The Rise of Online Casinos: Exploring the Global Trends

As an ever larger part of the world’s population gains access to the internet, more and more people discover online gambling. It’s becoming an ever more popular pastime for players around the world. When technology evolves, the online gambling experience evolves with it. In this article, we’ll be taking a close look at the rise of online casinos, and explore the global trends.

Technological Advancements In the Gambling Industry

The technological advancements in the last 25 years have been tremendous. Not only can we now gamble online, but how we play and what kinds of games we have available have changed drastically.

Online casinos have been available for almost 30 years. But it’s only in the last 10-15 years they have become truly popular. If you gambled online in 2013, took a break, and came back to online gambling now in 2023, you’d hardly recognize the product. Back then, an average good casino had about 500 games to choose from, whereas now they can offer close to 10,000 games. Also keep in mind that RNG blackjack, roulette, and fairly simple pokie games were the top games back then.

Nowadays, we play table games streamed from game studios with live dealers and we play intricate video slots. Crash games, virtual sports betting, scratch cards, jackpot games, and more or less all games you can think of can be played online. With more than 150 game providers developing online games, the choices we get expand weekly. Actually, on average, between 30 and 40 new online casino games are released to the internet every week.

The big push within the gambling industry right now is the social aspects, This is the only thing technology has so far not quite solved for online casinos. If you want social interactions while gambling, you’ll have to gamble at a land–based casino. But, things are about to change. The new hot game types we’re expecting now are multiplayer games. One game streamer will play, and you can buy into his or her bets. That way, you win and lose as a community. This is expected to be the new hot online gambling industry trend in the years to come.

Regions Where the Online Gambling Industry Is Growing

In 2023, the growing markets for the iGaming industry are many. For several years now, the eyes of the industry have been turned towards the US. More and more US states have legalized online casinos, and more are expected to do so. Not least are even more states legalizing online betting. The North American sports betting and casino markets are expected to be the fastest growing, and overall largest, markets in the world.

Then, there is also a lot of untapped potential in South America and Asia. These are continents where more and more people get access to the internet by the day. The same goes for Africa.

What dictates where the eyes of the gambling industry are focused has a lot to do with regulations. More and more countries are regulating online casinos, either opening or closing the door to the market. A market that’s closing means an advantage for unlicensed crypto casinos. A market that’s opening means an advantage for licensed and reputable operators. And no matter which camps the casinos are in, being among the first ones through the door is always a race.

Online Gambling – By Device

Back in the day when online casinos were a new product they had to be downloaded. You had to play from a desktop or laptop and download the software to your computer. Then, instant play through your browser became possible, but the games required Flash in order to function. This also limited the play to computers.

The mobile revolution with smartphones and apps opened a new vertical for online casinos. Players could download an app and get access to some games and most services. Luckily, technology has evolved further, and now in 2023, most players use their smartphones to play – directly through their web browsers.

In fact, all modern online casino websites are mobile friendy, enabling you to play on any device. The only thing you need is a web browser and an internet connection.

Popularity of Online Casinos – Why People Enjoy Online Gambling

People have gambled throughout the history of time. It’s exciting, simple, and brings enjoyment – at least to the winner. It’s human nature to gamble, although not all gambling is for money. “I bet you that…” is a phrase even children use.

What has changed throughout the years is what we gamble on, and how we gamble. For example, the game of Keno funded a large part of the building of the Great Wall of China. Government employees walked throughout the country selling Keno tickets. Proceeds went to the construction of one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Keno is still a popular game, but as casino games entered the scene we saw a switch to games like craps, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and poker. Games we now think of as classic casino games. Land-based casinos have offered these games for more than a century.

Classic casino games are still popular, but even more so are slot and pokie machines. Not least have slots become the number one game to gamble on online, with the rise of online casinos. Some of the largest online casinos in the world have close to 10 000 online pokie machines. These are fast, immersive, exciting, and adrenaline-filled games, jam-packed with bonus features.

And this is exactly why the popularity of online casinos is on the rise. It’s easy and exciting to play, you can win massive amounts of money, and you can do it from the comfort of your own home.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Online Gambling

There are pros and cons to everything in life, and this includes online gambling. Some obvious advantages are that you have a large selection of games, you can claim bonuses and other promotions, and you can play from home or wherever you are.

Disadvantages are mainly the social aspects, as playing online is something you usually do alone. Even if you play live casino games the social interactions are not like what you get at land-based casinos. And, it can be a bit too easy to spend more time gambling online than what you had initially planned.

Overall, though, gambling online has the most advantages compared to brick-and-mortar gambling. Gambling online is simply a much easier way to go for most people around the world, including Aussies. And this is exactly why the global trend is that online casinos are on the rise.