“Planet Hollywood Casino Entrance” (CC BY 2.0) by Roger Schultz
Online gaming has become a multi-billion pound industry, using the increased availability of the internet to boost its spread to potential customers. The industry has been able to adapt to the internet and then to the advancement of technology every step of the way, all in the pursuit of bringing the best possible experience to users.
People have always enjoyed casinos and gambling, the rush that comes from not just winning big on a bet or a game, but also the adrenaline boost from the sheer anticipation, fuels a desire to bet. The success of online gaming is highlighted in the Business Casestudies and has been recorded as excellent, not just those who attended the casino regularly, but those who were naturally inquisitive.
The development of the online sector has allowed operators to offer the exciting experience of the casino or a bookmakers from the comfort of one’s home, or while on the go. However, all of the operators offer something a little different. Sites such as Guts.com offer both sports betting as well as a casino (both “live” and traditional), which has adapted to feature elements from popular culture. For example, Guts has slots branded with Bullseye and Game of Thrones, boosting the user experience and separating them from other vendors.
Online Gambling Taking Over
The online gambling market is booming right now and is set to continue to increase with popularity. In 2015, the global online gambling market was worth a whopping 30 billion in value ($37.91 billion) and was predicted to reach $40 billion by 2018 and 47 billion come 2020.
In 2016, 33 percent of all gambling was done online in Great Britain, with online operators generating a gross gambling yield of 4.5 billion. This staggering amount means that online gambling accumulated the highest gross gambling yield of any gambling service in Great Britain, from high-street betting ( 3.3 billion) and traditional casinos ( 1 billion). The popularity of gambling in itself is clear to see, but online gambling taking such a huge chunk of the yield shows how integral the industry’s move to online services was.
The growth of the industry’s online presence has been credited to the ability to adapt and be creative, with Gambling Commission programme director James Green saying: “Our latest statistics show that with the growth in online gambling the industry is increasingly taking a creative approach to using technology to engage consumers.”
Ease of Casinos Spurring Success
When it comes to gambling online, not much can be done to differentiate one vendor’s sports book from another. There will be little differences like offers, odds, and some differing markets, but overall it’s very cut and dry. When it comes to casinos and online gaming, however, websites can be extremely different.
“Casino” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by ianloic
The market has become wildly competitive as so many different vendors offer online gaming opportunities, so the casino has become a hotbed for sites to separate themselves from the crowd. Initially, casinos moved all of their regular in-house favourites onto the online format, such as slot machines, poker, blackjack, roulette, and much more, but then they started to change the games to appeal as a more inviting option.
In came the new variants of classic games along with huge jackpots being available for the taking. But, the best way in which casinos separated themselves from the rest, as well as make the experience more appealing to users, was to incorporate popular culture into their games. For example, slot games in themes of Jurassic Park, Tomb Raider, and Daredevil both appeal to fandom and are very fun; and table games with added features like Monopoly Roulette Tycoon makes the basic game more diverse.
The simplicity of the games has allowed sites and developers to go wild in creating a gigantic range of online gaming, with the online casino floor hosting the variance which separates online betting and gaming vendors.
