Playing poker with Angelina Jolie, sitting at the same game table with Jack Nicholson or maybe… Napoleon or Winston Churchill. Being treated like a VIP in the worldÃs most luxurious casinos and having Bill Gates’ billions for the spending at the game table. All this is possible in virtual gambling, an fabulous alternative for those which, due to various reasons, can’t go to the real casinos in Las Vegas, Monte Carlo or Macao.
It all started from an idea. Five years ago, Myke Gormack, a slot machine software writer imagined a scenario where from the office, or from your home couch, you could access the internet and play poker, roulette or any other game in a virtual casino. His idea was presented on a forum of gambling enthusiasts in Detroit, immediately reached the ears of the large corporations, and there was only one step until it became reality. The world of online gambling changed since; the experiences became more and more spectacular. Europa Casino, Vegas Red, Del Rio Casino or Titan Poker.com are just a few of the portals which transformed the game into a 3D experience, which in some cases is incredibly realistic. The truly spectacular development of the internet during the last years, determined the offer to be more nicheoriented, with popular portals as Europa Casino, as well as special offers dedicated to those looking for exceptional treatment and are willing to pay extra for 3D sensations which are cooler than real life. GAMBLING IN ANOTHER DIMENSION It all started with Second Life, concur online gambling market analysts. Together with the virtual world which attracted over 5 million users worldwide, Second Life has seen tens of casinos opening, in which the lindens (official currency of Second Life) traveled at lightning speed between pockets. There were times in which hundreds of users simultaneously played in a single Casino, such as VirtualWorld of Money Land. The builders of such casinos gathered important amounts of money; international media presented the story of 16-year old from Glasgow who managed to withdraw over 235,000 Euro in exchange for the linden won in Second Life. Noticing the huge impact of 3D gambling, American authorities forced the software company to close the casino and forbid virtual reality gambling. Nevertheless, the cat was out of the bag. Beginning with 2006, 3D game portals experienced a boom, and gambling reached another dimension. Portals emerged which allowed you to choose your appearance in the parallel world, designate any location, and have aliens, Angelina Jolie, or even Snow White as a gaming partner. It went so far as for an additional fee, you could order the environment you want to gamble in, and invite your friends. “There are tens, maybe hundreds of such gaming system available on the internet. It is interesting that in order to avoid unwanted visits by authorities, most of these portals are available in a peer-to-peer format. That is to say, once you decide to play, you download software and install it in order to access the server and play what you want, with whom you want, in any world you choose to. Only the money is real“ said journalist Joe Benhood, from Poker News. He believes 3D games to be the future of the industry. “I think this is the future. Classic portals have begun to age, and with internet available everywhere, online gambling will become, during the next 10 years, the casino’s main source of revenue“ added the columnist.
ARTE VIZUALE/MEDIA
