As all industries do, the online gambling industry has also evolved a great deal. It’s shaped by new technologies like VR and blockchain as well as consumer preferences and rising competition. We’re going to be exploring the key trends of the online gambling industry in 2023—With insights into what the players and operators can expect in the months ahead.
Note that online gambling is a catch-all phrase and doesn’t just include online slots and live dealer casinos. It also includes sports betting and esports betting, for example.
Better Tech
With more and more people now dabbling in online gambling, it’s become much more than a type of side hobby. People are looking for better things from their online sessions and we don’t blame them.
With this newfound need for more interaction or more compelling gameplay, we have technology to thank to meet the increasing demands. For example, video poker games have proliferated lately, offering amazing immersive experiences, game features, and visuals.
In fact, video poker games have have become a wholly different thing from traditional card games.
And it’s not just the video slots that have seen an improvement. Every table casino game has improved in terms of the underlying technology and graphics. Live dealer games have become remarkably more engaging and realistic, allowing you to talk with your dealer in real time using a high-quality video feed.
The Rise of Cryptocurrencies
The online gambling ecosystem has now become well acquainted with cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals. Leading online casino platforms now provide platform wallets that can receive payments from other wallets and deposit to other wallets.
Why one chooses to use crypto can vary wildly. For example, it might be convenient for some whereas others might be looking for added anonymity (cryptocurrencies like BTC are actually more pseudonymous than anonymous). They are also fast.
With more convenient options cropping up every once in a while, it’s become increasingly easier for people to transact on online gambling platforms using cryptocurrencies.
Apart from just anonymity and faster transactions, cryptocurrencies also provide enhanced security, and those who prefer decentralized finance over typical fiat like to transact using cryptocurrencies as much as possible.
One of the top features of the best online casinos is the variance in payment methods—And cryptocurrencies have helped casinos hit new player base records by making it more convenient to deposit and withdraw their money.
AR and VR
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, or AR and VR, have taken the world by storm. They are cutting-edge technologies for sure. What’s more, they also promise to help us fulfill a futuristic vision.
Snapping on a VR headset can take you through a wildly immersive experience. AR glasses or headsets can overlay digital information or items on top of your normal vision of the real world. Both of these are amazing use cases that casinos can use.
- A lot of VR casinos have already popped up. These are highly immersive where you can easily look around and chat with others.
- AR can also be used to overlay different kinds of information. For example, you can look at a simple desk in your home and play a game with your friends using a platform that gives you digital cards and other information using a graphical user interface.
Google’s ARCore is already paving the way for such entertainment-focused use cases and we can’t wait for online casinos to adopt such measures!
Personalization & Gamification
Today, it’s not enough to just provide a basic experience and expect all players to be content with it. It’s very important to personalize and gamify the experience. How online casinos do it differs from platform to platform and from provider to provider.
In a nutshell, throughout 2023, different platforms and game providers have leveraged insanely innovative personalization and gamification techniques to make the experience more exciting and enjoyable.
Here are a few of these techniques:
- Casinos tailor experiences to individual players by offering unique game selections and bonuses.
- Challenges and rewards help gamify the experience of playing casino online by adding a competitive and achievement-based system.
- More and more traditional game-like elements and UI components are making their way into online casino games. The fine line between casino gaming and traditional video gaming is more blurred than ever in 2023. What’s more, we continue to see major improvements that are bridging the gap even more.
Wrapping Up
The trajectory of growth has been fascinating to follow throughout 2023. We hope to see even new improvements and technologies grace the world of online gambling in the coming months and years.
All of these technologies are at different stages. Some are fleshed out, yes. But not all of them. VR, especially, is undergoing heavy development as we speak. With more tech companies joining the fray, the future certainly looks very bright.