Thanks to lockdown online casino has seen a large rise. Here are the top online casino trends in 2020 and beyond…
Within a short space of time, the iGaming sector has risen to become one of the most popular gaming verticals in the world. Online casinos and gaming platforms are more popular now than they’ve ever been before, and the industry itself is poised at the forefront of technological innovation and evolution.
The nature of the industry means that it will always be in a state of advancement, whether that’s down to the integration of new technologies, changes to gaming regulations, or the development of more engaging and innovative games. Right now, online casino gaming is evolving into a multi-billion dollar industry, and here are some of the key trends that are helping to shape this.
Blockchain Casinos
Although traditional payment methods like Credit or Debit Cards and eWallets are still preferred by leading online casino platforms, dedicated blockchain and crypto casinos have begun to emerge in 2020. The gaming industry as a whole has embraced the potential that blockchain technology and cryptocurrency offers, so the relationship between the tech and online casino gaming looks set to be a fruitful one.
With leading cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin being accepted by the new wave of online casino platforms emerging into the market, consumers are being offered a greater variety of payment options which will make online gaming all the more appealing.
There’s also an increasing demand for casino platforms built on blockchain tech or a similar open-ledger decentralised platform. The benefits of this technology are advantageous to both consumers and the industry alike, ensuring transparency, anonymity, and increased speed for processing transactions.
Augmented and Virtual Reality
Speaking of advanced tech, both Augmented Realiy (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are beginning to emerge in the iGaming industry, where, in the case of VR in particular, the take up is happening quicker than in the wider gaming industry as a whole.
Popularised by games like Pokémon Go, AR technology helps to enhance the gaming environment by blending images and special effects on top of the gameplay. For online casino games, this means that gaming will become much more immersive, offering 360-degree views of gaming environments, as well as increased social interaction between players.
Virtual Reality, meanwhile, is more advanced than AR and its immersive capabilities are that much more extensive. Some gaming platforms have already launched VR poker games, which can be plated on streaming services like Steam for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. VR doesn’t just enhance the gaming environment, it creates a whole new one, so it has a lot of potential to transform the iGaming industry. The only drawback is that VR hardware is expensive, so at present it’s potentially out of reach of a key segment of the gaming audience.
Mobile Casinos
As far as gaming in general in 2020 goes, this year has undeniably been about mobile gaming. The medium has exploded in popularity, with more people than ever before using the smartphones and mobile devices to play gaming apps. Alongside the surge in popularity of classic gaming titles like PUBG Mobile, and Call of Duty: Mobile, there’s also been a noticeable increase in the use of mobile casino apps.
Mobile is a great medium for online casino gaming, since it provides gaming audiences with the chance to experience uninterrupted gameplay irrespective of their location. It’s hard to think of one leading casino platform that doesn’t at least offer a dedicated Android or iOS app for gaming on the go. This particular trend has been on the rise for a number of years, but the recent increase in smartphone penetration across the globe means that it’s about to reach its peak.
Live Dealer Games
Although today’s gamers do love playing high tech and high speed variants that are only possible in the virtual gaming world, many gamers are flocking to the live dealer tables of their chosen online casino platforms. Live dealer games seamlessly blend the thrilling atmosphere and appeal of a brick and mortar casino with an online experience, giving players access to human dealers in games like roulette, blackjack, and casino poker in gaming epicentres like Las Vegas, no matter where in the world they might be located.
When the iGaming industry first began to emerge into the mainstream, live dealer games experienced a drop in popularity as more innovative games were released. However, here in 2020 the vertical is emerging as a strong trend again; and in future we could see advanced tech like VR being integrated into live dealer games to take the experience to a whole other level.
