iGaming is the umbrella term used for all things involving online gambling and betting. While many people associate poker and other card games with iGaming, anything casino-related is covered by this term.
Even sports betting, if done online, can be considered iGaming. Fantasy sports comprise yet another new form of iGaming that has taken off to major success all around the world. But why is iGaming so popular and why are more and more people flocking over to it over the traditional brick and mortar casinos or betting places? Let’s find out.
Convenience
You probably saw this reason from a mile away, but it holds true nevertheless. Gambling software solutions allow users to partake in betting and casino games from the comfort of their homes.
Instead of getting dressed and spending time on the road to the casino, they can now simply log on to a website and do all the things that they would do in a betting palace. Or they can also partake in this activity from anywhere in the world thanks to smartphones and tablets.
Many iGaming providers have implemented HTML5 to make their websites as flexible as possible on all modern gadgets. Do you have a smart fridge? Great, you can play poker right from the kitchen as you’re cooking. That’s how much convenience has had to play in the rise of iGaming.
The recent pandemic
Up until the coronavirus pandemic that took the world by storm, iGaming was fairly popular, but nowhere near the current levels.
The pandemic has helped increase the number of online gamblers by a surprisingly large margin. Since many major sporting competitions were canceled, people made their way to virtual and fantasy sports to get their kick.
Not only that, but even people who had no prior connection to gambling or betting have started partaking in this activity. The iGaming sector has seen significant growth especially in the second quarter of 2020. Will it go back down, or will it only go higher? Many speculate that it will keep growing, but only time will tell for sure.
Battling addiction
Yes, it sounds contradictory, but most iGaming providers are fighting to end gambling addiction for good.
With the help of AI implementation, an advanced algorithm detects when a certain player tends to bet too much or too often. It then automatically locks their account and sends them links to counselors specialized in gambling addiction.
This might be one of the biggest reasons why online gambling has become so popular. Although it’s counterintuitive for profit-oriented individuals, the general public appreciates when companies go the extra mile to ensure safety and provide help for their customer’s mental health.
Increased privacy
Gambling is still a taboo subject in our society. Many people who want to partake in this activity want to stay hidden from prying eyes.
The online world allows them to do just that. And with the help of the artificial intelligence implementation that we’ve talked about earlier, even credit card details can remain safe thanks to the possibility of using blockchain and trading in cryptocurrencies.
Speaking of which, players can now partake in iGaming from countries where it is either illegal or questionable from a legal standpoint. For this reason, thousands of people around the world partake in iGaming because it offers them a viable solution to get into the gambling and betting scene without being questioned by authorities or get frowned upon by nosy neighbors.
Exciting new technologies
Leaving AI and the blockchain aside for a while, there are a few other technologies that have played a major role in the rise of iGaming.
One of them is called “live casino”. By using advanced sensors and cameras, casinos can now offer players the same experience that they would get from the real deal.
Players move around freely and sit at tables where other real players and a real dealer partake in games. They can also view live roulette rounds and go to a slot machine in a whim. The only problem is that a live casino is still just something you’re seeing on a screen.
Enter virtual reality. What was once just a science fiction concept is now a reality, and the technology is becoming increasingly affordable as we speak. Players can get a VR headset and take a deep dive into a virtual casino where they can move and play exactly as they would in real life.
Instead of pressing a button on your screen a keyboard, you get two pull a slot machine’s lever just as you would in real life by using a motion controller. It’s much more entertaining than just looking at a smartphone screen, isn’t it? Considering that the major iGaming providers have announced this feature’s implementation, we can only imagine the market growing even further down the line.
Virtual and fantasy sports
Virtual sports offer a few advantages over the real deal. For starters, you can place a bet and then skip over the match instantly to see the results.
This allows you to place multiple bets on several matches and then simply fast forward to see your earnings and losses. Alternatively, you can view the entire match just as you would a real game. And unlike video games, these won’t require an expensive graphics card or a gaming console.
So, to sum it all up: virtual sports are highly accessible, easy to bet on, and offer instant winnings. The keyword here is “instant”. In the age where people no longer have the patience that they used to, being able to immediately check your winnings is an attractive feature that is sure to make a lot more individuals want to try it.
Conclusion
The iGaming business’s future looks extremely bright. We think that more and more people will enter the scene, especially with all this digitalization.
In a world where everything has gone mobile or, at the very least, online, brick and mortar casinos seem to have finally met their match. Will they live side by side with iGaming websites, or will they meet their demise? We’ll have to wait and see.
