If you want to be a tipster at BettingKingdom, you need to be able to identify trends. Here, we’ll be exploring the upcoming trends in another sector of the iGaming industry, online casino. Many great technological advances are already starting to take root, with many more on the way in 2020 in the UK, including the new super fast, super reliable 5G. Once developers have come to terms with the new technology and embraced it, there could be a wave of incredible gaming experiences. There have also been revolutions in gaming around the world, which could impact the online casino industry in the near future.
Just as the community of tipsters here at BettingKingdom covers many different sports, the trends set to sweep across the online casino industry cover many different aspects of it. With 2020 set to be a very exciting year that introduces potentially life-changing technology, we’re excited to see these online casino trends take hold next year and beyond.
1. 5G could give rise to live VR casino gaming
As it stands, the most immersive and land-based casino-like experience online is that of live casino gaming. Through the use of live streaming technology, players online are able to play the likes of blackjack, poker, and roulette alongside fellow players and with a real dealer in real time. It’s been quite the revolution, even making its way to mobile in some instances, but when 5G sweeps over the UK and other nations in 2020, live casino gaming could take another step forward with the power of the fifth-generation network heavily suspected to have a big impact on the virtual reality industry, as detailed by Forbes.
To unlock the full potential of VR, 5G is needed as the technology requires a more consistent network with lower latency and that is cheaper to use than what is currently in supply. Developers are already testing the power of 5G on technologies like VR, with the Bangkok Post citing M1 and Huawei’s exciting new VR applications being too bandwidth-intensive and delay-sensitive for pre-5G networks. Once 5G becomes widespread, the immense competition in the iGaming industry will force developers into exploring the potential of virtual reality live casino gaming to deliver the ultimate table gaming experience.
2. Further expansion of the pop-culture trend in iGaming
While they started with live versions of common casino games like blackjack and poker, Evolution Gaming took the industry by storm with their wheel-spinning live game Dream Catcher, which was heavily influenced by old game shows. Even more old TV show-type games may be on the way after Dream Catcher’s success as states in the USA become more accustomed to online casino gaming. As shown by ICLG, New Jersey legalized sports betting in 2018 and online gaming in 2013. With more of the USA joining the online gambling community, developers like Evolution Gaming may be more inclined to recreate favorite game shows as live casino games.
Easily the most popular form of gaming at online casinos is slot gaming because, even though the game mechanics don’t change too much from title to title, they boast a tremendous range of real-world themes. Creating games in the themes of iconic pieces of pop-culture will always prove to be successful online, as shown by the Game of Thrones and Jurassic Park slots consistently being among the top-played games at Betway Casino. Expect even more major franchises to get their own slot game to continue this trend for years to come, with the likes of Universal’s Dark Universe or Warner Bros. Monsterverse looking to have the makings of potentially incredibly popular slots, or even themed table games such as roulette.
3. Adoption of cryptocurrency in mainstream online casinos
Even though nearly everyone knows what cryptocurrency, or at least Bitcoin, is after the price surge at the end of 2017, the adoption of the potentially revolutionary currencies has been rather slow in the UK. It’s still a relatively new and quite complicated concept, but with enough sample data from across the world, cryptocurrency could become a go-to transaction method in the future. Elsewhere, cryptocurrency is being used by governments and major companies, so it may only be a matter of time before it is incorporated as a transaction method at UK online casinos.
As shown by Medium, Japan’s largest online retailer, Rakuten, recently began to include a cryptocurrency exchange, with their app set to support native cryptocurrency transactions. With $1.3 billion in earnings last year, it won’t be long before companies further west being to utilize Rakuten’s practices. Over in South America, where the Copa America is tipped to see Brazil triumph, governments are being urged to turn to cryptocurrencies as an economic lifeline, with Venezuela and Argentina often cited as important markets for cryptos.
In 2020 and beyond, expect the online casino industry to make moves to deliver a more immersive casino gaming experience by utilizing 5G, continue to deliver games in the theme of pop-culture icons, and potentially adopt cryptocurrency as a common transaction method.
