Gambling Business in 2021: Trends and Prospects of the Sector

The casino industry is one of the few fields that not only successfully recovered from the economic crisis of 2020 but also grew significantly.

Updated Regulation of the Foreign Markets

Due to the massive growth of the sector, many countries have not only revised the existing legal regulation but also introduced some new restrictions and control systems.

Strengthening of control over the industry is aimed at:

• strengthening control over the compliance of gambling operators with the terms of licences;
• improving the quality of casino services;
• creating the most transparent and secure investment conditions;
• optimising the tools that are used to combat ludomania;
• reducing the shadow market segment.

The legal changes have mostly affected the European market and the .com domain zone:

The United Kingdom

New legal norms in the offshore, which will be valid during the quarantine period:

• a ban on advertising of casino services on television and radio;
• the maximum size of daily bets — 50 euros;
• a ban on payments via credit cards and the provision of services of the post-payment.

Sweden

It is possible to open an online casino in this country only after the acquisition of a special licence for the provision of commercial Internet games. The new legal norms came into force in the summer of 2020.

During the quarantine period, the local regulator imposed restrictions on:

• advertising of gambling services;
• the size of daily deposits in the casino;
• the amount of time that users spend on a gaming site.

Germany

Since 2017, there has been a rapid growth in the volume of the online sector. Over the last reporting period, it brought over 300 million euros to the country's public treasury.

Taking into account the current situation, the government adopted a law on the legalisation of the online market. It came into force in July 2021.

Curacao

The country's government has entered into a financial agreement with the Netherlands. As a result, the local industry has undergone significant changes.

In February 2021, the regulator conducted full-scale market research the aim of which was to understand if there is a need for legal reforms.

The result of the work was the following:

• introduction of new requirements related to the issuance of gambling licences;
• strengthening of control over the operators' compliance with local legal regulations;
• creation of a new authority responsible for the licensing of offshore companies.

The United States

The US market has also undergone significant transformations. In 2021, most states decided to legalise the online casino business.

The Playtech corporation has already announced its entry into the American market and the launch of a live studio in Michigan. The project promises to become the largest industry-specific enterprise in the region.

The iGaming Industry in the Blockchain Format

The use of decentralised technologies made it possible not only to expand sales markets by many times but also to increase the level of security of online projects.

According to the Dapp.com reports, over the past year, the volume of cryptocurrency betting in casinos has grown from 3.39 billion to 6.71 billion dollars.

The decentralised casino software is one of the most convenient, practical, and secure IT tools for launching digital projects.

The use of blockchain technologies completes the following tasks:

• protection of casino visitors against the leakage of personal, financial, and commercial data;
• overcoming geographic restrictions on visiting gambling locations;
• provision of transparent and secure transactions without the risk of their cancellation or interruption;
• carrying out of money transfers with minimal commission rates;
• support for instant transactions, regardless of their frequency and volume or the access time.

The Growing Population of the Mobile Sector

Already now, more than half of all iGaming traffic is accounted for by the mobile market.

The reasons for the rapid development of this sector:

• massive cheapening of user devices;
• the widespread introduction of 4G and 5G networks;
• the absence of Flash browser plug-ins (modern casino software is developed in the HTML5 format);
• increase in response thanks to mobile advertising (according to results of the research of MobileFuse, in 2020, the level of interaction with mobile marketing materials increased by 15%).

Casino Entertainment with Artificial Intelligence

One of the most exciting trends of the year is the development of content using neural networks and machine learning.

The massive introduction of IT systems of the new generation has given casino operators the following opportunities:

1. Chatbots. These interactive programs can be used as a tool for interacting with users. In the future, the technology can replace customer support chats and fully automate the resolution of typical administrative issues.
2. Thorough analysis and customisation. AI programs already allow us to assess the behavioural reactions of the audience and personalise the components of the platform for the needs of each specific gambler.
3. Increased level of security. The 2WinPower team offers entrepreneurs to buy a casino with the security software of a new generation. The neural network analyses the basic script and independently implements the optimal algorithms. Manual intervention is required only at the stage of initial debugging, and later, the service will work autonomously.
4. “Smart” game. AI technologies can be used to optimise the game mechanic. The tasks of the program include automatic selection of the optimal level of difficulty, saving the set betting limit, and notification of users about special offers, the remaining balance, amount of winnings, etc.

Gambling Market in the VR Format

The eMarketer analytical agency reported that more than 43% of the capacity of the VR industry is accounted for by the gambling sector. Moreover, the US is considered the largest consumer of technology. In 2020, about 52.1 million people tried to play VR games.

According to Goldman Cachs forecasts, the virtual reality market will outperform media networks and television in terms of revenues by 2025. And in 12 more years, the industry's turnover will reach 110 billion dollars.

Prospects of the market were evaluated by such large IT corporations as Google, Microsoft, and Samsung.

Virtual reality games attract users for the following reasons:

• maximum immersion in the process (already now, there are devices on the market that provide not only a mega-realistic picture but also sound and contact sensations);
• the ability to interact with the elements of the game (cards, tokens, etc.) and surrounding objects;
• live communication with dealers and other casino visitors.

Slot Machines of the New Generation

Despite the popularisation of live content and social gaming, slot machines continue to be a centrepiece of online casino catalogues. If a dozen years ago the leadership was given to “one-armed bandits”, then now, interactive content with interesting storylines is on trend.

The Main Things about iGaming Trends in 2021

The list of the most promising innovations includes:

• Mobile gambling. More than half of all industry revenues are accounted for by the mobile market, and this figure is still growing.
• Blockchain and cryptocurrencies. The prospects of digital transactions have been appreciated by the largest financial and banking institutions in the world. Payments in electronic coins can be made via the PayPal service, and by the end of the year, a similar service will be provided by the Visa corporation.
• Games with artificial intelligence. The use of innovative IT tools opens a lot of prospects for investors, including the possibility of conducting a thorough analysis of the audience's behavioural reactions and promptly completing typical administrative tasks without manual intervention.

It is also possible to order several additional services that can help you to optimise your business:

• remote administration;
• development of mobile applications;
• the organisation of loyalty and bonus programs;
• connection of advanced security systems;
• integration of cryptocurrency wallets;
• maintenance of a comprehensive marketing program.

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