The iGaming sector has experienced a lot of new developments in recent years. Advances in technology have had a real impact on how customers gamble online, but the most effective type of games in iGaming has been the rise of online slots. The fact that iGaming has become so popular is primarily due to the convenience of it. No longer are people having to spend time traveling to a physical casino to play some blackjack or multiple slot machines, when it can be done from the comfort of home. The lack of physical limitations as to the number and variety of machines also works in favor of online casinos. Today iGaming manages to provide the same kind of games found in a physical casino – and slots are biggest winners.
The growing market share of iGaming
In 2012, the online gambling sector was estimated to be worth over $417 billion (including online casinos, poker sites and sports betting) and online casinos’ share was $34 billion, a figure that was estimated to double by 2020. A lot of that growth has been influenced by two factors. Firstly, sports betting was legalized in the US in 2018 and this has helped to further support the iGaming market; and secondly, more people are now enjoying the wide variety of games from online casinos, specifically online slots.
Mobile gaming is the biggest driver of iGaming growth
One of the biggest areas of growth in iGaming has been mobile gaming. In 2019, gamers of all ages are mobile-savvy. They want games they can play on the go, whenever and wherever; games like League of Legends or Fortnite. The iGaming industry has followed this trend closely, creating intuitive, mobile versions of online slots and table games for people to play when they’re on the move.
Being able to make mobile games that look and play the same as desktop versions is the goal for most iGaming software developers. Online slots manage to do this effectively. Some online casinos have excelled at producing online slots and mobile slots that can challenge even the best online games. Take the progressive jackpots at Spin Casino, for instance, which feature slots that can be played through both the app or the browser of mobile devices. They house some of the most popular titles, successfully crossing over into the gaming sphere like slots from the Hitman or Tomb Raider series.
Gaming with guaranteed added value
Online slots have also benefited from the growing trend of offering something for free to entice and maintain player interest. That added value often comes in the form of bonuses, reloads and loyalty rewards which beat anything that can be offered in either physical casinos or from table-based games.
Technology using virtual and augmented reality
Globally, the virtual reality model of gaming seems to work. Research done by Rhythm One has shown that customers are 27% more invested in a product if they experience it through virtual or augmented reality. AR and VR are two sides of the same iGaming coin. Although we’ve seen limited application of these two technologies so far (the same goes with other types of video games), players are looking forward to their adoption on a larger scale, fantasizing about the day where their favourite online casino’s lobby can be browsed in VR. According to reports, several slot game developers are exploring the possibilities of VR and AR in the same way that tech companies like Google or Bill Gates’ Microsoft are, but there are very few readily available games at the moment.
How iGaming customers experience their favourite games and slots is vital to keep them returning. Online slots have mastered this through mobile gaming interfaces, bonuses, safer online payments and adapting interesting themes and storylines to keep players entertained and engaged. Slots are ideally adapted for iGaming and continue to dominate online casino play in the same way they do in Vegas.
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