VIRTUAL
CERTAINTY
Live Dealer Focus
2018
Virtual reality has been making headlines in the online casino space for some time now. Rob Wheeler looks at the difference between AR and VR, how it is being applied to live dealer and asks if it will really catch on
Virtual reality( VR) and augmented reality( AR) technology is developing fast. The leading Silicon Valley tech houses are investing in a big way, with developments, applications and launches from the likes of Google, Facebook and Snapchat.
The online gaming industry has always prided itself on technical innovation so it comes as no surprise that the sector is already embracing VR and AR. At ICE 2018 there were many new applications on show, with some software providers choosing the VR route and others, such as Medialive, choosing the AR path.
The difference between virtual reality and augmented reality is simple: AR is a technology for overlaying digital information on objects in the real world, seen via a smartphone camera or headset; VR is the use of computer technology to create a simulated environment.
Why choose AR over VR?“ The number of VR units in the world currently sits at around 82 million,” reported the London Evening Standard in December 2017.“ But with augmented-reality tech found in most smartphones, AR units in the world peak at over three billion.”
For Medialive too, AR was the natural fit and the obvious next step. We have taken live casino to the player’ s desktop and mobile; now we are taking the player into the real-world casino.
One of the factors holding the market back has been the cost of the units. That is now changing, according to The Economist, which earlier this year noted:“ The Oculus Rift – regarded by many as the best of the VR headsets – can now be had for as little as $ 400 [£ 280 ].”
The AR industry as a whole is worth between $ 32bn and $ 160bn(£ 23bn- £ 115bn), depending
on which analyst you ask. It is up to the software providers to keep offering innovation, differentiation and localisation as they build successful revenuegenerating relationships with operators. To take players inside a real-world casino, to play from the comfort of their own homes, ticks all the boxes and is a really exciting proposition.
Operators can reward top VIP players today by sending them each a Medialive AR Roulettebranded package, complete with headset and phone. There is also an omnichannel play in certain markets where legislation permits, with Medialive providing LBOs and gaming halls with roulette, blackjack and baccarat. Using handheld devices, players place chips on a virtual table while watching a live stream of the game via a plasma screen; Medialive AR can extend that experience still further to a new, younger player audience of Millennials. Land-based casinos can use the application in the same way to entice new players to play the tables.
It’ s early days for both VR and AR, and the technology is developing all the time. But it won’ t be long before this product is available via wearable tech. A recent study by Juniper Research puts the VR / AR gambling market today at $ 58m(£ 42m); by 2021, the same study predicts that figure will increase by 800 %.
Rob Wheeler, commercial director at Medialive Casino, started his career in land-based casino in 2003 before moving to online in 2006 with WagerWorks( IGT Interactive). He has had successful stints at Virtue Fusion, Cozy Games and Playtech and now drives business development for Medialive Casino’ s live dealer offering.
“ Taking players inside a real-world casino to play from the comfort of their own homes is a really exciting proposition”
iGamingBusiness s | Issue 110 | May / June 2018 41