It is no secret that online casinos have been on the rise in recent years.
In fact, the industry has seen a boom in popularity, with more and more people flocking to casino websites and apps to get their gaming fix. Online gambling has exploded in popularity over the last decade; it led to the demise of many bricks and mortar high street casinos and became a multibillion-dollar industry with new websites arriving daily, eager to share in the wealth. So just what caused this unprecedented growth and attraction?
But what is behind this surge in popularity? There are a few factors that have contributed to the growing popularity of online casinos. Naturally, this article will look at some of the most poignant and explain why these have had an impact on their growth.
1. Technology Advanced
One of the reasons that casinos online have attracted a new generation of players is partly down to the advancements that have been made with technology. To replicate the games found in casinos, CGI was used initially, and although this has come a long way, it was never going to be as good as the real thing.
The advent of live casinos and progress with virtual reality was a game-changing moment. Players can now play with a real croupier on a live video feed or, with the addition of extra hardware, walk virtually into a casino as if it were real.
2. Accessibility
For one thing, the accessibility of online gambling has increased tremendously in recent years. With the advent of smartphones and other mobile devices, it is now easier than ever to gamble on the go. You can play your favorite casino games anytime, anywhere – all you need is an internet connection.
Access to the internet has also become more widespread and affordable, which means more people than ever before have the ability to gamble online and play their favorites at casumo.com.
Couple that with the rise of social media, online casinos have been able to reach a larger audience and promote their offerings to a wider range of potential customers.
3. Mobile Phones Got Smart
Mobile phones have also benefited from advancements in technology. Instead of being a device we use just for making calls, we can shop, watch television, stream music, and access the internet. Playing at an online casino can now be easily achieved at any time, anywhere, with gamers just needing access to Wi-Fi or 4G/5G.
Casinos seized the opportunity to optimize all of their games for mobile play by offering dedicated apps that make the playing experience first-rate and highly attractive to users. This means players can access their favorite games on a train commute, at a coffee shop, or just sitting at home watching television. This makes the instant gratification generation happy as this is how they like to live their lives.
4. The Global Pandemic
While the growth of online casinos was already evident before 2019, there is no denying that the pandemic also created a stream of new signups. Suddenly people were forced to stay at home and wanted new ways to occupy their time.
Gaming in all sectors became a great way to spend the seemingly endless restricted days that so many people were all experiencing. Millennials are coming of age, and they were the generation that grew up playing video games.
They were also the first mobile gaming users and see their phones as an extension of themselves. So it is a natural step for them to look for other gaming outlets that they were previously unable to access due to age restrictions.
5. Bonuses and Promotions
Additionally, online casinos often offer generous bonuses and promotions, which can attract new players and keep existing ones coming back for more. Whether it is a welcome bonus, free spins, or other perks, these incentives have gone a long way toward making an online casino more appealing.
6. Number of games to choose from
Another factor that has spurred the growth of online casinos is the increasing number of choices that players have. In the past, there were only a handful of reputable online casinos to choose from. But nowadays, there are hundreds of different casino websites and apps to choose from. This gives players a much wider range of options when it comes to finding a place to gamble.
7. Changing attitudes
Finally, the rise in popularity of online casinos can also be attributed to the increasing number of people who are comfortable with gambling online and the changing attitudes being experienced around the world.
In the past, there was a stigma attached to online gambling. But as more and more people have gotten involved with it, that stigma has faded away. Today, online gambling is seen as a perfectly acceptable way to gamble – and this has helped boost the popularity of online casinos even further.
Furthermore, legalization and the relaxation of laws that had previously prohibited gambling have started to be experienced in various countries around the world over the last decade, which has only helped the online casino industry to grow and thrive recently.
For instance, the biggest changes are currently being experienced in North America, with the U.S. and even Canada to some extent deciding to permit wagering activities within the states and provinces located in their respective country and allowing them to be governed in that particular level, rather than at the federal level.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the factors that have contributed to the growing popularity of online casinos, although it is rather easy to see why they have had the significant influences that they have had on the overall iGaming industry.
Of course, whilst the rise in online casinos has been meteoric over the last decade, it would not be a surprise if we were to continue to see the industry continue to evolve even further over the next decade, especially if technology continues to evolve at the rapid pace it continues to do so, whilst new trends such as cryptocurrency gambling and newer game innovations continue to appear.
