Online gambling has great potential. It is predicted that this direction will become the main direction of the entire gambling industry. According to analytical data, at the end of 2021, the sector of online sports betting provided the industry with the largest profit, about $29.9 billion. This is because of the increased interest in sports events after a slight lull during the pandemic, successful advertising campaigns involving famous athletes, the betting legalization in many prestigious countries with high incomes among the population (for example, in the USA and New Zealand). The second most profitable iGaming sector is online casinos. Online slots and live games generated about $25 billion in 2021, accounting for 33.6% of the total industry capitalization. And in 2022, this online market will continue to grow.
Trends in 2022
The key incentives for the online gambling development are investments in IT, the gambling legalization in promising jurisdictions, and successful entertainment advertising. Let’s pay attention to the main trends that are expected in 2022:
- Opening of new GEOs and products. In 2021, many countries have legalized online gambling. Local governments appreciated the profitability of this industry and established transparent rules for interaction between participants.
- Cryptocurrencies are successfully used as payment methods in various areas, including online gaming. It’s convenient and safe. More and more online casinos are expected to start accepting cryptocurrencies this year.
- Growing popularity of eSports betting. The success of any sport primarily depends on its financial success. Thanks to investments and advertising revenue, the esports industry is now successful like never before. Big brands sponsor teams. The tournaments prize pools are huge, and some athletes’ salaries sometimes exceed the ones of football players. This industry is still young and has huge growth potential, which attracts more and more bettors.
- Virtual reality is making huge strides in many areas, including the online gambling sector. Some games and casinos have already been set up to allow players to use VR headsets to participate in games.
These trends are most pronounced and will continue to dominate in the coming years.
GEOs that are gaining popularity
Large investments are pouring into online gambling and it brings impressive profits. Therefore in many countries, legislation regarding the online gambling regulation is beginning to change. This opens up new GEOs for the gambling business. For example, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Nigeria and other African countries are becoming popular. The markets of Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia are also gaining momentum. And despite the fact that the gambling business in these countries is only at the beginning, everything is carefully regulated: from game design to the specifics of customer interaction with online platforms, competent restrictions are being introduced regarding sponsorship and advertising of gambling entertainment.
More trendy live games
Live online casinos serve as a kind of replacement for land-based gambling halls. Players can watch the croupier actions in real time, interact with other visitors, and receive a decent reward for playing.
The best live casinos offer a huge selection of software providers with well-thought-out solutions for all players’ categories – both highrollers and lowrollers. And, of course, users appreciate the wide range of live casino games bonuses.
Artificial intelligence
Now people is quite successfully using AI in various areas of life and activity, often without even thinking about it. This is already a common reality. Machine learning algorithms in gambling are used to create chatbots – smart assistants that play on behalf of the platform and solve several technical problems, as well as collecting and analyzing information about user preferences. AI makes casino sites more convenient and safer.
