The iGaming industry is currently undergoing unprecedented growth. In terms of revenue, the industry reached record figures, with £14.7bn generated in 2023. It’s estimated that there are 22.5 million adults who gamble, with 13.4 million doing so online.
There are no signs of the industry slowing down in the long term, and much of this is due to the technological developments we’ve seen in the last few years. These are the tech trends with the greatest influence over today’s iGaming platforms, driving further expansion.
Devs Migrating to Gaming
Ultimately, tech trends are about people. Well, that’s until OpenAI takes over the world, but we digress. But right now, perhaps the biggest driver of iGaming’s development is the brain drain from traditional gaming.
Yes, the best developers are moving to iGaming development studios. The finest online casinos have their games carefully crafted by some of the most talented people in the business. These are big-name players like Play’n Go, Microgaming, Pragmatic Play and Net Ent.
There are a few reasons for this. First, it’s the undeniable financial incentive. With the casino industry growing at record levels, companies have better financial packages to offer their developers. And it’s also more fun compared to just a few years ago. Developers can go beyond simple fruit machines and use their creativity to release more in-depth user experiences.
The Live Dealer Experience
The naysayers who back land-based gaming establishments claim that online equivalents just can’t match the ‘real person’ experience. Much of that has to do with human-to-human interaction, whether it’s with the dealer or fellow players.
Well, that narrative no longer holds true in 2024. Most online casinos now offer a live dealer option as an alternative to virtual versions of games like blackjack and roulette.
Yes, this means casinos have live video links to a dealer, giving users a similar experience to a land-based casino. Players can now also chat to others, giving that immersive touch that sets the game apart from previous iterations.
This is a huge development, as every study shows that when it comes down to it, we are social creatures by our very inherent nature. Playing virtual roulette is fun, but there is nothing like watching that wheel with others (and joking with the dealer, of course!).
Mobile Gaming
iGaming’s performance was previously truncated by the tech available to most users. Just a few years ago, even the latest iPhone or Android phones were incapable of running high-end casino games.
And even when the hardware/software solutions existed, high-speed mobile internet did not. This created slow, frustrating, and pixelated experiences for players. There’s nothing more annoying than the connection dropping when you’re in the middle of a bet.
But now, most of us have access to 4/5G internet on our phones. It’s also cheaper than ever, with even developing economies providing affordable access to large portions of the population.
The 1-2 punch of smartphones and 5G has made it possible for iGaming companies to deliver games that are far more advanced than ever before. Mobile gaming has well and truly arrived, and it’ll only get better.
Widening Payment Options
When you used to go to a casino, it was cash and chips, nothing more. We got excited when cash machines were introduced at the premises. But with iGaming, you can pay in more ways than you can count.
There’s the obvious debit card, whether you use Mastercard or Visa. You can also pay with Apple Pay. Or PayPal. For those who prefer old-school tricks, there’s the slower bank transfer.
The iGaming industry has always been an early adopter, which is why it’s no surprise that you can even pay with cryptocurrencies. Yes, prices have been going down in the last week, but that doesn’t mean casinos will not accept it as a payment method.
Virtual and Augmented Reality (AR/VR)
Our final entry is something that’s very exciting in the wider gaming industry, the development of both augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR). Both are designed to step up the immersive element of the experience, giving users the sensation that they are right there in the middle of the casino floor.
With Meta (formerly known as Facebook) investing heavily in their Quest headsets, the signs are clear: we’re going to see some major developments in virtual reality gaming in the coming years.
Casino games already exist with this technology in place, although it’s still early days. But iGaming developers know that it’s the coming wave, and we’re hearing rumblings that VR will become a standard fixture with online casinos in the future.
In short, casinos are not only influenced by the latest tech trends, but the iGaming industry is an active and important participant. With the arrival of AI, we expect that the online casino experience will only get better.
