If there was one iGaming trend that captured the industry's attention in 2015, it was mobile gaming
If there was one iGaming trend that captured the industry's attention in 2015, it was mobile gaming. Despite many sites launching mobile products as early as 2010, the industry has only just started to come into its own and many are now predicting that 2016 could be the year the medium starts to overtake desktop gaming.
Indeed, thanks to a combination of improved smartphone technology and increased gaming options, mobile casino operators are now gearing up for a major push over the coming months.
According to a study conducted by Research and Markets, the mobile gambling market is expected to grow by 18% between now and 2019. Moreover, the social casino market, which includes free to play casino games offered through platforms such as Facebook, is expected to grow by 43% in the coming years. Overall, this growth should mean that the global mobile gaming market will be worth more than €20 billion per annum by 2018.
Mobile Gaming Markets on the Up
One of the main reasons for the current growth of mobile casino gaming is greater 4G coverage in Europe. Now available in more countries than it was two years ago, 4G connections allow users to download content at a faster rate and, therefore, enjoy a smoother mobile gaming experience. Additionally, with more users now able to access faster mobile connections, mobile casino developers have been able to imbue their products with more detail, more options and more entertainment.
For example, when you join a site and download its dedicated mobile app, you'll now have access to a vast collection of innovative mobile casino games. Topping the list of options in terms of intricacy and value are the live dealer games. Taking a medium that's become popular online (you get to play against real dealers through a live web stream), providers have been able to create a mobile roulette app that's just as smooth as its desktop product.
Offering such a product just two years ago would have been virtually impossible because users wouldn't have had the technical means to run a web stream via their mobile. Of course, anyone connected to a suitable wireless network via their mobile device could have conceivably enjoyed live dealer games. However, mobile app developers are required to look beyond this. Indeed, simply relying on Wi-Fi connections to power a game is a mistake very few developers make.
Better Tech = Greater Gaming Experience
Aside from live dealer games, mobile casino games are now offering more in-depth gaming thanks to improvements in mobile technology.
For example, when you log into some platforms’ mobile interfaces you can now enjoy 3D slots courtesy of software companies such as Betsoft. Offering a new take on mobile slots gaming, games such as Jack Hammer 2 are now as engaging as desktop slots.
It used to be the case that mobile slots were flat and somewhat lifeless because smartphones could only handle a simple set of spinning reels. In contrast, desktop slots have been filled with 3D graphics, animations, sound tracks and interactive bonus rounds since iGaming went live in the late 1990s. This divide was one that existed for a number of years. However, as operators have started to refine their products, the gap between desktop and mobile slots has gradually decreased.
Although there are still some discrepancies between the two mediums, it's becoming increasingly common for mobile casino operators to offer mobile slots that are just as interactive as their desktop counterparts.
The year of 2015 was certainly a breakout 12 months for the mobile casino sector, but it's unlikely the medium's growth will slow down in 2016. With companies such as Apple set to launch yet another breakthrough smartphone later in the year and software becoming ever more refined, it's likely more and more people will start to favour their mobile device in the coming months.
