3 Trends to Shape the Future of Online Gaming

Since the earliest days of online poker right through to the present day, iGaming has always been at the forefront of technological advances.

07:00 17 June 2022

Since the earliest days of online poker right through to the present day, iGaming has always been at the forefront of technological advances. 

 

From the development of random number generators to ensure fair gaming in the slots industry to the use of interactive technology in live dealer casinos, gambling operators and iGaming software developers have continued to push the boundaries of what is possible. 

 

While those developments of the past are no doubt impressive, the trends below look set to drive the industry even further beyond its current limitations. 

 

The Metaverse

Whether we like it or not, the metaverse is here to stay. And while VR has already been used to some extent in the iGaming industry, that’s nothing compared to what casino gaming could be like in the metaverse further down the line. Imagine a fully immersive experience where virtual casinos have multiple poker rooms and a main casino floor where you can move from table to table or onto the slot machines just as you would in a traditional casino. 

 

With practically every company of note in Silicon Valley working on their own metaverse projects, it’s unclear as to how all of this will come together. However, there will certainly be some form of zoning restrictions introduced that will give each company its own space in the metaverse. It’s entirely possible that at some point in the not too distant future gambling companies will fill the virtual real estate in dedicated gaming districts with casinos. While a virtual city to rival Vegas may be some way off, iGaming companies will certainly work towards the development of their own smaller projects over the coming months and years. 

 

Cryptocurrency 

Cryptocurrency is making its way into just about every industry of late, but it’s the iGaming industry and the online casino industry in particular that looks set to truly embrace it. Strangely enough, it’s not the major industry heavyweights that are leading the crypto iGaming drive, but instead, the less heralded names. 

 

These ‘smaller’ online casinos have been quick to understand the significant advantages of using cryptocurrencies as a payment method. They also understand that these benefits are precisely what the average gambler has been looking for in an online casino for quite some time — faster deposits and withdrawals, heightened security, and anonymity. 

 

Now that the waters have been well and truly tested and it’s clear that gamblers are willing to embrace cryptocurrencies, it’s only a matter of time before major gambling operators jump on the bandwagon. In fact, some have already made moves in this direction by allowing deposits through neteller which allows crypto deposits. 

 

Twitch Streaming

Live streaming is nothing new in iGaming but there’s no doubt that it has exploded in popularity in recent years. And that is all down to a not-so-small streaming platform called Twitch. The Amazon-owned platform has become the unofficial online home of the iGaming community with online poker being one of the most popular iGaming categories. Online poker players that had originally arrived on the platform to share their screens and brag about their wins have now become brand ambassadors for some of the industry’s leading online poker providers. 

 

But it’s not just poker. Online slots is a surprisingly popular iGaming category on the platform with regular streamers attracting huge audiences as they share their gameplay and their big wins. 

 

Twitch and its chat-room format has proven to be such a success that other platforms such as YouTube have overhauled their own streaming features to remain competitive. And while Twitch is currently generating a lot of revenue for both affiliate marketers and iGaming companies, there’s a push to limit the promotion of gambling on the platform that could see this brought to an abrupt end. However, this has already seen some iGaming companies emulate the successful chat-room format in their live dealer online casino rooms. The ability to interact with dealers and other players (before we head to the metaverse) helps to create a truly immersive experience that will be hard to beat.