There’s no denying that the last few years have been incredibly exciting regarding technological advancements and innovation. Most people will have heard about the likes of artificial intelligence and virtual reality technologies and how they have evolved over the last year alone. However, something that many people don’t consider is that advancements like these also impact other areas of our lives too – and often in great ways.
One example of this is the online gambling industry, which has always been keen to maintain pace with technological innovations deemed to be able to improve its services. Over the last year or so, we’ve seen a new wave of technological trends enter the online casino world in this way, and through these trends, we can build a picture of what to expect in 2024 too.
In this post, we’ll look at the biggest gambling industry trends of 2023, what to expect in 2024, and how the legal status of sports betting in the United States might evolve over the next year.
The Biggest Gambling Industry Trend of 2023
One of the biggest gambling industry trends of 2023 is sweepstakes casinos, which have taken the world by storm.
These modern casino platforms offer many of the immersive gaming experiences you’d expect of an online casino. However, they are different because they don’t use a real money model. Instead, they use a sweepstakes model where users play with Gold Coins and sweep coins, which means they circumvent online casino restrictions in many US states.
Funrize Social Casino was one of the sweepstakes casinos that became very popular in 2023, and it wasn’t alone. Other sites like Funrize will continue to grow in 2024 because they provide lots of entertaining games and are legal for many people in the US to join.
The Legal Status of Sports Betting in 2024
When it comes to sports betting, things are somewhat different. Although an increasing number of states have legalized sports betting, many still have not and it could take longer than the next year to see this change significantly.
Gambling Industry Trends to Look Out for in 2024
There have been plenty of clues throughout the previous 12 months that point to certain trends continuing to develop throughout the gambling industry in 2024. For example, consider some of the following specifics:
The Growth of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) has made a big splash in recent times, with the likes of ChatGPT and other chatbots making mainstream news headlines. However, what many people don’t realize is that AI can do a lot more than this. For example, in 2024, we can expect to see an increasing number of online casinos using AI to collect and analyse data to help understand what types of games players enjoy most. This analysis can then be used to provide personalized game suggestions and promotions.
Not only that but AI can also be used to help improve security within the online gambling industry. For example, it can be instructed to look out for cybersecurity threats.
The Implementation of Virtual and Augmented Reality Technology
One of the most popular additions to online casinos is live dealer experiences, where users can play games like blackjack and roulette with a live dealer. Therefore, one trend we can expect to see in 2024 is an increase in the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) within these experiences.
For example, players will benefit from VR in these rooms because it will provide an immersive brick-and-mortar casino setting from the comfort of home. Furthermore, AR will then be used to populate these landscapes with live dealers, tables, and so on.
The Continued Push for Social Interactions
Perhaps the biggest downside of playing at an online casino in the past is the lack of social interactions you’d find in brick-and-mortar establishments. However, with the ability for users to stream live feeds combined with the likes of chatrooms and the previously mentioned VR and AR, we can expect games to be developed that focus on social interactions.
Indeed, some casinos have already started to implement this by releasing lots of different games with live dealers. However, it now goes a step further and these dealers act as hosts, providing entertainment and engaging conversations.
The Addition of Alternative Payment Options
What has become clear in recent years is that people love to have the option to make payments in a range of different ways. Long gone are the days when everyone is happy with a simple debit card transaction. Therefore, we are likely to see many casinos continue to add new payment options to their system, including the likes of prepaid cards, e-wallets, and cryptocurrencies, such as PayPal’s new stablecoin. This will help to improve security and anonymity, as well as create a shared international casino experience.
