The online casino space has experienced dramatic changes over the past decade. Most of the changes, however, took place during the coronavirus pandemic period.

As everyone shifted their focus from the closed brick-and-mortar casinos to casino sites like nitro casino online, operators had to improve their services to deliver a more appealing online gambling experience.

Most of the changes that have occurred in the industry have been influenced by technological innovations. While most have already been adopted, others are still a work in progress. This article seeks to unveil trends set to take the online casino industry by storm in 2020.

Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality (VR, AR & MR)

The online casino industry tends to be very responsive to revolutionary technologies, which is why it responded to the internet, mobile technology, crypto, and now alternative realities.

VR/AR is still a new concept in the gaming world, but it is already having great breakthroughs in other industries. Facebook’s announcements of its intention to create the Metaverse have really pushed the VR/AR narrative.

These technologies, when applied to the online casino world, will serve to deliver a more thrilling and immersive online gambling experience. Some online casinos have already begun offering virtual reality products and services such as 3D avatars, gesture imitation, and live interactions.

The technologies are set to offer a more realistic online casino gaming experience, which is good news for players.

eSports Betting

The eSports market is booming at a rapid rate, with thousands of tournaments and millions of gamers from all over the world. As a digital sport, online casino bookmakers are tapping into the industry’s potential, eyeing betting profits.

eSports betting is a big game-changer for sportsbooks. Since the esports space is highly data-driven, there are more opportunities for accurate betting and in-game wagering. This new form of sports betting is a big trend in 2022.

However, industry experts are a bit skeptical about whether esports betting will continue to gain traction post-pandemic. The niche witnessed great success during the pandemic because people were looking for an alternative to the curtailed traditional forms of sports gambling.

Digital Currencies

Cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum, Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Dogecoin have been receiving great adoption rates within the online casino market. These digital currencies have the potential to replace conventional fiat currencies.

There are numerous online casinos that accept crypto transactions, attracting crypto enthusiasts to their gambling sites. The major appeal offered by cryptocurrencies is essentially anonymity.

Crypto transactions are untraceable or just very hard to trace, making them appealing to online casino players that want to keep their gambling activities hidden from the public eye. This is a great step towards achieving player data protection.

However, the anonymity offered by crypto might hurt the operator’s Know Your Customer (KYC) efforts. Online casino operators are required to collect certain player information to curb corruption and for protection purposes. This obligation stands at odds with crypto’s anonymity.

Micro Betting

For years, sports betting was majorly about the major outcomes. What are the odds of the favorite winning? Which team will win the game? How many goals will be scored in the match? However, this form of betting has been overtaken by events.

Micro bets are gaining more popularity among punters and bookies alike. These wagers are more focused on small in-play occurrences such as the player to score the next goal, who gets a red card, or who takes the next corner kick.

The volume of micro bets keeps growing by the day, especially because there are infinite in-play occurrences to bet on.

Online casino bookmakers rely on artificial intelligence to analyze data and make predictions for micro bet odds. This has the effect of making micro bets more expensive.

Wearable Technologies

Smartwatches have been gaining more popularity for various reasons among them messaging, fitness tracking, and mobile gaming. As wearable technology and Artificial Intelligence advance, smartwatches are becoming more powerful too.

It is, therefore, not surprising that these mobile devices are receiving adoption in the online gaming and gambling industry. Top casino software providers like Playtech are already offering slots apps specifically designed for use over Apple watches.

Wearables are advantageous for operators because being closer to the user than a smartphone, players are more likely to play due to the high awareness. The modern smartwatch designs make mobile gaming more appealing.

Enhanced Visual Experience

When it comes to online casino gaming, the visual experience will have an impact on the overall experience. Operators understand this, which is why they have been working with top-rated graphics developers to deliver the most appealing visual online casino gaming experience.

The demand for modern cutting-edge graphics and real-life-like virtual gaming keeps growing, especially as more young people move to the online casino market.

Operators are already working on incorporating a live element to the gaming experience through the use of innovations such as live streaming and virtual reality.

Mobile Gaming & Betting

Today, a majority of internet users use their mobile phones to browse. This essentially means that they will still use their phone to access online casinos. For this reason, operators must ensure that their sites are mobile compatible to accommodate mobile users.

Punters have also developed a liking for mobile betting, and this has led to significant growth in the online gambling market. Today, it is believed that mobile gambling is already dominating other forms of gambling globally.

Mobile gambling has also made it easy for social gambling to find its breakthrough as it’s now possible for friends and family to play and gamble on their favorite casino games using their mobile devices.

The use of mobile devices for casino gaming and gambling has made it possible for operators to reach a new audience of players who would have never visited traditional casinos. It is expected that online casinos will continue working on improving their mobile gambling services.

Conclusion

It is evidently clear that the online casino industry is changing how it has been conducting business in the past by adopting more innovative solutions. These innovations are bringing revolutionary transformation to the market. It is important that you keep up with these trends to enhance your virtual gambling experience.