Enter a New iGaming Year with Top Trends

Dynamic changes in the modern world push every industry to adapt quickly and use the latest available assets to generate benefits. The iGaming sector is not an exclusion. Advantageous directions for evolution are quickly distinguished by sensible market participants and adjusted according to the demand.

One of the most significant recent impacts on the sphere has been the Coronavirus. The pandemic provided a substantial push to online gambling. This showed the urgent necessity for a quick modification for the sake of progress.

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Foundation for Future Changes

Very rarely do relevant trends appear from nothing. There always must be prerequisites for the emergence of a new development direction. To forecast what will be popular in 2023, it is integral to analyse the iGaming situation of the previous year.

A quick recap of online gambling in 2022:

• The steady growth of the industry featured at least a 27% market size increase in comparison to 2021 (to $81 billion).
• Preliminary estimates show that the current pace of progress will lead to a whopping $144 billion at the end of this decade.
• While the biggest markets remain Europe and North America, the quickest growing in 2022 was Africa (12%) and Asia-Pacific region (11%).

Apart from the industry's financial achievements, it is worth remembering the key events of the year:

• The legalisation of the web gambling sphere in the biggest Canadian provinces.
• Obtainment by the Curacao Gaming Authority the status of a proprietary regulator.
• Update of responsibility policy by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission.

An exceptional uniqueness of the industry is how closely all market participants collaborate. This is why the revenue numbers are so high. Operators work tightly with service providers while those are almost tied up with regulators. As a result, the presence of unified sector perception and demands generates new trends.

Let us see what changes the iGaming niche can expect in 2023.

Comprehensive Updates to Operability

The convenience of players’ participation mainly depends on how well a casino manager organises the working process. An operator needs to see through his project and keep up with all visitors’ concerns and demands. As a result, new analytical and managerial trends will likely appear in the iGaming arena.

Approving Decisions Based on Data

The informational load on a single platform operator is insane today. Everything from transactions and software updates must be monitored to ensure the working process stays integral. But it is impossible to keep up with everything manually, so managers resort to innovative software solutions.

Tedious calculations and summaries are easily performed by AI-based programs with a data-driven approach. Such software collects the necessary information and makes decisions oriented on the preconfigured parameters. After separate testing of the technology on different platforms, this approach will be widely utilised in 2023.

The first functional decision-making systems have already appeared in the iGaming arena:

1. BM3 is aimed at boosting project performance by optimising analytical capabilities.
2. Event streaming is a convenient visualisation interface that transforms raw data from the platform into understandable stats.
3. iGAP Casino is also a tool for turning analytical and financial digits into information suitable for further processing.

Focus on Brand Advancement

Just like players are no longer attracted to simple games on casino sites, they can hardly be impressed with the traditional promotion. Static banners have turned from an effective advertising tool to almost a waste of resources.

Interactive content is now what drives the market. Furthermore, it is not just a general representation of casino advantages but more personal and related peculiarities. As a result, a viable tendency to invite celebrities gained huge popularity recently.

Top bookmaker’s platforms that have successfully resorted to this strategy:

• PariMatch headlining Conor McGregor;
• BetHard working with Zlatan Ibrahimovic;
• BetMGM highlighting Wayne Gretzky;
• LV Bet featuring Jason McAteer;
• DafaBet pushing Shane Warne.

As an example of advertising effectiveness, let us compare legal TV promotion of gambling projects in the US. In 2019, the total area size was $10 million. In just two years, it featured an increase of more than 15 times, hitting $150 million.

Furthermore, software suppliers also gladly accepted this trend. One of the most memorable collaborations over the past year was Roberto Carlos’ appearance in the marketing campaign of Estonian provider Playtech.

Focus on the LTV of Punters

Even though the consideration of retention value has been important for several years, operators have come up with a new opportunity of keeping players active. The recent strategy of reactivation allows focusing on participants whose attendance rates decreased.

In this case, special offers are prepared for them and sent via the mentioned communication channels (usually e-mail or messengers). The reactivation strategy has proven its worth since it is much cheaper to retain an existing customer than to acquire a new one.

Lasting Engagement with Punters

This trend originated from the formerly mentioned reactivation strategy. Players appreciate when they receive individual treatment in online casinos. This lays a foundation for long-term relationships between two parties.

As a result, the lifetime value of a punter increases, his appeal to the platform grows, and the revenue generation rises for the brand. Even though it is all about financial benefit in the end, the process of reaching it is built on interaction with customers.

Adaptation to New Player Attitude

With the modern policy claiming that a client is always right, changes now occur depending on what the public demands. Understanding the audience will grow into a separate trend in 2023 since individual treatment is now just a matter of correct software.

Entertainment as a Reflection of Demand

While initially, gambling platforms proposed content to their clients without much choice and little assortment, today, things have transformed completely. User-centric model incentivises casino operators to create and integrate only those activities that are relevant for particular players.

