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It goes without saying that iGaming relies entirely on technology. The convenience of playing from anywhere at any time is only possible because of the development of mobile and streaming technology.
iGaming’s ever-growing appeal can also be attributed to technological changes, such as virtual reality, which has brought the online experience even closer to the real thing. Other technologies have helped shape the present and future of the industry, including artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency. Let’s find out exactly how these technological developments have impacted the spreading popularity of iGaming.
Smarter Smartphones
One of the biggest selling points of iGaming is the convenience of being able to play from wherever you like, whenever you want. Of course, this is only made possible by the technology behind smartphones.
According to the 2023 Connectivity Report, the majority of the world’s population owns a smartphone, a staggering 4.3 billion.¹ Smartphone technology means that online casinos are accessible to these billions of people simply through an Internet connection.
Becoming the Primary Gaming Device
Smartphones have made iGaming more accessible than ever, resulting in them becoming most people’s go-to device for gaming. As of 2024, 34% of UK adults surveyed reported gaming in some form on their smartphone.²
The technology behind these devices is constantly evolving, improving the gaming experience. While at the moment, some games aren’t available on smartphones, including some live games that struggle to load on the devices, this could change in the future. Improved technology means players could experience more games and a smoother experience on their mobiles in the future.
Closer to a Casino Atmosphere—Virtual Reality
Although virtual reality headsets were first developed by companies like Nintendo in the 1980s and 1990s, it wasn’t until the late 2010s that they became popular.³ They’ve been around in the online gaming world since 2015, when Microgaming won the Digital Gaming Innovation Award at the Global Gaming Awards for a VR roulette game.
Today, VR games can be found at many online casinos. Using VR headsets, players can get just about as close to the bustling environment of a land-based casino as possible. Through enhanced graphic and sound design, they’re immersed in a vibrant casino environment. Players are even able to customise their own avatar, who interacts with other characters, as well as spins wheels, shuffles cards, and rolls dice, in the virtual world.
The Future of VR in iGaming
Although VR has been around for a while now, it’s fair to say it hasn’t yet completely reached mainstream. The technology is still pretty inaccessible to the majority of the population, with basic models costing upwards of £200. Experts also point to the limited amount of content and the clunky technology as to why VR hasn’t completely taken off. The VR industry itself found that a shocking 69% of people use their VR headsets less than once per month.⁴ The novelty seems to wear off pretty quickly.
However, as the technology continues to improve, there could be an opportunity for VR in the iGaming industry. A partnership could mean more exciting content combined with a smoother playing experience. If the technology reaches the mainstream, we’d almost certainly see more casino games using VR. For players who miss the bustling atmosphere of land-based casinos, VR games can be a real appeal.
Adopting Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is one of the technological changes that has had the biggest impact on the iGaming industry. It’s impacted all areas of the gaming experience, from customer service to personalisation.
Improving Customer Service
For players, one of the most obvious changes brought about by AI has been to customer service. It’s common to see AI chatbots on providers throughout the industry. They’re able to give answers much faster than human representatives could, sometimes even instantly. To provide accurate answers, chatbots use information found across the Internet.
High-quality customer service is vital to attracting and retaining players at online casinos. Forbes found that a massive 76% of customers say that if they have two negative customer service experiences at a business, they won’t return.⁵
Using AI not only speeds up customer service, but it also frees up human representatives for more complicated queries. Those with a simple enquiry will find it promptly answered by AI, while those in need of human help will wait shorter times.
Customising the Playing Experience
One of the most impressive qualities of AI is its ability to analyse a vast amount of data in a short period of time. Studies have found that AI can generate insights based on data 1000 times faster than a human could.⁶
In the iGaming world, these insights can be used to personalise gaming recommendations. By analysing and establishing the user’s preferences, AI recommends relevant games. For example, if it detected that a player frequented slot sites, it would recommend slot games. For players, this personalisation makes the experience more relevant and enjoyable.
Predicting the Future—Generative AI
Generative AI could help iGaming reach even more players in the future. This different form of AI has more autonomy than traditional AI and is able to make decisions like a human would, meaning it could be important for the future of marketing.
In terms of iGaming, generative AI could be used to automatically generate marketing materials. It does this by analysing the player’s history to determine which games they’re interested in and creating relevant marketing materials. Its greater autonomy means that the AI can then disperse them using avenues like email and social media.
More Ways to Pay—Introducing Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency is another technological advancement that has helped the iGaming industry appeal to more people than ever. Many providers have been quick to adopt this virtual, decentralised form of currency. It’s common to see the most popular forms of crypto, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin, at iGaming providers. There are even some that specialise in transactions using the currency.
Why Does Crypto Appeal to Players?
The adoption of cryptocurrencies has been a strong selling point for iGaming players. It comes with a number of advantages, such as lower transaction fees. There’s also an improved exchange rate for cryptocurrency, making playing at global casinos much smoother.
Compared with other payment methods, like cards and bank transfers, crypto also has a much faster transaction speed. While players can wait days for transactions made using cards, crypto usually takes a few hours and can even be instant.
Don’t Forget e-Wallets!
Before crypto was the go-to for iGaming transactions, e-wallets were the newest payment technology around. They still remain popular in the industry today, with wallets like Skrill, Neteller, and PayPal found at the majority of providers.
e-Wallets have similar advantages to cryptocurrency. They also experience lower fees and faster transaction speeds, and they’re accessible—with 53% of the population being users.⁷ The adoption of technology-based payment methods, like crypto and e-wallets, makes iGaming transactions easier than ever.
How Has Technology Changed the iGaming Industry?
Technology is the key ingredient behind the continued success of the iGaming industry. Smartphones form the basis of making the industry more accessible to players around the globe. Players have a stacked game library, including VR options, right at their fingertips. Their gaming experience is also personalised, with AI making it simple to find the best game for them. Technology is truly part of every step of the iGaming experience, as it also makes payments faster, cheaper, and easier than ever before.
Technological developments will also play a key role in shaping the future of the iGaming industry, with VR and AI likely to become even more important. In summary, the current and future popularity of iGaming is largely down to technological advancements that have helped it appeal to more players than ever.
⁴ Gathering Dust: Why Hasn’t VR Taken Off?, Written by Rob Whiteman, Published by Medium.
