The transition from land based gambling to online gaming hasn’t been linear. There were some breakthroughs that directed the development of games and general business orientation of key providers, none bigger than the emergence of smartphones. These portable computers are much more than just phones, and a lot of people use them to play games of chance.
Over the past decade and a half, iGaming industry has looked for ways to migrate to the mobile medium without losing any of the features that worked so well on computers. Here are some of the most notable changes that leading gaming companies had to accept in response to evolving demand.
Greater Pool of Potential Players
The number of smartphone owners around the world is much greater than PC owners, so games that work on mobile can reach additional users who would otherwise never discover them. Most of the additional players are casual gamers who are not too skilled with casino games or sports wagers. By expanding into this market segment through mobile gambling platforms, iGaming providers are perfectly positioned to fully transition into the mainstream. This has far-ranging implications for the way they operate, how they treat customers, which types of games they prioritise, etc. It’s not an overstatement to say that smartphones have decisively pushed iGaming towards mass markets and made its appeal universal.
Mobile App Is a Must Have
Any gaming website can be accessed through a mobile browser, but this method often leads to substandard performance. Websites made for computer screens don’t scale too well to narrower, much smaller screens of handheld phones. While some gaming sites dabble in flexible web design that is less dependent on screen size, the most optimal solution is to develop an app that would bring all the core functionalities to the mobile device in a native format.
This is not a huge investment for a successful iGaming provider, so there is really no excuse to delay this step given the level of convenience the app affords to the end user. Both iOS and Android apps are needed in order for players with different OS systems to have full access to online games.
Focus on Simple Games
Optimisation for mobile play is taking hold among game studios, who are now increasingly interested in games that can be comfortably played on a smartphone. This means complicated commands or excessive visual elements have to be cut, and the gameplay has to be streamlined to the point that it requires very little training and preparation.
Games are also being designed to be completed in a short period of time, as mobile players generally prefer shorter gaming sessions. Most casino games work well within those parameters, so players haven’t really lost much in the process. Those who like more complex games can still find them at older casino sites.
Rising Popularity of Live Casino Games
Another example of the demand for instant entertainment is the growing popularity of games with live dealers. This gaming format allows the player to remotely interact with the dealer, which basically replicates the casino experience from virtually anywhere. For example, players in Canada can access several live blackjack casino games from their phones and watch the cards being dealt in real time through a webcam feed. Leading gambling websites are offering more games from this category, including some that are not a part of the traditional casino repertoire.
Live casino games are expected to account for an even larger share of the time players spend on iGaming sites in the future, especially in countries where mobile gambling is popular.
Supporting Gaming on the Move
The type of service that iGaming companies provide must be reconciled with the fact that most players are logging in while they are in between two real-life activities. They are quite often physically moving, either on foot or in a vehicle, and their attention is divided between the screen and their surroundings.
This is why modern gaming sites are designed with practicality in mind, and allow for nearly effortless completion of basic tasks such as depositing money to an account or collecting a bonus. Games that require an active internet connection are very stable when working on mobile networks, and can usually be paused and continued later. It’s obvious that iGaming companies have to adapt to the changing habits of the players, not the other way around.
Answering New Security Challenges
Since there is money and sensitive personal information being sent over the networks, online gambling accounts remain attractive targets for hackers and other malicious actors in the mobile era. In this setting, there are additional risks that need to be addressed. Fake mobile networks, phishing campaigns on social media, even physical theft of logged in devices – all those threats are more serious compared to days when online casino games were played mostly on computers.
While there are effective measures that providers can take to prevent abuse and protect the players, implementation can be costly and labour-intensive. That’s why mobile gaming websites are embracing two-factor authentication, ID verification, and other procedures designed to keep the fraudsters away from the website altogether.
