2017 Shaping up to Be a Magical Year of Promises for IGaming
Published January 6, 2017 by Lee R
VR, eSports, and DFS will offer a vast array of new products and strategy.
Online gambling will only grow in 2017.
Diverse Drivers
Drivers include ongoing increases in mobile usage; expanded patronage participation from new and emerging large demographic segments; further adaptation of regulation models and global legislation; greater inclusion of the affiliate market; and more strategic mergers and acquisitions.
The Female Segment
With the female gambling population accounting for 40% in the US and 49% in the UK in 2016, look for more iGaming ad campaigns in 2017 to reach out to women with personalized aspects appealing to the fairer race, starting with ladies online casinos Pink Casino, Maria Casino, and 888Ladies.
Reaching the Youth
Look for engagement of the younger demographic through increases in social media marketing and iGaming site features.
Millennial Appeal
Engaging millennials of all ages will increase iGaming site information and enhance entertainment.
New Betting
New paradigms for wagering will emerge from the unique skill set required for Daily Fantasy Sports DFS betting. Punter success will rely more on effective meshing of individual performances than final scores or results achieved by existing teams.
Affiliate Mergers
Larger mergers should take place, increasingly integrating deals with the affiliate sector which generates iGaming leads for operators, taking after Catena’s $15 million 2016 entry into the US market via acquisition of three sets of licensed affiliate website assets.
The Rise of Cryptocurrency
We can also expect more Bitcoin casinos to pop up as Bitcoin values rise. The first day of trading for 2017 saw Bitcoin's worth top $1,000. A decent jump could push Bitcoin past its November 2013 record high of $1,165 by Q1.
Driving Bitcoin
China is leading the charge by investing in it, with the US and Europe accepting it more and more as a transaction tool.
The VR Revolution
Look for global mainstreaming of mind-blowing Virtual Reality VR products at long last, with China also leading the VR revolution by hosting a series of inaugural VR conferences in 2017.
Dedicated eSports Betsites
Look for eSports to grow as well. With dedicated eSports sections appearing in most all sportsbooks in 2016, 2017 should see more iGaming movers and shaker investment follow the lead of premiere betting parlour Betway in creating individually branded exclusive eSports betting sites.
Affiliate Licensing
Look for more national affiliate licensing programs, after Romania adopted the first affiliate Class 2 licensing system.
New European Markets
Look for Netherlands to pass regulation this year after a final Parliamentary vote, with Germany closing on a final bill draft in 2017, with all 16 states set to meet for the purpose of establishing a consensus licensing criteria.
Mending Unfenced
Look for more countries to follow the 2016 examples of UK and other major European markets in letting their poker players compete internationally to increase winnings and jackpot payouts.
2017 Realpolitik Question
The real coin toss is Realpolitik: can President-Elect Trump’s translate his dissatisfaction with current sports betting laws into legislation of a practical regulation model for the $240 billion US market?
Transformative Offshore Restrictions
Finally, in light of Australia’s stiff penalty against offshore casinos driving out operators in 2017, look for a scale-down of prohibitions against offshore operators in emerging 2017 licensing models. In order to harness sustainable benefits from a regulated market, governments will seek to bring existing offshore operators serving their citizens into the fold more equitably.
Follow the Surprises
More revolutionary iGaming changes are sure to pop up in 2017 that we cannot yet fathom: stay tuned to Online Casino Reports for updates as they happen.
