more and more these skills - like everything else - will get stronger and hopefully the concept can be executed fully to fruition.
Casino technology timeline
- 1963: First electronic slot machine was invented.
- 1976: First video slot machine came onto market.
- 1986: IGT launched the first progressive jackpot in casinos called 'Megabucks' which is still popular and available to play today.
- 1994: Microgaming created the first online casino software.
- 1996: InterCasino launched the first fully functioning online casino.
- 1997: Trump Marina in Atlantic City became the first casino to install facial recognition and identified eight baccarat cheats within the first three days of installation.
- 1998: Planet Poker launched the first online chatroom on a real money poker site.
- 2000: Cashless gaming came to the casino floor via the ticket-in ticket-out (TITO) mechanism.
- 2003: Live dealer games got created through Playtech.
- 2006: The first multi-million dollar progressive online jackpot created by Microgaming - Mega Moolah, still trending today.
- 2008: Online casino apps went live for the first time, a huge step forward for casino technology.
- 2011: Cryptocurrency was created as a payment method on online poker site Seals With Clubs.
- 2012: First Bitcoin casino was created by SatoshiDice allowing players to have provably fair gaming letting players verify the outcomes of the games themselves.
- 2016: The first VR casino was introduced - SlotsMillion.
- 2017: Facial recognition advanced to be able to identify self-excluded and banned players
- 2020: AI-driven responsible gambling tools reported back to online casinos flagging problem behavior in real time.
- 2023: Land-based casinos installed AI surveillance to track cheating and problem gambling simultaneously.
- 2025: AI robot concierges appearing on casino floors across the world.
