To say that online gambling is popular would be the understatement of the century. iGaming industry is booming all over the world, with millions of new players joining gaming platforms every day and new games being launched practically every week. It’s beyond doubt that 2024 has been an exciting year for both providers and players, and we can expect lots of great stuff in the next year, too. With that in mind, now is the perfect time to take inventory of the most important trends that are shaping the industry and impacting the fortunes of the players.
The Industry Is Embracing Legalisation and Regulation
After decades of operating at the edges of the legal system, gambling websites are now actively welcoming the presence of regulators in the market and trying to stay compliant with the rules. Legal betting websites and online casinos are dominating the scene, especially in the most lucrative markets. While offshore platforms with dubious licensing status are still drawing a portion of the online traffic away from legitimate operators, their share of the market is on a steep decline. iGaming companies are facing increasing pressures to pay larger taxes, implement measures to prevent fraud and addiction, and limit the extent of their marketing activities. So far, the biggest brands have been happy to meet these terms if it allows them continued access to an ever growing pool of players.
Gaming Platforms are Evolving Quickly
Modern online casinos look nothing alike their predecessors from a couple of decades ago, and are adding new features faster than anyone expected. A typical website offers many different ways to gamble, ranging from instant games to complex competitions that involve facing other players and outwitting them in a direct showdown. The platforms are increasingly applying gamification principles to incentivise players to spend more time interacting with their content, and rewarding them for various in-game achievements.
They are also introducing new ways for players to communicate and collaborate, turning the online casino experience into a social activity. Growing popularity of live dealer games is an interesting trend to watch, as more and more players are discovering how realistic these games can be.
Players Are Expecting Better Games and Conditions
Due to very competitive offer of high-quality games, players are becoming more selective. A typical mindset is currently ‘if I am going to play this game, I want it to be worth my time.’ That’s why game developers must ensure that every element is perfect, from graphic user interface to money-winning mechanics. Since it takes only a few clicks to find a bunch of alternatives at other sites, players are refusing to support games with obvious bugs or ones that have unfavorable odds to win. The same goes to platforms that are hosting the games – they need to be functional and responsive 100% of the time and to allow players to withdraw and deposit money in a variety of ways.
iGaming is Falling in Love with Crypto
In their search for speed of transactions as well as data privacy, online gambling websites are discovering that crypto currencies provide the exact kind of benefits they need. Crypto adoption in this industry started a few years back, but in 2024 it reached completely new levels. Casino sites are moving beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum and now accept a wide array of different digital coins, while there are even those that completely shun traditional banking and work only with crypto-focused customers. With general awareness of crypto coins on the rise, it’s highly likely that even larger percentage of financial transactions in the iGaming sector will be conducted using crypto.
New Types of Promotions are Emerging
Anyone who played at a casino site knows that ample bonus offers are available, providing an easy source of free game credits. However, every promotion style that is widely copied by all participants in the market gradually loses its effectiveness, and that’s happening with bonuses.
High-end gambling providers are mixing up new types of promotions with traditional welcome bonus packages and cashback features, and now frequently hand out real-life gifts to loyal customers. There are also special bonuses for crypto payments, vouchers for shopping discounts, tickets to prime-time entertainment events, and a whole lot of other creative marketing gimmicks. In other words, iGaming providers are trying their best to spoil the players with frequent value propositions and freebies.
Mobile Gaming Is the New Standard
The transition towards mobile access to gambling platforms has been underway for a while, and it is now entering its final stages. A huge chunk of players rely exclusively on smartphone access, and even the most dedicated PC players are at least occasionally using mobile. The providers are well-aware of the need to perform well on handheld devices, and they are designing their websites with this objective in mind. Better casino and betting sites have iOS and Android apps that are typically distributed for free to all registered players who want them. Smaller competitors are sometimes skipping this step, which could prove to be more damaging as the remaining players adopt mobile gaming as the primary mode of online play.
