It’s been so long since the first online casino was established that people hardly remember how Internet gambling was back in the day. Only a fraction of the active players have had the chance of trying the games in the mid-90s when InterCasino was established. The fact that this gambling operator is still around is nothing short of amazing and it explains its popularity after more than two decades.
Antigua and Barbuda were the online gambling pioneers
There were so many misconceptions regarding online gambling that in the absence of proper regulation people were reluctant to even consider Internet casinos. It was the small nation of Antigua and Barbuda that came up with the first set of regulations for online gambling in 1994. They were truly ahead of their time, as there were no proper online casinos operating at the time and InterCasino was founded two years later. It ran on the license issued in Antigua and Barbuda and it allowed players to bet real money.
The Wild West of online gambling
The late 90s were interesting years for the Internet gambling industry, with a flurry of casinos opening their doors before the year 2000. Some of them choose to apply for different licenses, such as the ones issued by the Mohawk Territory Kahnawake Gaming Commission. Most preferred the European regulators, as these were regarded as stronger licenses and allow them to accept European players.
Early online casinos relied mostly on proprietary software, so their collections of games were relatively small. The arrival of Microgaming and NetEnt represented an important milestone for the entire gaming industry. These prestigious software developers continued to dominate the market and in the late 90s, they supplied the vast majority of the online casino games. Their wide-ranging portfolios of games were added to partner casinos, to provide their players with real gambling options. You can find a list of the best new casino sites 2020 here. Many modern online casino sites are fully regulated and safe to play.
Online casinos in the late 90s were competing for a relatively narrow slice of customers, so the competition was intense. Some were willing to cut corners and make all sorts of compromises for the sake of making a profit. This meant that players frequently took chances when signing up for real money account and there was a strong feeling of uncertainty. This all changed in 2003 when eCOGRA was founded, as an independent auditor certifying the fairness of casino games algorithms. Similar auditors were created over the next couple of years and they continue to monitor the existing and newly released games.
Modern casinos rely heavily on mobile devices
Over the last three decades, the Internet gambling industry had to overcome certain obstacles such as the passing of UIGEA. The US market accounted for a significant percentage of all online gambling and many casinos were hit hard by this sweeping piece of legislation. Meanwhile, the arrival of mobile devices breathed fresh life into the gaming industry and propelled it to new highs. Today, a significant part of all Internet gambling is done on smartphones and tablets and this trend will only gain strength.
