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The Future of Roulette in South Africa

Roulette has long been a popular game among South African players, however,  with the rapid advancements in technology, the game is evolving like never before.

Roulette used to be, and it still is to some extent, a staple in casino resorts across South Africa. Every casino venue offers multiple roulette tables, but there has been a shift in recent times. The shift is called online roulette. Many believe that RNG roulette does not appeal to real roulette lovers because it doesn’t have that thrill of a real roulette wheel, that’s not the only way you can play online roulette for real money.

Live roulette is here, and it’s here to stay. It offers the best of both worlds, and its popularity will only continue to grow. But let’s see what’s it all about, what the latest trends and technology advancements in the industry are, and the changes we expect in the future.

Live Roulette Is the Future

Many would say that live roulette is the present, and that’s not far from the truth. However, we believe that it will only grow from here. Traditional land-based casinos, which are available in multiple locations across SA, have always been the go-to for roulette lovers. However, with more players looking for convenience and accessibility, live roulette is taking over. Statistics show that the projected online casino market revenue in South Africa for 2024 is $322.3 million, which is a 5.62% increase over last year. 

Experts expected this shift, and that’s due to several reasons. Picture this: you’re sitting at home, yet you’re in front of a real dealer, spinning a real wheel, playing at some of the top roulette sites. No traveling, no waiting for a spot at the table, no unnecessary time wasting – just the game you love. These are all perks that you can enjoy today, as live roulette has already become the go-to roulette option for many.

However, given the growth in popularity, we can only expect live roulette to keep improving. Faster internet speeds and better streaming quality mean fewer lags and smoother gameplay. Some casinos are already offering 4K streams with interactive features like chatting directly with the dealer or other players. We believe these features will become the standard in all live roulette games, and you will be able to chat with everyone at the table if you want to.

Evolution of Live Roulette: New and Exciting Features

Live roulette isn’t just about playing online. Yes, you can play some of the traditional roulette variants like European or American roulette, but there are many new variations with added extra features like multipliers, bonuses, and whatnot.

One of the biggest trends we’ve seen in recent years surrounding live roulette games is the introduction of multipliers. These multipliers can significantly boost your winnings on specific bets – usually no straight-up bets.

For example, games like Lightning Roulette by Evolution Gaming have multipliers that can boost your payout by up to 500x. Winning 500x your stake was unimaginable before games like this were invented. If you place a straight-up bet and your lucky number is chosen as a multiplier number, you can get paid 500 times your stake. It’s no wonder these types of games are becoming a massive hit among South African players.

If you first tried live roulette a few years ago, you won’t recognize today’s games. Here’s a quick comparison between traditional and modern live roulette:

Augmented and Virtual Reality

Speaking of technology, we must mention augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). These two could change the way we play roulette. These technologies are still in their infancy, especially when talking about using them in roulette games, but we believe that they will make their way into this segment. Just imagine putting on a VR headset and you’re immediately transported into the floors of one of Las Vegas’s most famous casinos, all while sitting in your living room in Johannesburg.

AR might not be as immersive as VR, but it’s still a new technology that may make its way to the casino world. For example, we might be able to play roulette games where we can see the roulette wheel spin on our dining room through our smartphone screen. How cool would that be, right?

The Increasing House Edge

Not all trends are positive, though. One concerning change in the roulette world is the introduction of wheels with more zeros, which increases the house edge. Traditionally, European roulette wheels have one zero, while American wheels have two. Some newer versions, like the Triple Zero Roulette, add an additional green pocket, thus increasing the house edge. 

Thankfully, we believe that the popularity of European roulette variants will be enough to stop this unpopular trend, but we suggest keeping an eye on it if you’re a regular roulette player, and sticking to European and American roulette wheels.