Online gaming is not a new phenomenon – since the earliest days of the internet people logged on to play casino games and bet on sport events. The real difference is that iGaming has now been almost completely integrated into the general society and its economic footprint is bigger than ever. In 2025, online gambling companies will break all sorts of records so it’s interesting to look at the growth stages this industry has gone through to reach its current status.
Early Online Gambling Sites – Struggle for Customer Trust
In the period before broadband internet was commonly available, online gambling was a niche activity that couldn’t compare with the volume of business handled by land-based casinos and betting shops. Few people even knew how to use a computer to place a bet, while money transfers were complicated and costly. To make the matters worse, the novelty of this gaming medium meant that players were highly suspicious towards the operators and reluctant to take part. The fact that fraud was common in this period certainly didn’t help to build trust, while the general attitude towards gambling was mostly negative. Early resistance didn’t last very long, and within a decade iGaming became a sustainable business – albeit many obstacles to universal acceptance remained in place.
Lack of any legal framework was perhaps the biggest one, as this was the Wild West atmosphere in which the customer had little protection from predatory behaviour. iGaming companies had to try very hard to shake off the label of ‘risky’ and to demonstrate their ability to run the games in a fair and transparent manner.
Rise of Big iGaming Brands and International Expansion
Gambling regulators in many countries started focusing on the online market at some point in the early 2000s, bringing a modicum of order and pushing the most unscrupulous operators underground. Around the same time, major gambling companies realised that the internet could unlock international markets at a much lower cost than building facilities in many different countries. These factors converged to bring about a centralisation of the market, with several big global brands entering the race to attract the ever-increasing number of players. These brands valued their reputations, and were incentivised to observe the rules in each jurisdiction where they rendered services. The emergence of digital payment methods that were faster than bank transfers but still very secure secure even when conducted internationally fueled a new wave of popularisation for online games of chance. This environment was much more conducive to casual players who saw these games as a form of entertainment rather than a money-making endeavor. With the changing clientele, the operators had to become more responsible and to innovate in order to make their service more convenient.
The Mobile Era: Ultra-Competitive Market with Evolving Rules
As the technology needed to deliver good customer experience matured, the competition in this sector became much more intense. Gambling websites are relatively inexpensive to set up, especially since most of the games are leased from independent software studios rather than developed internally. By 2010s, big gaming providers faced a stream of challengers who offered bigger bonuses, more games, more flexible financial terms, and other benefits. Adoption of smartphones accelerated the growth of the industry as a whole, and websites that launched mobile apps before their competitors could gain an edge.
Tempted by the increasingly enticing offers, players became less loyal to specific iGaming brands and started switching websites more frequently. Some issues were never completely resolved, and reports about fake websites and shady operators are still abundant in this industry. The efforts to ‘clean up’ the market and protect the consumers are continuing, with the most developed markets increasingly trying to apply strict requirements to prevent money laundering, identity theft, false advertising, and other criminal activities that plague the industry to this day.
Modern iGaming as Mainstream Entertainment
If you visit a gambling website of the latest generation, for say, slots or lucky numbers bets, you will immediately notice signs that it is operating within a well-defined business framework designed to keep the players safe. To access the games, you must first register using your real name and location, and you will likely have to complete ID verification before being allowed to withdraw money. iGaming sites are taking their legal responsibilities seriously, and almost all of them hold valid licenses issued by the regulators. The scope of available games has never been wider, and it’s fairly easy to learn the exact odds to win for each title. That means players can make informed choices and take calculated risks, so they are not really at the mercy of the online casino. Responsible gambling is also becoming a big topic, and legitimate websites have integrated tools such as spending limits or self-exclusion to help prevent compulsive play. Most iGaming companies recognise the need to adapt to the mainstream, and they are rewarded by access to more potential customers and mass media channels for advertising. There is a trend of legalisation of online gambling in more parts of the world, so the future looks very bright for this sector.
