With the new year now well and truly in motion, we decided to muse over the prospects that 2017 had for the online casino iGaming market. It’s been apparent for a while now that mobile casino play will continue to increase, eating into the market share that was once dominated solely by laptop/desktop gamers.
But what are some of the other online gaming trends set to happen in 2017 that have been overlooked? CasinoDailyNews investigates.
Mobile Casino Will Change Casino Content
With the influx of gamers now choosing to use their free spins on their iPhone/iPad or Android smartphones or tablets, this is expected to change the very way that casinos create content. Sure, we’ve gone from predominantly dedicated apps to now mostly optimised mobile websites, but is the push towards mobile set to unearth even bigger changes?
Certain analysts have suggested that mobile-only promotions and special welcome bonuses may become the norm, while marketing strategies will also need to be updated to fit the new profile of players who access their favourite games on-the-go.
Female Gamers Continue to Rise
Following on from what started in 2015, a highly expected online casino 2017 trend is the continued increase of female players. The statistics are very impressive, with gambling amongst women rising to 40% in the US and 49% in the UK in a little over 2 years.
While the number of online casinos directed at women have been few and far between, it is expected that this trend will be too difficult to ignore in 2017. Therefore, expect online gambling sites to direct more attention to the female market, in terms of content, marketing and other areas.
Bitcoin and More Payment Options
The iGaming world has been flirting with Bitcoin for several years now, but it’s highly expected that 2017 will be this virtual currency’s year. Guaranteeing anonymity, accessing better tax breaks, and being immune to tampering are just some of the advantages of Bitcoin, so surely a huge 2017 online casino trend will be its emergence as a global player.
If Bitcoin isn’t your thing, don’t worry - there are plenty of additional deposit methods mooted for online gambling platforms in 2017. E-wallets and other services are founded at almost the same pace as new online casinos, so your choice of how to access any winnings is expected to widen.