5 Wearable Devices Guaranteed to Enhance Your Gambling Experience
If gamblers were allowed to use these gadgets, losing at casino games would not be a problem anymore.
Over the years, the tech industry has come up with some of the most interesting wearable devices. A few of them caught on, others remained just strange ideas that never really materialized.
Tech experts certainly know the secret to winning at blackjack, roulette and other games. The desire to beat the casino has served as motivation for scientists to come up with some of the most ingenious gadgets. Too bad gamblers are not allowed to use them in casinos.
Wearable technology is obviously a growing trend and Google Glass had a lot do with it. Unfortunately, this cool device does not support online casinos yet, so it’s of little use for a gambler. If you want to play on the go, mobile casinos are still the best option for you.
So let’s move on to some other wearable gadgets which will actually improve your gambling experience:
1. Edward Oakley Thorp, a mathematics professor who worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, invented the world’s first wearable computer in 1961.
His motivation? He wanted to win at roulette. He was also the first person to mathematically prove that card counting systems can help overcome the house advantage in blackjack. Developed together with Claude Shannon, the wearable computer gave the user a 44% edge in roulette. And it was not even illegal at the time it was invented!
2. Keith Taft entered history and the Blackjack Hall of Fame after creating a 15-pound computer that helped players win at blackjack. “George” – as the device was called – caused casinos to lose millions of dollars throughout the 70s and 80s, when it was still legal. It was programmed to count cards and select the most effective blackjack strategy for the player.
Unlike other names included in the Blackjack Hall of Fame, Taft wasn’t some famous player, but he did use his knowledge to help gamblers win. After designing a portable device used to effectively beat the casino, scientists credited Taft with creating some of the earliest computer networking systems and tools.
After the success of his first endeavor, Taft continued to refine his technology, building the first microcomputers and being the first person to capture a video signal digitally, on a computer. His contribution is immense, as even the basic blackjack strategies used today are based on his findings.
3. Bluetooth headsets are common nowadays, but just imagine how much easier playing blackjack would be if someone could whisper strategies into your ear. Of course, you would need a professional “partner in crime” who can help you with card counting and strategies.
4. Couple your Bluetooth headset with a wearable webcam and you have everything you need to bring the full casino experience to your partner’s home. It never hurts to have a second pair of eyes, especially if you’re playing at a crowded casino, or sitting at a poker table and having trouble keeping an eye on every player.
5. In 2009, consumers already had a wide range of portable computers available. As great as laptops and notebooks are, people still needed a table or some kind of surface to place them on before using them. But it was time for tech companies to come up with a better solution and this is exactly what Glacier Computers tried to do.
This is how the company came up with the W200 wrist computer, which was pretty much what it name says: a computer that you could wear on your wrist. Weighing less than 300 grams, the gadget was capable of running Windows CE or Linux. It came with 3.5 inch, 320 x 240 resolution color touch screen, a backlit keyboard, plug and play Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS.
This device probably needs a software upgrade, but apart from that it could make a very cool gadget for playing casino games on the go. It would be almost like playing on your smartphone, except you would be able to wear the mobile casino on your wrist!
The wearable tech industry has yet to improve its gambler-oriented offer, but it definitely looks like it’s on the right track.