Few gamers are aware, but the first video game got invented in 1958 by Physicist William Higinbotham. It was a primitive precursor of the 1972 Atari tennis-themed arcade Pong, created by Allan Alcorn.
Although consoles started to bring video gaming into households near the end of the 1970s, it wasn’t until the emergence of the internet in the mid-1990s that playing games for money from home became a thing. Naturally, this was thanks to the rise of online casinos. However, in the late-2000s, smartphones showed up, and internet penetration increased, leading to a handful of new gaming avenues opening up.
Thus, today, playing games remotely for cash is not a strange notion but a reality. Multiple online products exist that offer this option for gamers of all-sized bankrolls and ambition levels. Note that the choices on offer vary drastically in scope. Below, we rattle off five decent picks that will keep you busy and may line your pockets with cash if you have the know-how/skills necessary to take advantage of their offered opportunities.
Decentraland
If you have somewhat been following niche and mainstream media in the last year, you have likely heard of the NFT craze. NFTs are non-fungible tokens. Those are unique digital assets that cannot get reproduced. Decentraland is a metaverse, a virtual shared-space akin to open-world titles like entries in the Grand Theft Auto and Elder Scroll Series. These metaverses allow their users to traverse vast landscapes, explore, interact, and transact with others. They feature an Ethereum token-based economy, where everyone can buy parcels of land, create digital assets, and run businesses. Many choose to operate nightclubs, taverns, museums, and even casinos in Decentraland, raking in profits from these endeavors, while others prefer to deal with virtual real estate. In-game Etherum (ERC-20) tokens can get sold on crypto exchanges for fiat currencies.
Pool Payday
Hidden Pixel Games are the masterminds behind Pool Payday, the world’s number one real money pool app. It provides real-time one-on-one gameplay that can lead to cash prizes redeemable via Apple Pay, PayPal, and several other methods. Pool Payday encourages virtual pool enthusiasts to practice for free by supplying extra scores for completing trick shots, calling pockets, and so on before engaging in head-to-head competitions. Online tournaments are also a thing here, though please note that prize-action is only available in specific regions, including twelve US states.
BetOnline Casino App
Okay, here is a real money casino app on our list, paying homage to the roots of cash video games. BetOnline is a sportsbook that has been around since 2001 and one that Panama’s Gaming Control Board monitors. In recent years, it branched off into poker and casino-style gambling. Regarding the latter, its casino app boasts over five hundred games from several top providers like Betsoft and Dragon Gaming. The product lobby here consists of hundreds of slots, fifteen virtual video poker machines, lottery titles, live blackjack tables, and the game of roulette. As far as online casinos go, BetOnline is a super credible platform that features a premium app and a welcome bonus that can yield up to $3,000 in free-play funds.
Solitaire Cube
Here is a little-known gem, a modern version of Klondike Solitaire. Klondike is the best-known solitaire supplier around, and its version of this game is the most popular one in North America. Some US fans even refer to it as simply Klondike due to the strong brand association. In England, it also gets called Patience and Canfield. Tether Studios, the developer behinds Cube Cube and Bubble Cube 2, is responsible for this title, which provides head-to-head competitions with looming cash prizes. Solitaire Cube runs fast on all devices, and it only takes a minute or two for a game round to get completed. The app is available on Google Play and the Apple Store, where it has not gotten glowing reviews. That said, if enjoying solitaire is your thing, give it a go.
21 Blitz
21 Blitz is another Tether Studios release that hit Google Play in April 2021. It is likely Tether’s best-reviewed product ever, with a 4.6 rating on the Apple Store and a 4.0 one on Google Play. As its name suggests, its gameplay is a mix of blackjack and solitaire, with every round getting played with one standard deck, a decent challenge for newbie card counters. The catch is that there is a time limit in which players have to finish the deck in play. Similar to Solitaire Cube and Pool Payday, 21 Blitz users can participate in multiplayer tournaments or partake in one-on-one action. Prize tournaments are available in around 75% of countries. That said, those that do not live in these territories can still play for fun.