My Flash Resource - New Ideas and News for Applying Flash to Complex Gaming Apps

I just found an Actionscript 2.0 cheatsheet. What a great resource! You can download it as gif, jpg, or a pdf. A big thank-you goes out to Sean Moore for creating this valuable resource. I have it taped to my desk permanently, I’ve also added it to my links in the right-column. The cheatsheet can be found here.

In recent years, the demand for flash online gaming apps has exploded. Flash enables many gaming sites the ability to offer a "live" online gaming experience, saving the user the trouble of downloading software, complicated sign-up processes, or wasted time. Though flash casino games are generally not quite as embellished as their downloadable counterparts, they are, for the most part, increasing in quality everyday as new programmers, graphic designers, and marketing companies embrace this technology. Some sites, such as www.payspark.com, are entirely built in Flash. This website is a European E-Wallet that enables its users to interface with virtual banking privileges, all built upon an amazing flash platform. As a result, it is easy to see how Flash technology and the strict privacy needs of banking can be used together to produce a workable product.

By far, the most widespread use of Flash in the online gaming sector is among online casino businesses. Customers impatient to wait for software downloads can jump right into playing at these online casinos, which take advantage of Flash's rich graphic interfaces to create a truly unique gaming experience. Still other online casinos prefer to use Flash in their affiliate and banner marketing campaigns. Top software provider MicroGaming, known the world over for quality and fairness, definitely leads the pack when it comes to the most realistic and reliable software. Flashship casino brand Lucky Nugget casino boasts some of the best graphics on the web. The insta-play Flash Casino is flawless and beautifully engineered. Additionally, European casino CasinoEuro built most of its homepage using Flash and Action Script 3 language integration, allowing users from multiple countries speaking different languages to play online. Flash graphics and transition effects are highly captivating, much more so than their animated .gif counterparts. The ability to track users clicking on such banners has also allowed most online casinos to use CRM models to enhance customer retention and to analyze user trends on both a broad and micro scale.

Increasingly, Flash is also finding a new home in the online sportsbook market. Many websites offering sports gambling alternatives take advantage of colorful flash banners as a way to attract sports bettors, and also as a way to show off to the customer. Sports Betting websites rely on mitigating risk, but also by landing a critical mass of customers through marketing campaigns. As a result, those interested in NFL betting - the most popular sport among bettors, can be relatively assured that they truly "get what they par for". Next to the NFL, basketball betting is the next most popular draw. Web designers at many online sports betting don't have much time to create original imagery. So, many stock photo companies are beginning to offer Flash images for savvy web designers looking to gain an edge. Many marketing companies relish in the fall NFL Betting season, and spend countless hours during the spring creating the right campaigns to boost ROI. Also, the demands of the football betting season require high end servers to populate the web with all the Flash images. Flash graphics definitely draw more bandwidth than .gif images, but as server technology improves and communication infrastructures advance, soon .gif images will be history.

In the end, because the online casinos vertical is so competitive, it comes down to getting to most bang for the buck. Using flash graphics with eye-catching slogans, images, and animation truly allows online casinos the ability to capture a user's interest immediately.