From the day Microgaming introduced its first online casino in 1994 until the year 2020, the iGaming industry has grown at a very rapid pace. However, the rather strong influence of land-based gambling houses has been a limiting factor for iGaming over the years. The pandemic has forced millions of people into self-imposed isolation, ushering in a new era of online business and providing an incredible boost to online gambling.
Although the world is gradually returning to normal, the rapid growth of online casino games has not come to a halt. As an industry at the forefront of technology, iGaming has brought many exciting innovations. And we’re here to talk about the key trends in iGaming Industry in 2023 not to be missed.
Introduction of a Legal Framework for iGaming in Many Countries
In 2022, several European countries established a clear legal framework for regulating online gambling. This means that online casinos are now clearly regulated by competent authorities and operators have already made several adaptations to ensure that their businesses comply with the new legislation. The good news has also come from the American continent. For instance, 6 states in the USA have already legalized online gambling and poker, and the 7th state will join soon.
As for online casino games in Canada, they are still illegal unless they are licensed and regulated by the local authorities. However, there is now a trend toward legalizing gaming in Canada. In particular, several legal iGaming platforms including King Billy have started working in Ontario. And this is a big step for Canada where historically gambling laws are very complicated and uncertain.
Mobile Segment Continues to Grow Rapidly
Although the first mobile casino games appeared in the early 2010s, several factors hindered the development of on-the-go gambling:
- Smartphones at the time were not powerful enough to provide a smooth gaming experience.
- Rather low transfer rates caused freeze-ups which ruined the gaming experience.
- Most game studios were still using Flash, which was considered obsolete even at the time.
Thanks to the development of mobile technology and a move to HTML5/JS, mobile casino gaming https://www.kingbilly.com/en-CA has become much more than just a viable concept. Many casino operators have adapted their platforms to make them fully compatible with mobile devices.
Also tapping into the mobile trend, developers have started producing mobile-friendly gaming content that works perfectly on smartphones and tablets powered by iOS and Android. In the last few years, we’ve seen many amazing solutions focusing on mobile gamblers, and this trend for mobile casino games is set to grow in 2023.
Casino Games for Smart Watches
Although the first smartwatches appeared in the 1980s, they have become really popular thanks to products made by Apple, Samsung, and a few others. With fairly powerful processors and rich functionality, today’s smartwatches offer great opportunities for gaming studios and casino operators.
The idea to play casino online games directly on smartwatches seemed very interesting and appealing to many gambling enthusiasts. It is expected that 14+ million smartwatches will be sold in 2023, and the technologically advanced wearable devices are creating a new environment for gambling entertainment that could become a new trend in 2023.
Rising Influence of Cryptocurrencies
Emerging in 2009, cryptocurrencies went unnoticed for a long time. In 2016, when Bitcoin reached $1,000 per coin for the first time, people saw the promise of digital assets. Many e-commerce and online casino operators opened their doors to crypto transactions, allowing thousands of users around the world to access online casino games. Here are a few reasons why crypto has proven to be so attractive to gambling enthusiasts:
- High transaction speed. While payments from bank cards can take up to 3 days to process, crypto payments are processed within 5-10 minutes.
- Low transaction fees due to the absence of intermediaries in the value chain.
- Higher data security due to the use of advanced cryptographic methods.
In the last few years, there has been a significant increase in the number of gamblers choosing to pay with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. While traditional payment methods still dominate online casinos, crypto transactions are gradually pushing them out, a trend that will accelerate in 2023.
Enhanced Online Slots
While casino table games such as blackjack, roulette, and poker are extremely popular at Canadian online casinos, slots still dominate the industry. Head over to the best online Canadian casino and you’ll find that 80-90% of the casino’s collection consists of slots on a variety of themes. However, modern video slots are much more than just fruity symbols and spinning reels.
To meet younger gamblers’ demand for more interactive and engaging games, slot manufacturers are rolling out more advanced products with better storylines, in-game bonuses, and the opportunity to influence gameplay in some way. As more and more of the gaming public is made up of people who grew up playing PC games, the demand for PC game-style slots is increasing, and we’ll see more innovative game engines and features being released in 2023.
AR/VR
For the past few years, we have been predicting that virtual and augmented reality helmets would become a new trend in the iGaming industry. That didn’t happen even in 2022, for the sole reason that helmets are still quite expensive for the average gamer. Recently, the prices of virtual and augmented reality helmets have gone down. Along with this, many casino software platforms that support technology capable of bringing gamers directly into the game have emerged.
On the one hand, AR/VR technologies provide a truly immersive casino gaming experience unlike anything else. On the other hand, they help operators gain an even better understanding of gamblers’ behavioral patterns. And that’s why many leading iGaming companies are seriously considering introducing AR/VR games in 2023.
Growth of the Live Casino Segment
The pandemic years have introduced online casinos to those who previously preferred to enjoy authentic gambling experiences in land-based gambling venues. Missing the social aspect of gambling, they mostly opted for live casino games that give the feeling of being in a land-based gambling hall. Despite advances in artificial intelligence technology, human interaction is still highly valued by gamblers, and therefore we will see continued growth in the live dealer market segment in 2023.
Closing Thoughts
Online casinos will continue to grow rapidly in 2023, and that’s good for the industry as a whole. With even more visually appealing and engaging games, an improved user experience, all sorts of innovations, and a greater focus on mobile users, they will continue to attract the attention of gambling enthusiasts in 2023. And as many countries have stepped onto the path of gambling legalization, the industry has a great future ahead of it.
