The first mobile game I ever played – not counting the ancient Game ‘n Watches, which were much more like portable consoles – was Snake on my old and faithful Nokia 3110. Yes, I’m that old 😉 Mobile gaming has developed into something incredible, with modern smartphones offering experiences on par with next generation gaming consoles, but many of the games available today on the go have lost their magic, their personality and are much less fun. Or am I just nostalgic? Anyway, there is a certain category of games that has found its perfect place on our pocket devices, games that have a long history and keep entertaining generations of their players: table games and slot machines, in short casino games. I would like to dedicate them an article today.
Casino games have found their way online in the mid-1990s, thanks to a company called Microgaming. The Isle of Man based developer has built its own software and exploited it as well, but a few years later it has decided to dedicate all its resources to building more and better games. The result: a provider with a game library of almost 800 titles, with hundreds of partners all over the world. If you want to try some of their titles you can play online table games at europalace.com – there is a free demo feature available.
Two decades have passed since the launch of the first online casinos, and their popularity is unbroken today. With the launch of the iPhone in 2007 a new platform has opened for their games, and it proved to be quite a popular and lucrative one both for developers, operators and players. Today mobile is responsible for the majority of the operators’ income, and the share of mobile users will continue to grow. The developers are launching their games on these relatively new platforms – on iOS and Android powered devices, and to a lesser extent on Windows Phone devices as well.
Make no mistake, not all casino games are fit to be played on mobile. Table games work great, and so do slot machines and video poker games, but the same cannot be said for any of the games involving skill. Most of these have been created to be played in real life – with a few exceptions the mobile adaptations of these titles fail to deliver. But lotteries, slot machines, card games and all the classic casino games are playable – and played more and more – on the go. Of course, having access to cheaper and faster mobile internet is helping a lot.
I think there is no better game to play on the go than casino games. They are entertaining and exciting (not to mention lucrative if you play them for real) and can be stopped anytime if the need arises, and picked up where you left off in an instant.