Response from such offerings is also integral, regardless of whether it is good or bad:

1. Positive feedback shows an operator that he is moving the right way with the entertainment choice.
2. Negative comments point out the particular weaknesses that have to be eradicated or improved.

Sensible managers no longer fear criticism. They accept it with an understanding that it will only improve their performance if they attempt to get rid of problems quickly.

Shift in Platform Priority

Desktop online casinos no longer bear the biggest popularity in the industry. Mobile gambling is now valued much more due to its convenience and accessibility. But this trend is not new, and it will continue until the majority of the market will be on portable gadgets.

What will be particularly popular in 2023 is gambling on smartwatches. Software creators already have the first products ready and tested. Considering the development of portable devices of this kind, we will soon see numerous people spinning roulettes and slots on their wrists.

More Credit to Live Gambling

After the beginning of the lockdown, a lot of land-based casino brands were desperate for the loss of functionality. It did not take long to understand how they can utilise the online sphere for their benefit.

While games with real dealers used to be additional entertainment on casino sites, now a lot more dedicated platforms appear on the market. They feature a huge number of games, the majority of which can be found in a casino facility. The trend was greatly appreciated by punters, and it will evolve in 2023.

Legal and Financial Innovations

Stability in juridical and monetary aspects of the iGaming industry is extremely important for operators. While new markets appear frequently, their regulation adoption is a copy of the most efficient zones currently existing.

Nevertheless, it is crucial to keep in mind what financial and legal changes might occur in 2023:

1. New payment systems and their variety. Such popular services as Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, and similar methods are important for an online casino. But ensuring local systems are present at a site is integral as well.
2. Stability of cryptocurrency. The volatility of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other tokens was shaken after the collapse of FTX. But crypto payments have been rooted so deeply in online casinos that it hardly influenced their usage in iGaming. The forecast for this is more than bright — crypto in gambling will be stable.
3. Preference for local permits. A lot of casino brands function with offshore licences. They are official and legal, but not as prestige, as a permit from UKGC. As more countries legalise online gambling, operators can obtain their proprietary licences and function on behalf of local legislation.

Progress of Gamification

The era of linear slots and straightforward gameplay comes to an end. Punters are now looking for interactive activities, and operators perceive how crucial it is to satisfy their clients’ needs.

To maximise the appeal of entertainment, casino managers resort to gamification principles. Creating the engagement process outside of slots and tabletops has proven to be an effective retention mechanism and will continue to stay relevant in 2023.

Online gambling efforts to maximise gamification benefits:

Safety Assurance and Security Trends

It has always been the highest priority for an operator to protect their client’s personal information and financial assets. Unfortunately, as technology advances, the methods of obtaining dishonest advantage by hackers and criminals also diversify. Innovative software prevents this from happening.

But sometimes, players need protection even from themselves:

• Operators more often resort to special software that reminds participants of too much gambling.
• Sharing databases of problem punters makes it possible for international brands to help them recover.
• Excessive market influence is controlled thanks to the cooperation between gambling brands and local authorities.

Data Confidentiality

The stability of technological progress must always keep up with the regulative requirements. This is successfully depicted in an effective utilisation of the General Data Protection Regulation. It has already been the fifth year since this decree proves its stability in the global arena.

Constant additions to the GDPR generate new tendencies that are likely to appear in 2023:

• transparent casino data collection processes;
• control over the usage of visitor’s information by operators;
• enhancement of regulations for matching more intense requirements of players.

2023 will also become a year of data control innovations for some US states. The California Privacy Rights Act is going online this spring.

Tight Communication Anti-Fraud Monitoring

Casino intruders do everything to stay invisible to operators and protective systems. However, a modern approach to individual treatment ensures that every player is closely monitored by AI-driven systems.

Not only does it enhance an interactive experience for a punter but also notifies about any suspicious behaviour. More systems of this kind will be integrated into new and existing gambling platforms.

The Main Things about Impactful Trends of the Upcoming Year

2023 will become a year of further evolution and wider implementation of established trends:

• A well-organised working process of a casino will be improved thanks to new methods of making decisions based on data, additional focus on brand advancement, orientation on LTV of punters, and lasting engagement with users.
• Players’ behaviour will also likely change, and adapting to it will be possible due to perceiving entertainment as a reflection of demand, shifting priority in platform variety, and paying more credit to live gambling as a standalone activity.
• Legal changes will be crucial since they will feature new payment systems and their variety, stability of cryptocurrency in web gambling, and a preference for local permits.
• Gamification principles will evolve even better, boosting players’ retention with combined interactive experiences, aspiration to win big, and much more engagement during the amusement process.
• A year in iGaming will not be complete without security trends, and in 2023, data confidentiality and tight communication anti-fraud monitoring will be particularly relevant.

Thanks to a thorough investigation of experts from Gaminator Casino, entrepreneurs can be prepared for 2023 and its challenges. Furthermore, cooperation with such a progressive aggregator is possible from scratch on turnkey terms.

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