How Trendy is the Online Gambling Industry?
Staying trendy is one of the secrets to keeping a business successful in this competitive world. If you can't keep up with what your customers expect from you, there’s a low chance you will remain in business for long.
The online gambling industry understands the importance of evolving with trends. And it’s constantly looking for ways to stay relevant in popular culture. In this article, we'll look at seven trends shaping the future of iGaming. Let's dive right in.
Supports Crypto and Blockchain
Lately, many online businesses are embracing crypto to widen their reach. The gambling industry is no different. For the past couple of years, the number of casinos accepting Bitcoin has increased drastically.
Most crypto casinos accept Bitcoin, Ethereum, and a few more well-known coins. They don't accept low market-cap cryptocurrencies. That said, crypto casinos have been luring players with some pretty generous bonuses.
Many casinos welcome new customers with bonuses worth up to 5BTC. Considering one Bitcoin costs more than $25,000 at the time of writing this article, a 5BTC bonus is a VIP-status bankroll.
For clarity, casino bonuses are usually a 100% match of your deposit amount. If you want to receive a 1BTC bonus, you need to deposit a similar amount. Of course, you can deposit a much lower amount.
Bonuses aside, the online gambling industry is also embracing blockchain technology. Blockchain is the decentralized, immutable ledger that stores data related to crypto.
Blockchain is known for its security and security. It also helps developers create fair online games. Some of these games, specifically slots and card games, are now available at leading online casinos.
Sweepstakes and Crash Gambling Games
The online gambling sector is responsible for two types of games trending all over the world. The first kind is called sweepstakes. These games allow you to play slots and table games for entertainment. Money isn’t necessarily involved.
With some casinos, you can play Sweepstakes online for money or fun. These sites give you two types of in-game currencies: Gold coins and sweeps coins.
Gold coins allow you to play a variety of slots and card games free of no charge. If you win money while using these coins, you can't cash it out. Sweep coins can be redeemed into real money.
On the other hand, crash gambling games are built using blockchain technology. They offer to multiplier your bet amount if you can cash out before the multiplier crashes. They’re based on pure luck.
Mobile Gambling Sites
Online casinos and sportsbooks are now available on mobile devices. This is yet another testament to the industry's swiftness in keeping up with trends. Gambling sites have been creating betting apps for the last decade.
In the early days of mobile gaming, all casinos had an app you could install on your Android or iOS devices. Then Play Stores banned gambling apps, making it difficult for iGaming businesses to operate on mobile.
Fortunately, developers created HTML5. This new coding language introduced a new way of creating mobile software that didn’t require users to install apps. HTML5 helped casinos create mobile-friendly gambling sites that offer everything you can access through your desktop computer.
In a world where more people own smartphones than desktop computers, mobile gaming will be the future of iGaming. It's already dominating the sector. Sixty percent of people who gamble online use their smartphones.
AR, VR, and AI
Few tech solutions are trending as much as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Artificial Intelligence. AR and VR are changing how we consume digital content like movies, songs, and games. Artificial Intelligence is disrupting nearly every industry in the world.
The online gambling industry is using AR and VR to create immersive games. The technology doesn't have a lot of demand so far. This is why only a few slot machines support VR. They include Gonzo's Quest, Starburst, and Thunderstruck II.
You need proper headsets to play VR slots. You might also need a powerful laptop or smartphone. Additionally, not every casino features VR-powered games. In the future, things might change. But presently, VR is still in its baby steps.
Artificial Intelligence is also young. But it’s highly in demand in the online gambling space. Software providers use it to generate ideas and speed up development. Casinos use it for marketing and management.
Interestingly, some gamblers are also using AI tools for sports betting predictions. Some of these tools have decent winning percentages. But the majority of them are no better than human tipsters.
A Growing Presence on Twitch and Social Media
Online gambling players are spreading their love for slots and poker on social media platforms. On Twitch, casino streaming has become so popular that it regularly ranks amongst the top 10 trending genres.
While casinos offer hundreds of games, many casino streamers on Twitch focus on slots. There’s a perfect explanation. Slots are the most popular casino games in the world. Over 70% of people who gamble online choose slots over table games.
Twitch streamers play slots online for entertainment. Slots can be pretty exciting with their exploding reels, free spins, jackpots, multipliers, and everything in between.
Beyond Twitch, YouTube is the other platform with casino streamers. Some people also play these games on Facebook and TikTok live. However, due to tough restrictions, they have small audiences.
Popular with Celebrities and Athletes
Another reason to know that iGaming is a trendy sector is to look at its relationship with famous people. From athletes to Hollywood celebrities, dozens of famous people say they enjoy gambling.
Some of them only gamble in Las Vegas. But others also play online. Take Neymar as an example. He’s an ambassador for a popular poker site. Drake, by comparison, is not just an ambassador. He also bets large amounts of money on sports and casino games.
Over the past few years, some celebrities have admitted to gambling millions of dollars in sports or casino games. Some of them—50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather, regularly win double or triple their bets.