Top Casino Trends for 2020

The gambling industry has seen some major advancements in the past few decades, with online gambling having majorly disrupted the sector, and transformed much of the way people play their favourite games today.

Through the rapid advancements in technology transforming accessibility, many now play on casinos wherever and whenever, with increasingly varied means of payment now accepted. But as we enter a new decade, what will the 2020s bring to casinos, and the gambling sector as a whole? And what impact will this have on user experience?

Below is a list with some of the main casino trends predicted for 2020:

• Rise in live dealers
• Increase in VR-based gaming
• Decline in brick-and-mortar casinos
• Rise in cryptocurrency
• Change in consumer habits

Each of these trends could transform the casino and gambling industry as we know it, bringing this cornerstone of the entertainment sector into its next stage of evolution for both operators and consumers.

Thanks to advances in technology, and insight into what consumers want, online casinos could be set for a major overhaul throughout the next decade, giving the users what they want and improving the way they deliver this.

 

Rise in Live Dealers

 

live-dealer

 

Many users of online casinos have shown a preference to the more realistic, live games, providing an atmosphere and making the gambling experience more authentic, even if it is from the comfort of their own homes.

Many online operators are now leveraging this information to create a more engaging collection of games, increasing user experience and retention. Many online games now have live dealers to keep users entertained and provide them with a more authentic and immersive gambling experience, as if they were sitting in a brick-and-mortar casino.

With more and more operators recognising the importance of true-to-life features, 2020 may see a significant rise in live dealers, creating a more social and interactive touch to the online gambling world.

 

Increase in VR-Based Gaming

 

VR-gaming

 

With a more interactive gambling experience in mind, online casinos could also see a significant rise in VR-based gaming. As technology continues to increase at such an impressive and rapid rate, sophisticated tech such as Virtual Reality (VR) has now become commercialised, and therefore much more accessible to consumers in recent years.

This increased accessibility of VR technology combined with the rising demand for more immersive and interactive gambling experiences suggests there could be a growing trend in VR-based online casinos. Enabling users to immerse themselves into virtual casinos from anywhere in the world.

 

Decline in Brick-And-Mortar Casinos

 

brick-and-mortar-casino

 

Aside from the famous, bucket-list areas such as Las Vegas, many casino-goers are choosing to play online rather than visiting offline gambling sites. With the rise in popularity combined with the increasingly immersive tech being used to keep users engaged, the 2020s could see a considerable decline in brick-and-mortar casinos.

Additionally, online casinos can be incredibly more cost-effective than their offline counterpart, with many having to spend money on travel and food when visiting a casino. This combined with the increasingly immersive experience new tech is bringing to online gambling means that less and less people may feel the need to visit physical casino houses in order to get the gambling experience they want.

 

Rise in Cryptocurrency

 

 

Many online gambling operators have started to accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a form of payment. From deposits to withdrawals, many users are now taking advantage of this, increasing their security and anonymity by ditching traditional payment options and switching to crypto.

Whilst traditional payments are still the most popular option for gambling sites, with how well many users are responding to crypto within the online casino sector, the 2020s could see a considerable rise in this method of payment. Alongside this rise, as previously mentioned, there could also potentially follow an increase in safety and anonymity for online users, reducing the risk of hacking and identity theft, and thereby improving user experience.

 

Change in Consumer Habits

 

consumer-casino-chips

 

With most people now having a smartphone, gaming has become increasingly more mobile, which has subsequently led to this rise in popularity for online casinos. Whilst this is a change in the consumer habits of casino-goers itself, it has also led to many other changes which could very much define the gambling industry throughout the 2020s.

One notable change in these consumer habits that could become a defining feature for 2020 is the rise in Free To Play (F2P) games. Whilst these games in themselves to not make money directly, operators have noticed users are willing to pay small amounts to upgrade and access other features to the games.

With F2P then potentially being a profitable area for operators, 2020 could very well see an increase in these types of games, led by the changing consumer demand of them.