Casinos have been a part of our collective entertainment world for hundreds of years, with betting itself dating back millennia. It’s only natural that casinos and wagering would change with time, as new cultures are born and taste in games shifts.
Today, it’s online casinos that mark the cutting-edge of this world, while also accelerating game development far more than in any previous era. Language is an important component of this new digital realm, facing unprecedented challenges as it gives form to an electronic frontier. The path with this language is more complicated than it might at first seem, leaving implications that will affect the entire casino industry for decades to come.
Living Languages
As much as we try to strictly define language by a strict set of rules, the way we communicate is an inherently evolutionary behavior. The more people interact, the more ideas are shared, and the more a language can change, as terms take new meanings and adopt additional elements into their frameworks.
The most basic examples of this concept can be found in games like slots, which are no longer as strictly defined as it once was. Instead of including three reels like the original hardware machines, modern slots can feature a dozen, with huge software-driven bonus games completely different than what the original developers envisioned.
Poker is another example of how our understanding of gambling language has changed through popular use. A hundred years ago, when people used the term poker the games that most often came to mind were Five-Card Stud and Five-Card Draw. Today, thanks to our evolving use of the word, poker most often brings to mind Texas Hold’em, the variant that dominates the modern scene. In either case, it’s the use of software and online connectivity that has accelerated modern definitional understandings and shifts.
A New Landscape of Ideas
Building on the idea of changing language are terms that have seen more complete overhauls in the online casino space. One of the biggest standouts here is the term sweepstakes as used in real-money free casinos. These casinos like McLuck and Sweepslots use token systems that are traded for real prizes like casino and physical gifts. This sidesteps the original use of the term sweepstakes, which was formerly mainly confined to horse racing, where prizes were divided among the winning bettors. This goes a step further than how words like poker have changed, and thanks to the internet, the idea is growing much faster than it ever could offline.
An Issue of Physicality
A more direct challenge faced by online casinos is how much play in brick-and-mortar casinos relies on physical movements like hand gestures, alongside verbal communication. Online, these elements aren’t replicated, which has shifted the emphasis from spoken words and movement to using digital buttons, finger presses, and mouse clicks. Some players much prefer this option, while others cherish a more classic route.
As far as the world and language of online casinos have come, the industry is still less than 30 years old. Already evolving how we talk about betting and the games we play, there’s no telling just how far the effect will develop over the next century, or how VR and AR might
one day change the experience. Still, it’s a fascinating look into how shared language develops, and the effect this language has on worldwide zeitgeists.
