by Robert Gunn
At first, it was just online poker, a glorified version of the solitaire game that comes with Windows. Then it became multiplayer, so you could chat and be more interactive just like at a real casino. Gradually, more and more games were added, making online gambling a more varied experience. Today, online casinos including casino Malaysia and others are a big time business making more money than Disney.
The only way to keep on top of the game (no pun intended) is to keep evolving, keep moving, and above all to give the customer everything they want to keep them coming back. There are several recent leaps in technology that make this possible. Let’s look at a few of the big trends coming to online gaming in 2018 and the years to come.
Virtual Reality
It’s here! They’ve been talking about this since the nineties, but virtual reality has never really become actual until now. Many operators introduced it into their systems and have been thoroughly satisfied with the results. VR devices are very popular now. The kits have become more affordable and are compatible with just about any electronic device. As the cost of this technology decreases the consumer demand is going way up. The VR system offers new possibilities both to gamers and casino operators.
Virtual reality now gives online gamers that thrill of immersion that up until now has only been the dream. Some people might think that virtual reality is only an attraction in action-packed role playing games. But they can have a place in casino style games too! Virtual reality can replicate the feel of being in an actual casino. Use your imagination and you can see some possibilities. With the right designer, a VR game could replicate a casino from any time and any place.
Ever wanted to go to a Monte Carlo casino but not in the mood to deal with customs, jet lag and surly TSA agents? Ever wondered what it would be like to mosey into an Old West saloon and try your luck? Fantasy role playing is a popular online genre, so virtual casinos with this theme are sure to take off. Film buffs might like to explore fictional casinos depicted in everything from James Bond to Star Wars. Virtual reality can open that experience.
Live Gaming
The hottest thing on YouTube right now are Let’s Plays. The player records themselves playing a game and talking about it, adding some colour commentary. The funnier, more animated, more interactive a player is, the more viewers they get. The more viewers they get, the more revenue. And then there’s a little something offered by the gaming platform Twitch, where the player can stream live footage of themselves playing a game so people from all over the world can watch. Nothing gets a game more attention than a popular net personality playing the game live and giving their witty commentary. Even if it turns out the gamer doesn’t care for the game, just remember that there’s no such thing as bad publicity.
In casino style games, the new, big thing is live dealers. Sure, you could have a computerised algorithm handing out random cards, but where’s the fun in that? Playing in real time against real people makes a virtual gaming experience feel less artificial. People want a dealer they can joke with, argue with and have a real human connection with. To really bring them in, a casino owner can advertise a high stakes match that will only be open for a limited time. If the casino can schedule a celebrity appearance (yes, internet celebrities count) that’s sure to bring in the revenue.
Skill Based Games
Let’s face facts. Games based entirely on luck can get really boring after a while. People like games that they feel they have more control over, something that can challenge their mind and not simply the whims of fate. Not only are games of chance tiresome, they are often stacked in the house’s favour. While a casino doesn’t want players who win too often, they don’t want players who decide the game isn’t worth the effort to play! The way of the future for online casinos is to offer challenging, exciting games. After all, money that you got from being clever just feels sweeter than money you got through sheer dumb luck.
Keno, the slots and Bingo might be on their way out along with Roulette. Poker, however, is here to stay as are most card games such as blackjack and Texas Hold ‘Em. While many card games require luck of the draw, there’s also some skill involved. Baccarat is a sophisticated game of skill that could draw in the high brow crowd. Games where you match three or more in a row are surging in popularity. The newest game trend right now is Pai Gow, an exotic game from China that combines poker with dominoes. Players don’t want to be at the mercy of statistics, they want to make the statistics play in their favour.
Gamification
The biggest draw to casino gaming is the potential to win that big score. There’s already a market of players for traditional digital games such as chess, go and fantasy based games to capitalise on. The new trend of gamification means providing the players with more challenges in the form of new missions, bonuses, rewards and competitions. Get the player involved in the game and they’ll keep coming back for more.
This trend began last year and it has proven to be a qualified success. Ever since those arcade games from way back in the early eighties, people have loved seeing their name at the top of a leaderboard. That desire isn’t going away any time soon. The new trend is immersing the player, making it feel like it’s really them playing and not just some buttons being pressed.
Entertaining Content
People don’t just go to casinos to gamble. Casinos also have music venues and movie theatres. The hotel/casinos of Las Vegas are renowned for their music and magic just as much as the gambling and budget buffets. Granted, it’s near impossible to replicate a dining experience online. (Mountain Dew, the official drink of online gamers!) But the savvy casino runner can provide more than just games on their site. Music videos and sneak previews of popular movies and television shows are good ways to bring in revenue. People like to see interesting graphics and animation. Bring on the dancing girls! Heck, bring on the dancing boys!
