Some Online Casino Trends to Look out for in 2019

The world of online casinos has been a bit of a whirlwind. Who would have thought 20 years ago you could be on your mobile phone playing your favourite classic casino games rather than having to visit a land-based casino? Since online casinos exploded onto the scene – technological advancements have allowed operators to provide a better all-round experience to the player. Here, we have listed some casino trends that you should look out for in 2019.

It’s all about the Convenience Factor

It’s the job of an online casino to make things as convenient as possible for the player. This means that you will be able to enjoy a more sophisticated mobile experience than ever before. It used to be that if you downloaded an app, you could only play certain games or take part in certain promotions – but now you can expect to enjoy everything the brand has to offer no matter what device you use.

They also want to make it convenient for you to deposit and withdraw funds on their site. That’s why as well as giving you the option to deposit using debit or credit cards, they have also partnered with other merchants such as PayPal, Neteller, Paysafecard and more to make life easier. More and more casinos are also working towards the option for their players to deposit via their mobile. By doing this, the deposit is simply added to their monthly contract bill, or alternatively if it’s a Pay as you Go phone – it is deducted from credit. It’s all about the convenience factor in 2019 so everything is at the touch of your fingertips.

More Innovative Promotions

Since legislation is now in place where casino’s find it more difficult to make a taxable profit on any bonuses or free spins that are given out, it will give them the push they need to push out more innovative promotions that don’t involve the easy option of just giving out freebies.

You should be on the lookout for more grandiose promotions where brands are giving away bigger and better tangible prizes. Some sites have been giving away cars, luxury holidays and prizes of a lifetime to stand out. They are also working hard to maintain the loyalty of players that they do acquire, so don’t be surprised to see new and improved loyalty schemes that are more personalised to individual player habits rather than a one size fits all approach. This means when you play on a site that the experience is completely tailored to you.

The Evolution of Virtual Reality

Casinos are working hard to improve their product – and VR is something that brands have already been testing out to get a sense of the reaction from players. You may have already encountered this kind of technology with eSports games – and it allows players to enjoy a fully immersive casino experience using a VR headset. With this it is like you are in a real-life casino, and you can even interact with the dealers.

There are only a few operators that have capitalised on this new trend as of yet, but we are sure that there will be more on their way this year. It is also part of a strategy to appeal to a broader demographic of player. There is an inherent link between the behaviours of people who bet on eSports, and those that bet on casino games. By implementing this kind of technology, it could grow their player base substantially.

Clearer Terms and Conditions on Site and Promotions

The UK Gambling Commission are clamping down hard on operators, and placing a significant focus on ensuring they are pushing responsible gambling as they should and being clear about the offers they are promoting.

As such you will see much clearer terms and conditions than ever before. There have been blue-chip companies that have been fined millions of pounds for slight ambiguity within their promotions.

You will also see that any “child friendly” images are removed from the site. This includes any cuddly toys or anything of that nature that may appear on a slot game, to ensure that they are appealing to the appropriate audiences.

There was the launch of Responsible Gambling Week last year which all operators were encouraged to be a part of to show a sign of solidarity that the iGaming industry wishes to promote healthy gaming habits. A casino should want you to have fun and enjoy their site, not spend money that you can’t afford.

Focus on Quality and Not Quantity

It was previously a trend that a lot of the larger companies would launch what would be referred to as “skins”. This means that you could continue to open up operator sites on the same network and attract new players. The only thing is, they would usually have the exact same welcome bonus, promotions and games catalogue – so there wasn’t as much effort involved.

Now operators are creating their own stand-alone sites more regularly – which they are making unique. It could be that they have partnered with a specific set of developers to have a unique portfolio of games or host offers that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. By creating a niche and personality of their own, and focusing on one product, it means they can offer their clients something that’s of better value.

In the long-run it may mean that we see fewer online casinos opening each year, but the likelihood is that you will like what you get when they open.

2019 promises to be another exciting year in the world of online casinos. Although the industry as a whole has faced many challenges with stringent rules and regulations now in place, point of consumption tax etc – they are up to the challenge to ensure that they are providing customers with better online gaming sites and the technological advancements make the future of the industry as exciting as ever.

You may also like...