The Effects of the 2020 Pandemic is the Mainstreaming of iGaming in 2021: Here's Why
Published April 10, 2021 by Lee R
From lifeline to top industry standards, 2021 certainly appears the year of iGaming.
It is abundantly clear at this point that the pandemic shutdowns channeled many land-based or non-players to iGaming adaptively.
Increase in iGaming 2020
According to European Business review, the year 2020 saw an increase in the global online market from some $58.96 billion in 2019 to $66.7 billion.
New Entrants
The bulging market is enticing more entry, starting with land-based operators.
Land-based operators are now adapting their operations to iGaming just to maintain revenue, in an environment where a physical casino can be shut down at any moment, when a rise in cases is detected in the operating region.
Increasing Investment Focus
Add to this former boutique sites such as Winny now investing more directly in iGaming for revenue, and you have two built-in competitive fields incoming at full force to the iGaming industry.
Rise of Mobile Gaming
Since mobile gadgets are accessible from anywhere, betting operators have begun investing heavily in mobile gambling apps that increase convenience and accessibility to iGaming.
Benefits of Mobile Play
Fast processing speeds; extended storage; high-end graphics and affordable prices are all features being pursued and embedded in mobile gambling apps by the new plethora of iGaming market entrants who are making their websites more mobile friendly in kind.
Betting Revenue Improves
Industry analytics provider AppAnnie reports that 70% of 2020's betting revenue tally will be from mobile gambling, with continued improvement projected for 2021.
Technological Enhancements and Benefits
Continued improvement in 2021 is expected through gambling experience enhancements including increasingly advanced features facilitated by Artificial Intelligence AI, which will personalize player betting experience with features such as user preference analysis; customise pages; provide interactive chat-bots to guide the user through the gaming experience; and lock out encroachers.
More Interactivity and Engagement
Virtual Reality VR will also drive mobile gaming revenue in 2021 with more realistic and immersive experiences faithful to the themes of the games.
Social gambling, blockchain-based gambling and telegram casinos also set to increase iGaming interactivity during the course of the year.
Outlook
The transformation of iGaming from novelty to industry lifeline in 2021 should be followed with a normalisation process where iGaming becomes the gambling industry standard as new entrants seek footholds while existing land-based entities continue to shift to iGaming and maintain the benefits revealed in adaptive 2020.