Slots are starting to drop in popularity, but interest in them can be piqued again if the player can watch a fascinating story play out in between the gaming sessions. A valuable item an online casino can put up for grabs is a code to see exclusive content such as the first to see a trailer for a popular movie series or live screening of a concert by a popular musician or a stand up act from a popular comedian. Just like the entertainer from the old vaudeville song, if you know what pleases the folks you’ll be the star of the show.
Custom Slots
Here’s an innovative way to get gamers’ lagging interests in the slots to increase. If operators want to stay competitive in the gaming industry, the development of custom slots is the way to go. The way to get players interested in the slots again is the unique and unusual. Give them options, different methods of functionality. Give the people something they can’t get anywhere else. Increasing brand loyalty and engaging new customers while retaining the old is a number one business strategy. A custom slot can provide the player with various special offers unavailable elsewhere.
Why settle for dull, done to death symbols like fruits, cards and dice? Don’t get accused of cultural appropriation by using Egyptian or Chinese iconography. Get creative! Come up with your own characters and symbols! Use your own colours and logo. The operator of such a game has the ability to change the RTP, volatility and number of winning lines along with other technical characteristics. It’s also the perfect advertisement platform for upcoming events.
Cryptocurrencies
No doubt you’ve heard that Bitcoin is on its way out. As of this writing, financial watchdogs are calling for tighter exchange regulations worldwide. That is all true, but Ripple, Monero, Dogecoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Z-Cash have all gained traction. Such cryptocurrancies are becoming the most in demand payment means in the sphere of online gambling. This is all due to the various advantages of cryptocurrancy such as anonymity, minimum fees convenience, and absence of prohibitions. Cryptocurrency has developed a bit of an infamous reputation as being the method of payment on the Dark Web, but it has advantages in the ordinary world of online gambling.
The greatest boon cryptocurrency has to the world of online gaming is annihilation of slow cashout. No one likes waiting an eternity for the money that is their due. Unfortunately, many casinos drag their feet about payment processing. Digital currency means winnings can be withdrawn almost instantaneously. Most credit cards take three to five days to clear. A bank transfer can take a whole week! Cryptocurrency has everything done in a matter of minutes.
Messengers
A good way to constantly attract players is to offer new options of mobile Internet. Once upon a time, telephone communication tools and social networks were number one in any kind of business. It’s a whole different ball game now. The leading position now belongs to the convenient messengers. Get them, learn them, keep them and you’ll be the one on top of everything.
Let’s take a good look at our friend Slotegrator for an example. They noticed this trend, jumped on it and created their own Telegram-casino. Today, they have more than 400 Microgaming games and are partnering up with Playson. The best way to allow users the convenience of gambling on their smartphones is to integrate the gaming platform in the messenger. People these days want an app for everything, including gambling.
Big Data
Two words that will change your life: Big Data. Big Data technology is the number one trend of the year 2018. No one in the gaming industry should be without this kind of technology. It provides the storage and collection of an enormous quantity of information. If you want to adapt your games to the needs and wants of your target audience, Big Data can help provide the most effective methods of doing so.
With Big Data analytics and a little business acumen, casinos can assess what players want and give it to them. The data never lies. Once the data is analysed you can make decisions on what your next course of action should be. Be forewarned; the government puts intense scrutiny on the collection of data, so make sure you’re on the up and up while amassing such data.
Mergers And Acquisitions
Casinos are a business just like any other and that means mergers and acquisitions just like any successful business eventually does. The above mentioned merger of Playson and Slotegrator is a perfect example. By 2020, experts forecast that the gambling market will continue developing until its volume exceeds $60 billion. Thusly, gambling companies will begin evolving and continually adding to the capital already accumulated in 2018.
What have we learned today? We learned that online casinos need to stay with the current trends in order to bring the players in. This means a blend of tech savvy and an air of the old fashioned charm of brick-and-mortar casinos. The players want variety, challenges, bonuses and the bigger the payout percentages the better. Everyone has a smartphone now, which is the quickest and easiest way to get to the internet.
For an online casino to stay afloat, they have to offer the player something they can’t get anywhere else. This could mean flashy graphics, entertaining games and exclusive offers. The only way to find out what the players want is to get that data and sort it out. Make things easier for them, and they’ll make things easier for you.
IMAGE: PIXABAY