How 5G will Boost Online Gaming and Gambling

The rollout of 5G mobile technology is gathering pace in the US and is expected to be accessible by half of the country by the end of 2020.

10:11 30 October 2020

The arrival of ultrafast, lower latency and higher bandwidth services is set to have a profound impact on the online gaming and gambling industry in particular.

 

A study by Paysafe found that 42% of sports punters expect their betting activity to increase when they connect to 5G. A further 22% will also bet on more sports as a consequence as they will be more comfortable playing in online environments where there is less of a risk of Wi-Fi dropouts and slow connectivity that can hinder in-play bets.

 

The benefits of 5G

 

Intel believes that 5G is already “changing the face of connectivity.” There is good reason to believe that these superior networks will continue to have a transformative impact on how people live, work and more importantly for gamers, play across a range of devices both at home and on the move.

 

5G is a step change in the quality of mobile tech. While 4G was capable of supporting online experiences, 5G will take things to the next level by increasing speeds, reducing latency, enhancing capacity and increasing bandwidth.

 

Better speeds are one of the headline advancements and are expected to be up to 100 times faster with max connections of 10Gps, while latencies could be reduced to just 10 milliseconds. There is also the capacity to support a vast increase in connected devices without a performance hit, especially in areas where there are a large number of people using cellular networks, such as at a football stadium.

 

This is one area that punters betting on sports are excited to explore. Almost half of people who bet at least once a week say that the ability to access online casinos, sportsbooks and in-play markets while attending a match at a sports arena is important to them.

 

A similar number are eager to place these bets while at a large sporting event, such as the Super Bowl. 5G could therefore create a new type of betting experience where punters regularly access stats and place bets during games.

 

Improved online experiences

 

In addition to supporting new betting habits, the arrival of 5G will also improve the general quality of online gaming experiences. Punters navigating to online gambling NY platforms will be able to deposit funds via banking methods such as PayPal, Skrill, ACH and debit and credit cards within a faster and more secure environment. Improved transactions will make it easier for players to focus on their bets.

 

Paysafe chief business development officer Daniel Kornitzer believes that higher-quality networks could be a key growth driver for mobile betting. He notes: “5G offers a lot of growth opportunities for operators of mobile betting platforms as it gives better searching, faster transactions and improved in-play functionality.”

 

Kornitzer added that “being able to place bets safely, anytime, anywhere” is of paramount importance to online gamblers and that 5G will make this a reality. This is likely to lead to increased traffic on online casinos and sportsbooks as more people begin to recognize how simple and secure gaming can be on mobile.

 

5G could also empower developers to create online gaming experiences that support more players. Because the bandwidth constraints of 4G will soon be in the past, large-scale multiplayer games can be hosted with greater ease.

 

A study by broadband provider Hyperoptic found that 44% of adults believe that internet lag is the most annoying aspect of online gaming. 5G could do what fiber connections have for broadband by eliminating many of the annoyances that prevent gamers from fully enjoying the time they spend on mobile devices.

 

Mobile-first gaming

 

For online casinos, 5G will lead to a greater emphasis on the mobile experience. There are already dedicated casino apps that are tailored for smartphones, and 5G is expected to bring the experience up to par or even beyond the offerings on desktop browsers.

 

As 5G continues to roll out in the US, both developers and gamers will begin to understand more of the benefits that the cutting-edge tech could support, which is likely to lead to even more advancements in the future.

 

Intel has already predicted that “the additional network capacity of 5G will impact nearly everyone”, and it is expected to support new experiences such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality, all of which could be central to online gaming in the future.