Most gamblers nowadays have had both the experiences of gambling online and in physical casinos, and each one sure has its charms. But what if there’s a form of gambling that combines the best of both worlds? This premise is the reason why the phrase ‘metaverse casinos’ has been so hot among the gambling community: it’s a whole new way to enjoy your favorite casino games!
Metaverse Casinos
Even though it hasn’t entered its truest form, the Metaverse is supposed to be an all-encompassing virtual world where events happen simultaneously, where humans have real digital identities, and objects can interact with each other as organically as in our physical world. With that, metaverse casinos are online casinos that are very different from crypto casinos (regular online casinos that accept crypto gambling) or decentralized casinos (that offer decentralized casino games whose result can be verified).
To be specific, metaverse casinos operate in a 3D virtual environment and players are free to walk around exploring the space, switch from table to table, interact with other players, and listen to every sound echoing in the room. Ideally, anything you can do in a real Las Vegas casino you should be able to do in a metaverse casino.
Because the world contains more than just gambling venues, metaverse casinos are often a part of a bigger digital universe. For example, the Tominoya Casino is inside the Decentraland metaverse, while SandVegas Casino belongs to the Sandbox metaverse. Because of this, the benefit of joining a metaverse casino also entails a chance to explore other attractions that its respective metaverse has to offer.
One final yet crucial thing to know about metaverse casinos is that they require cryptocurrencies because blockchain technology is at the base of any metaverse. The specific kind of currencies will depend on the casino, but it’s a good idea to create a crypto wallet, such as Metamask, beforehand.
The Best and Most Promising Metaverse Casinos
The people are just starting to get onboard with the metaverse and what it has to offer. In many ways, this digital world is still developing and we are just beginning to understand the huge potential it possesses. Casinos are already up and running but there is no doubt that, with time, their offer is going to become richer and richer. Here are the ones that stand out as the best at the moment:
Decentral.Games Casinos
Decentral Games (DG) is a play-to-earn DAO, which stands for Decentralized Autonomous Organization. This means players can earn ICE token by completing daily challenges and getting high positions on the leaderboard, and holders of DG token can vote for changes and updates to the game.
In the chain of casinos operated by Decentral Games, the most famous are the Tominoya Casino and the ICE Poker Room. The Tominoya casino players get to choose from a wide variety of casino games such as poker, blackjack, slots, and roulettes. The casino also supports a few different types of cryptocurrencies (ETH, MANA, DAI, ICE).
Decentral Games offers an immersive experience unprecedented in traditional online casino gaming. Their casinos have different architecture and themes, even partnering with Atari – the legendary video and arcade game company – to create an Atari casino. Plus, since Decentral Games has a large player base, the social atmosphere there is quite vibrant: you can chat with others via mic or text, and an employee is always around to answer questions. What’s more, because Decentral Games is part of Decentraland with over 90,000 plots of lands and many interesting venues, players can conveniently explore one of the vastest metaverse on the market.
However, players can only earn ICE by owning or borrowing ICE wearables, which gives them 3,000 chips per wearable to play exclusive poker games. And these wearables are pretty expensive (mostly over $500) so it excludes players with smaller budgets. There is the option of borrowing, but then the profit has to be shared with the lender.
Another minor issue is that sometimes players may experience technical bugs that prevent them from joining a table. Or when the gas price is higher than normal, you have to wait longer for a hand to be dealt. But these issues are by no means exclusive to Decentral Games and it’s not a big deal all things considered.
Pros:
- Is a part of Decentraland, a huge open-world virtual space
- Decentralized gambling, immersive environment, and social atmosphere
- Play games to earn
- DG holders can vote in the DAO
Cons:
- Have to purchase or borrow ICE wearables to earn ICE
- Occasional technical issues
SandVegas Casino
SandVegas Casino (also known as Sand Vegas Club) is a project still in development but has already gathered a lot of followers. It’s constructed in The Sandbox, which itself is a community-driven platform where creators can monetize in-game assets and gaming experiences. Because the SandBox has a unique Game Maker that enables people to create games without coding knowledge, it’s the perfect environment for online gambling projects to thrive.
This casino was created with the same community-driven vision in mind: it plans to distribute 50% of all the profits to owners of SandVegas Casino NFTs. In addition, 1% of the profit will be given away to a charity organization chosen by their NFT holders every month.
Some other interesting features in SandVegas Casino are the VIP Areas and the weekly tournaments. The dedicated VIP areas will offer virtual drinks and smoke, as well as dancing to different DJs and chatting with other VIP gamblers. The casino also hosts weekly tournaments that everyone can join, ranging from blackjack, poker, baccarat, and even virtual horse racing!
Pros:
- Offers a variety of games, including the exciting digital horse racing
- Players can enjoy other games in the Sandbox metaverse
- Distribute 50% of profits to NFT holders
- Weekly tournaments
Cons:
- Project is still in development
Blocktopia
Blocktopia is a 21-story skyscraper being built on the Polygon blockchain. They describe themselves as a ‘shopping mall’ but instead of just retail, each store has a different project exchange or crypto brand showcasing their content. Blocktopia aims to include over 200 virtual stores to become a hub for everything crypto: learning, investing, earning and playing.
Speaking of playing, the top floor (level 21) of Blocktopia will be a penthouse area exclusively for gaming, ranging from family friendly games, to casino games. However, information on what kind of casino games are in store is still pretty scarce.
One of the best selling points for Blocktopia is definitely its incredible graphic. In a trailer for the platform, Blocktopia showcases high-quality, VR-compatible sci-fi world-building that is more impressive than any other virtual worlds we’ve seen so far. They also specified that these visuals are actual in-game footage so if you’re a fan of the ‘Blade-Runner-esque’ aesthetics, this is the metaverse casino to look out for.
Blocktopia seems to have already partnered with many brands/companies like Logan Paul, KuCoin, and Avalanche, so it’s more than likely that we see the same treatment for the gaming floor. This means some of the biggest real-world Las Vegas casinos can set up their spots in Blocktopia.
Pros:
- Unique, VR-compatible, futuristic visuals
- An all-in-one place for metaverse casino gambling, exchanges, crypto news, retails…
- May partner with real Las Vegas casinos
Cons:
- Minimal info on the specifics of casino games and supported currencies.
These are some of the best and most promising gambling establishments in the metaverse at the moment. Providing players with a superb gaming environment, buzzing atmosphere, and top-notch selection of games, casinos in metaverse are going to give standard online and land-based casinos a run for their money. As the VR world continues growing and being perfected, it’s good to know that gamling community has been taken into account and has its place there as well.
