The internet is rapidly changing how we live our lives, and technology changes at such a rapid pace that it’s almost impossible to keep up with the latest trends in business. One of the most exciting technological developments of recent years has been the emergence of high-speed 5G networks across the world, which are now being used by all of the major telecommunications companies and several independent service providers as well. The widespread adoption of 5G networks will be beneficial to businesses across every industry, from online casinos to supermarkets, but just how much impact will it have?
Table of Contents
What is 5G
5G is a new generation of wireless cellular technology that builds on 4G to increase both speed and performance. It’s expected to deliver many times faster data rates and shorter response times than 4G LTE, with extremely low latency (the time it takes for your device to receive a signal). This is great news for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which have limited bandwidth or require near-instantaneous responses.
And because 5G can be used for fixed wireless applications as well as mobile, it could usher in smart cities with responsive traffic lights, interactive schools and hospitals, connected cars that talk to each other, and more. What does all of that mean for online gambling? Online casino gaming was one of the very first forms of online gambling ever created.
Better Games
Before online gambling, you had to be in a brick-and-mortar casino to play games like Blackjack, Texas Hold ‘Em, Roulette and Slots. But now, you can play table games anywhere with an internet connection—and it’s one of our favorite reasons to love online casinos.
The developers behind some of your favorite online gambling sites (such as ones found at Bovada , BetOnline , Betfred , William Hill and Betfinal) are hard at work developing technology that will make live streaming table games even better than they already are. This technology is being developed for use on ultra-fast 5G networks which have shown that they can stream gaming content well in real time.
Better for Multiplayer Games
There are two ways that 5G is going to make online gaming better: at home and on-the-go. At home, download speeds will allow you to get into your games faster than ever before. That’s bad news for anyone who likes a slower-paced game with more table interaction (i.e., poker).
But it could be great news for speedier games like slots or dice, which rely more on quick game responsiveness and less on player interaction. On-the-go is an entirely different story; most gamers need Wi-Fi while they’re traveling so they can still compete against other players—think of it as a LAN party on wheels!
Improved Accessibility
For online gambling businesses and venues, 5G opens a number of possibilities. For example, it’ll give players access to games at any time, as long as they have an internet connection. Additionally, gamers won’t have to worry about lag or latency since they can enjoy games with seamless connectivity.
Players can also look forward to lower power consumption due to improved battery life in their devices. Overall, online gambling should be much more accessible thanks to 5G technology; if you aren’t already investing in a mobile-focused site or app for your business, now is definitely the time.
Smartphone usage
Today, we have smartphones that can download an HD movie in a matter of seconds. But, as time passes and technology progresses, internet speeds are going to get even faster. We’re already seeing gigabit-per-second (1 Gbps) internet speeds being used by Google Fiber and AT&T’s GigaPower service.
And it looks like we’re about to see another leap forward with fifth generation (5G) wireless. In fact, according to one estimate, a gigabit connection on 5G is estimated to be 1 million times faster than 4G LTE—so high-speed content won’t be a problem for people using those networks anymore.
Increase in traffic
As both businesses and consumers gradually embrace 5G, more devices will be connecting to mobile networks. In fact, Ericsson predicts that by 2022, there will be 8 billion connected devices; if every person on Earth had three smartphones each, we’d still have 2 billion connected devices left over for everything else.
As a result of all these new connections hitting network infrastructure at once, traffic volumes are set to increase significantly. According to Cisco’s latest annual Visual Networking Index forecast (VNI), global mobile data traffic is expected to jump from 60 exabytes per month in 2017 to 163 exabytes per month in 2021—an increase of 161 percent.
Accelerated payment options
One of things that might be most exciting about 5G is its potential to bring accelerated payment options. With these, you’ll be able to play some online casino games almost instantaneously, rather than waiting for your bet to clear before you can continue playing.
It’s worth noting that current regulations won’t allow for more complicated transactions such as buying property in an online world. That said, however, it will be fascinating to see how online casino operators implement accelerated payment options into their offerings; online gambling games could become even more interesting and immersive as a result.
Conclusion
With online gambling and online casinos becoming more popular, one question is always on people’s minds: what’s next for these industries and how will it impact their day-to-day experience? That’s why we felt that now would be a good time to talk about how 5G could change the game for both real money gambling sites and brick-and-mortar casinos.
We believe that, eventually, we’ll all have access to faster internet speeds at home, which means not only better mobile casino experiences but also a lot of new online casino games as developers look for ways to make us want to spend more time at these sites.
