Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit early this year, the mobile gaming market was seen to possess a very bright prospect, showing steady growth within the past years.
As a matter of fact, a study from Grandview Research showed that the online gambling market was valued at $53.7 billion last year and was expected to grow by up to 11.5 percent every year from 2020 – 2027.
As technology advances and continues to innovate, the fast-paced development of web-based gambling has fueled the expansion of online casinos globally.
But what do you think happened when the COVID-19 pandemic hit?
Deserted Land-Based Casinos
The rapid spread of COVID-19 has forced the containment and closure of restaurants, bars, shopping malls, and other leisure places including the land-based casinos. Social distancing is also implemented.
Therefore, most casinos had to close their doors with loyal players fearing for life.
This is an exceptional circumstance that no casino loyal regulars could have imagined. All activities related to casino entertainment have been stopped. Some big names land-based casinos have lost their sheen. From the once bright city of Las Vegas to Macau, all the main destinations for gambling and casinos are hit hard.
No more cries of victory at the poker tables and roulette. No more noise from several slot machines. This sudden closure of land-based casinos made way for the use and increasing traffic of mobile and online casinos to satisfy gambling desires.
Growth Of Online and Mobile Gambling
Since most people are forced to stay put at home, online traffic has surged on all internet fronts. Casino and gambling websites such as 77BetSG began to attract thousands of new players every day as the traditional land-based casinos and gaming clubs closed their doors to their regular visitors and opened their online platforms.
As a matter of fact, online and mobile gambling websites and traffic have increased anywhere from 10 – 15 percent. In particular, the March traffic (when the lockdown was first imposed on most countries) was the highest jump in online gambling traffic in the last 3 years.
Still, there’s a gradual decline expected in the coming months since some people do get bored and other countries adopt stricter online gambling laws. But the lines are hovering without a complete downfall.
Mobile casinos and gambling, in particular, are on the rise and changing the way most people play and bet on online casinos, thanks to its convenience, quality, portability, and ease of use.
Changes In The Online Casino and Gambling Laws
Currently, traditional casinos are still facing serious challenges and losses. However, online gambling allows these casinos to get out of the red. Their position will greatly depend on the state rules for online gambling with most nations having strict and limiting laws about online casinos. However, some countries are making some changes.
A few countries like Austria and Latvia are limiting online gambling resources. Others are adopting new online gambling regulations and laws. Belarus officially legalized online casinos and gambling websites, Armenia is considering changes, while others (USA, Philippines, India, Spain, and Italy) are booming with online gambling growth.
CIS nations like Ukraine and Russia also have a positive dynamic in terms of online casino and gambling laws.
Changing Gambling Contents
One thing that is more practical in the online gambling and casino sectors is the themes of the casinos and games can be changed very easily. With the stressful events happening on this day and with the great isolation, people are leaning towards games that can help boost positive adrenaline and are aimed at the theme that is relevant to today’s event.
Strangely, most online casinos and gambling websites feature slot themes with dystopian motifs like viruses, bacteria, and apocalypse. Thus, the classic approach to casino games is losing its relevance. Users continuously want relevant and new experiences, pushing developers to work hard and creating new content.
Most casinos are already succeeding on this front and earn great profits and constant hits from new players.
Fun and Appealing Offers
With the provisional closure of land-based casinos, players and gamblers are now trying to find ways to gamble on closed doors. The shutting of physical casinos opened a replacement opportunity for the online gambling and casinos to flourish, with the increasing mobile application usage and development of internet technology.
In order to draw in new players to their platforms, operators of online casinos are now offering fun and appealing attractions and offers.
Most online casinos offer irresistible enticements such as the live casino online in Singapore in order to increase new player registration as well as rewarding the regular site visitors and players.
Bonus offers usually vary depending on the objectives of the gambling site. These include:
- Registration and Reloading Bonuses
These are offered as deposit bonus offers in order to motivate customers to check-in or register to the site.
- Free Spins
Online casinos offer free spins to thank their online casino customers and keep them coming back for more.
- Loyalty Programs
These loyalty programs offer incentives to players like gifts, extra scores, holiday offers for regular visitors and loyal players of the website.
Other than the above examples, there are other bonuses offer that online casino operator provides including:
- Referral rewards for inviting friends and prospective players
- Cashback promos
- Freeplay games
- Opportunity to become of the site’s VIP players
In addition, operators are creating a variety of interesting promotions and tournaments that can be interesting to both beginners and regular players.
Final Thoughts
The COVID-19 pandemic started a chain of changes and events that affected our society for days and months. Most of these changes caused economic consequences for both corporations and customers, including in the gambling sector.
And while the gambling industry is experiencing great losses, especially the land-based establishments, the online casinos and traditional casinos switching to the web is indeed flourishing.
In these troubling and uncertain times, one thing Is for sure:
Gambling is not going anywhere. It will just change and adapt through these trying times and emerge more powerful.