As always, I have been scouring the internet for the latest casino and games news to hit the ether and as always, there are lots of stories emerging that are getting my heart pounding. The one I want to watch closely this year are reports that prominent online console games, such as Call of Duty and Gears of War, may eventually integrate with online casinos. This, to me, will create the ultimate in online gaming, betting on the best players out there – I will win and they will finally get some recognition in the media – it’s a win win situation.
The world of online casinos is fast opening up to the USA, with new gambling laws coming into play for New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada over the next few months, the world of online gaming have started to show an interest in getting in on the action. This latest news has hit the online gaming communities, to good response as it would allow live players to bet on each other – making it a much more competitive industry, not that it isn’t already!
My opinion, and one shared by industry insiders, is that there is not much more games can give players in terms of realism, graphics and new ideas. This will add an extra layer to the gaming industry and possibly mean that those players with high achievement levels will be able to turn their talents to making money. Analyst Grant Towers backs this theory stating
“Gamers have gotten very talented at the games they play, and naturally there is a competitive nature to the games. So it makes sense that at some point real-money wagering would become something that is explored.” (Quote from news report www.casinogamblingweb.com)
It does appear that game developers are also keen on the idea and potential for large gambling pools within online console based games. There are, however, a lot of questions that will be raised by this new addition to the online gambling industry; how would you control the age restrictions? How would you integrate this new gaming form with existing online casinos? Well I think it will definitely be a learning curve for both developers and casinos alike.
The most reasonable assumption would be that casinos would run the betting rights of these games. For starters, they already have age restrictions in place that can be stringent with people looking to join and it will also give players recognised platforms to play on, it is already there for them, saving money and time!
At the end of the day, this is an exciting time for both the casino industry and the gaming industry alike – a final mergence will be the icing on the cake.
