The casino industry has been riding the wave of technology for ages. From telegraphing racetrack results in the late 19th century to modern-day (online) scratch cards, the casino business has truly come a long way. Today, there is a new driving force when it comes to the casino industry: the internet. Online casinos have thrived in a cutthroat market, enticing millions of players from all over the world to play their games. Indeed, the industry has been doing so well that it is now easily competing with (sometimes even surpassing) brick-and-mortar casinos. But why has this industry boomed so much in the last couple of years? Well, read on to know how online casinos are setting themselves apart!
Accessibility Is Key
Fast and furious is the name of the game, and nothing irritates players more than delays. Gaming thrives on instant gratification — which is why online casinos have to optimize their games to provide maximum accessibility and efficiency.
This may have been a lesson they learned from modern video games, as there’s nothing worse than being stuck on a loading screen and delaying your gaming experience. Indeed, one of the biggest factors that have set online casinos apart is their near-instant access, allowing players to game anywhere and at any time. Compare this to the effort and cost of having to visit a brick-and-mortar casino — especially if you plan on flying out to the various casino capitals of the world such as Las Vegas and Macau – and it is a no-contest in terms of money saved.
Keep Customers Coming Back
All types of casinos value their players and do everything they can to get them to return. Online casinos make an effort to not only attract players, but also keep those players coming back regularly their site. They do this by creating unique experiences that help them capture their market. This isn’t new at all, as Vegas had done something similar with their star-studded list of headlining artists. Indeed, legends such as Elton John and Celine Dion have all had stints in Vegas as a way to drive large audiences to visit casino venues.
While online casinos can’t get singers to perform on their sites, they’ve found another way to attract players through increasingly large prizes. This has led to online sites using different methods to attract players including getting celebrities to endorse their websites. Ben Affleck recently helped organize a celebrity online poker tournament for Americas Cardroom, where he and a group of other celebrities played a game for charity. While this brings awareness to online platforms it doesn’t engage the public in an active way. This is why a more effective way online casinos have gotten a larger share of the market is through bonuses and prizes. Gala Spins outlines how slot games such as Mega Moolah have awarded as much as €18.9 million ($20.6 million) through bonus rounds to attract players. Indeed, huge prizes are an effective way to keep players engaged and active, and increase the chance of return visits. This makes sense, as people who are new to online casinos may do prior research before they pick a site. Unsurprisingly players would prefer a site with large prize pools. This has been so effective that it could even convert players from other sites, encouraging many online casinos to perpetually outdo each other.
Great Designs
Lastly, what really sets online casinos apart is their willingness to adapt to the times. This can range from the themes of their slots and other games to curating the entire user experience based on modern design principles. This is something that not all brick-and-mortar casinos have accepted, as everything from the architecture of the spaces to the games themselves all feel rather dated compared to the current market for these online games.
While you’ll still see traditional casino games on online sites, they’ve made it a point to continuously add new content so that players never get tired of the games they have on their platform. This can range from changing the iconography on their games to match a popular movie franchise or to introduce a new game mode entirely. As more people use their phones and laptops as their primary source of entertainment, the tighter the grip of online casino gaming on the gaming industry will be.
If you want to learn more about how digital platforms are shaping various industries, check out our article on how digital services like Spotify have resurrected music sales!
*All images are taken from Pexels.com.
