If you’ve ever wondered just how popular casinos and the online gaming industry are, the consumer and market data company Statista can clear that up for you. In December 2024, the company published research that explained the global casino and online gambling industry boasted a market size of $227 billion in mid-2020. As technology drives the industry from strength to strength, this looks set to be an industry that will grow and grow.
This post is a look at the development of the industry and the variety of games in it, with a particular focus on blackjack, why people like to play live blackjack at sites like ca.888casino.com and how the game has reached great success online.
Different types of casino games
Besides the immense accessibility of online casino gaming, one of the main reasons so many people log in to play is the wide variety. They can play traditional games, such as craps, blackjack, roulette, poker; opt for video versions of games, such as video poker; or step away from the tables altogether and enjoy slots, of which there are many different themes.
Players may wish to experience the excitement of the tables, but not play the same old games every time, in which case they can play variations of games. Chinese poker and lightning roulette are two variations of classic games.
Players can participate in games hosted in a different format as well. For instance, live casino gaming in which a dealer, rather than computer software, hosts the game.
The dealer interacts with the player as the casino streams the game from a studio into the player’s home.
Many online casino providers now offer a live casino game feature.
The transition to online casino gaming
The roots of online casino gaming can be traced back to Antigua and Barbuda and the mid-1990s, when this island nation received the legal right to grant licences to casinos that wished to operate online. There’s some dispute as to who the first operator was, although it’s recognised that the company Microgaming was an early innovator in the industry.
More operators started to emerge. Just a couple of years later, hundreds of companies were operating poker, casinos, sportsbooks and more online. Software was constantly improving, allowing operators to offer live casino gaming and other experiences, as the competition grew more and more fierce. Progressive jackpots materialised and large bonuses for new customers became common.
Then mobile arrived, triggering a rush to make sites compatible with handheld devices and transforming online gaming into a real battlefield between operators. The fact that the action is taking place on a screen, rather than face to face, didn’t seem to bother the players.
Online casinos saw great success with the emergence of mobile gaming as people could easily access mobile games.
Blackjack: a casino classic
Some games never grow old. Blackjack is one of them. It’s straightforward, but it’s also tactical.
The objective is to beat the dealer, which the player does by obtaining 21 or as close to that number as possible without going over. The value of their cards should be higher than that of the dealer’s.
Face cards have a value of 10. Aces have a value of 1 or 11, depending on which is most advantageous for the player. Cards that have a value or 2 to 9 hold their face value i.e., 2 is 2. If the dealer deals you a 10 and an ace, you have blackjack.
Playing the game
When you get your cards, you can stand if you have good cards, and the dealer will move on to the next player. If you wish to increase the value of your cards, however, you can hit. If you go over 21, you go bust and the dealer wins.
If you have a good hand but need one more card, you can double down and increase your bet. If the dealer deals two initial cards the same value, you can split, giving yourself more chances of winning.
The emergence of live blackjack
Players don’t have to play purely against the casino software. Online casino operators have recognised the need for humans to interact with others, which is why live casino has become popular. The option to play against a human dealer allows the player to game in a more social manner and also get the best out of both worlds, by reaping the benefits of an online casino while enjoying an experience closer to one of being in a land-based one.
Trust is another factor behind the creation of live blackjack. Even though operators take strict precautions to ensure gaming is fair, the presence of a live dealer establishes trust between the player and the casino because the player can see the dealer handling the cards and knows the outcome of the game is fair.
The popularity of blackjack
Although there’s some debate about the origins of blackjack, it’s thought the game has its roots in a French game called vingt-et-un in the early 18th century. Since then, blackjack has developed throughout the ages and become one of the most popular casino games ever.
Visit some casino gaming websites and blogs and they’ll question whether you’re even a real gamer if you’ve not played blackjack either online or in a brick-and-mortar casino. The clarity of the rules, not to mention the lower house edge blackjack carries, have helped to make it a favourite with players.
Blackjack is a casino classic. The availability of live blackjack has enabled it to stay popular by incorporating a social element to the game and reassuring players that the outcome of the games is fair. Blackjack will be around for a long time yet.