Trends to Watch in Online Gambling

Since its inception, the online gambling industry has continued to experience strong year-on-year growth and 2017 looks to be another great year for the industry. Some feared that efforts to bring in increased regulations across the globe could damage the prospects of online bookmakers, but this has not proved to be the case and, if anything, regulation has helped to legitimise the services and growth have remained stable.

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Mobile

There are now a plethora of apps available for mobile phones and tablets that offer a variety of online gambling apps on the go. These range from casino games such as poker and blackjack, to slot machine or similar ‘random number’ games that resemble digital scratch cards. Customers have shown a clear desire for the convenience that comes with the mobile gambling experience.

The mobile gambling market is expected to be worth $50.6 billion by the end of 2017, up from the $45.8 billion it took in 2016. A 2013 report revealed that just over 4% of all smartphone users have downloaded a sports or casino related betting app.

Freemium

The ease with which successful apps can generate revenue through advertising has led to a situation where more app providers are offering free credit to new users as an incentive to join and play more. This so-called freemium model has proven to be a very effective way of generating money for independent mobile game developers. Numerous studies have shown that offering customers a free sample of a product makes them much more likely to purchase the full product. With so many different options for mobile gambling apps and websites, such as Bet 365 (https://betenemy.com/en/bet365/), potential new players can feel overwhelmed at the number of choices.

Under these conditions, they are much likely to try a service that will allow them a reasonable amount of free play time so that they can be sure it is the right one for them. The ability to try several different services for free means that new players are likely to sign up for more than one trial and this helps to drive healthy competition between competitors, as well as giving consumers a greater choice of platform.

E-Sports

Betting on regular sports continues to be one of the most significant profit drivers for online casinos, but the world of e-sports is rapidly catching up. 2017 is expected to be the first year where the industry takes in more than $1 billion from e-sports related bets. This is hardly surprising given that e-sports are seeing a surge in popularity and are increasingly entering the public consciousness. The games competitors play are increasingly designed with tournament play in mind and are being more and more frequently recognised as representing legitimate sporting platforms.

The online gambling market has continued to prove its strength, as well as proving its doubters and critics wrong. The rise of e-sports is opening new dimensions for the industry, which looks set to continue moving from strength to strength as we move towards 2018.