6 Online Gambling Trends To Keep An Eye On
The last two years have changed the way we do everything – including gambling.
With physical casinos being closed around the world, many people have looked online for new ways to gamble. This has only sped up the online gambling trends we were seeing before COVID.
So, as in-person betting declines and the online casino becomes the place to be – what can we expect next from online gambling?
The short answer is a lot!
There is a lot of money being invested into making online gambling platforms as exciting and state of the art as they can be. There is a lot of competition in the industry so we expect to see innovation happing at a lot quicker pace.
Here are 6 things you can expect from the online gambling industry in the next 5 years.
#1 – Betting On eSports
You may be wondering what eSports are – well they are im-personal gaming competitions.
During the pandemic, betting on eSports skyrocketed and while the growth has slowed, the number of bets placed has stayed pretty steady.
Games like FIFA have been the most popular, however, FIFA has just announced it will be ending the franchise this year. Something like DOTA 2 or League Of Legends may fill that gap. Only time will tell.
Expect to see more sportsbooks offering eSports odds.
#2 – Paying With Cryptocurrency
We’re all used to paying for our casino games with our debit cards, but things may be about to change.
Over the last two years, we have seen some casinos starting to accept Cryptocurrency as payment for using their services.
There are mixed views on this amongst online gambling experts.
In the last year and a half, the Cryptocurrency market has become incredibly popular but also very unstable. With some coins yoyoing in value from month to month. Even the titanic coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum have been erratic in 2022.
If this continues, online casinos may stop accepting payments in Cryptocurrency.
#3 – Microbetting
Now that people can bet on their phones and get instant payouts – we are starting to see a decline in people placing macro bets. With the Super Bowl perhaps being the one exception to this.
A macro bet is a bet on the outcome of a game the winner of a tournament. Micro bets are smaller outcomes like the next point scorer or the score at the end of the next quarter.
Micro bets make the betting experience more interactive and these bets can feel much more exciting. The buy-ins are typically lower with better rewards than macro betting.
#4 – VR In Online Casinos
This year, Mark Zuckerberg announced his intention to launch the Metaverse – an online space that users can access via VR.
It is believed that casinos could be offering something similar soon.
Imagine, playing at home but being able to roll your own dice in Craps. Or pulling the lever on your online slot machine. You would be able to walk around the casino and interact with other user patrons.
While feelings are still mixed about the Metaverse, it seems like the reaction to virtual online casinos is mostly positive. With some people relishing in the idea of a more authentic casino experience that can be enjoyed from home.
#5 – Moving Onto Apps
In the past 6 months, some of the biggest casino companies have talked about scaling back their online presence and moving more heavily into the world of apps.
While we expect lots of casinos to invest in apps, there is one major benefit to using online sites rather than apps.
Many online casinos are “based” in the United Kingdom, even if none of their employees work there. This is because the UK has the most generous gambling rules in the world. This tactic gets a little more difficult to pull off when your players are using an app.
#6 – Fantasy Sports
Our final prediction for the next five years is that we will see a huge boom in Fantasy Sports.
People are gambling in new ways now. Now that it can be done from your phone and you don’t have to physically walk into a betting store – betting is becoming more of a social activity.
There is no form of online gambling that is more social than fantasy sports. This has been popular in the US for many years now – but we are starting to see huge growth in overseas markets too.