The game has evolved a lot since people played dice in the streets. Today, players can enjoy a wide range of digital gambling games on the internet. But while the internet has undoubtedly changed the way we play, have we already seen everything it has to offer, or are there still changes to come? Join us as we take a look at the future of online gambling beyond 2023, and let’s see what we can expect from UK online slots and table games casino.
Crypto payments will remain fairly niche
Many of us are still learning about cryptocurrencies (or simply « cryptos »), a new payment system that has certainly been highly publicized by some people and has turned some early experimenters into multi-millionaires.
However, despite the appeal of this form of payment and the fact that some cryptocurrencies have been around for over a decade, many governments remain skeptical about their role in our economic systems. Many policymakers are still fighting for the legalization and regulation of this form of payment, which is why the adoption of crypto payments is slow in many sectors. This is also why – despite the benefits offered by cryptos, such as instant transactions, anonymity and increased security – the number of online casinos accepting cryptocurrency payments is still very limited.
Unfortunately, unless our policymakers around the world quickly change their attitude, this situation is unlikely to change quickly, so many of us will have to continue using older, slower payment systems when we make a deposit to play games such as blackjack online. In other good news, many online gambling sites have adopted a simpler, easier and safer method of cryptocurrency payment.
Live dealer games will continue to grow their presence
Live dealer games may be a relatively new genre of online casino games, but they are growing in popularity. There is simply no clearer sign that live dealer gaming is a force to be reckoned with in the industry than Evolution’s acquisition of Big Time Gaming in 2021, as well as its acquisition of NetEnt, NetEnt Casino and Red Tiger in the same year. These two deals total almost £2 billion and cement Evolution as the largest developer of live casino, online slots and table games.
All of this would not have been possible without the massive success of Evolution’s portfolio of online live dealer games. And who knows, maybe these live dealer games will replace their random number generator (RNG) casino game counterparts in the years to come. If Evolution’s meteoric growth is any indicator, it just might happen. .
More people will play on mobile devices
the-future-of-online-gambling-trends-and-predictions-beyond-2022
While mobile gaming in the early 2000s was limited to rudimentary games that couldn’t even compete with their PC and console counterparts, the birth of the smartphone in 2007 saw the popularity of the mobile gaming industry explode. With the growing power and popularity of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, the gap has narrowed between what is available on other platforms and what these devices can offer. This has allowed game developers to bring some of their best experiences to the mobile platform.
But the broader functionality of mobile gaming isn’t the only reason more people are choosing to « go mobile. » Mobile games offer several other benefits that other gaming platforms don’t have, including lower cost (for most devices), unique augmented reality gaming experiences like Pokémon Go, and the ability to play wherever you want. be.
It is benefits like these that have contributed to the annual growth of mobile gaming, as mentioned in the article “Mobile Gaming Industry Statistics and Trends for 2021” by Business of Apps and SocialPeta. This article highlighted several major trends, but one of the biggest was the 12% growth in gamers, bringing the total mobile gamer base to over 2.5 billion people!
Online casinos and sportsbooks will further embrace eSports betting
Competitive video gaming competitions, or eSports, have come a long way since Dennis Fong — the first professional gamer, according to the Guinness Book of World Records — took home a Ferrari after winning a video game tournament in 1997. Today , some eSports tournaments offer prize pools totaling more than $30 million (£21.3 million), with individual players walking away with around $3 million each for a first place finish.
Growth is not just limited to competitors directly involved in the industry. In its article titled “The Incredible Growth of eSports (+ eSports Statistics),” the Influencer Marketing Hub describes the different ways the industry as a whole is growing. These factors include:
Audience: The European eSports audience increased from 79 million in 2018 to 92 million in 2020.
Awareness: The first surveys on eSports awareness in 2015 showed that only 800,000 people had heard of it. This figure was estimated at around 2 billion in 2020.
Platforms offering live eSports coverage: More than 220 million hours of content have been streamed by Facebook, Twitch and YouTube Gaming Live. This likely includes a significant number of hours dedicated exclusively to the eSports industry.
The amount of time people spend watching eSports: Over 28 million hours were spent watching the League of Legends European Championship, while the PUBG Mobile World League racked up over 33 million hours watched.
The role of brands and the growth of eSports revenue: Brands have played a major role in the growth of eSports, having already contributed almost $1 billion (£710,000) in various ways, including through sponsorships , media rights, publisher fees, merchandising and ticketing.
Visible growth in eSports tournaments: Although 2020 caused some setbacks for the industry, the total prize money for 5,288 tournaments was $234,433,656 (or just under £166.5 million) in 2019, which represents an increase of 42% compared to the 2018 prize pool.
With such fantastic growth in this area, it is no surprise that some online bookmakers and casinos have started offering eSports betting. This will continue as the audience for this new industry grows and more fans want to participate in betting on their favorite players and teams.
VR will become more accessible, meaning more and better VR casinos
The first consumer VR headset, the Oculus Rift, was released for $599.99 in 2016 (around £426 at the most recent currency conversion rates). Today, the Oculus Quest 2, a fully mobile virtual reality headset that doesn’t require a powerful gaming PC, is on sale for half price, $299.99. As the prices of these devices drop, more and more people are likely to purchase a VR device and try the wide variety of experiences on offer – which of course includes VR casinos.
Although VR casinos are currently extremely niche, developers recognize that there is huge potential in this market and are vying for the top spot in this space when VR gaming finally goes mainstream. While it’s undoubtedly a risky investment for now, those with the courage (and deep pockets) to start building virtual reality casinos for the future are likely to benefit from the growing popularity of virtual reality gaming. virtual reality – and we’ll be there to see it happen!
Enjoy the best online casino games in the here and now
The future of online gambling is undoubtedly very exciting, but if you are looking for the best mobile casino experience today, you will find it at The Phone Casino. We offer a wide variety of exciting games at our online casino, from online roulette to online scratch cards and live dealer games, so you’re sure to have a great time no matter what you like to bet on.