It’s hard to believe, but we’re already two full months into 2021. As everyone starts looking forward to Spring and the warmer weather it brings, it’s a good time to analyse the online slots industry to see if it’s still as relevant this year as it has always been – click to visit Giant Wins.
What do the statistics say?
Last year in 2020, the UKGC published a report stating that online casinos have enjoyed an increase in revenue.
“Total GGY for the industry was £14.2bn in the year April 2019 to March 2020. This represents a marginal decrease of £84.1m (-0.6%) on the previous reporting period.
Remote (or online) gambling is the largest combined sector by GGY. With £5.7bn GGY, it comprises 39.9% of the overall market. Remote sector GGY increased by £426.3m (8.1%). Online casino games dominate the sector, generating £3.2bn in GGY, mostly from slots games.”
This rise in online gambling’s revenue is largely down to a surge in popularity with video slots and the remote casinos where you can play them. But are video slots still relevant this year too?
Why are video slots so popular?
Having read the figures, no-one can really deny that video slots aren’t popular and won’t have a huge role to play in the iGaming industry this year. Their use is increasing amongst consumers, the sophistication of the gameplay is getting better, and the graphics are improving all the time.
With so much money involved in iGaming, many more online casino sites are being set up all the time, and the happy knock-on effect for you, the consumer, is that all of them want your custom. So how do they do this?
Their marketing departments will do what it takes to get you to sign up to their casinos, offering all kinds of fantastic welcome deals and sign-up promotions. Clearly, the online gamblers benefit from this and just by being savvy and browsing around, you can find some really great deals out there, involving introductory free spins bonuses and no deposit offers on games.
Increased convenience
If you had to choose one thing has led to the surge in popularity in online slots, you probably couldn’t look much further that the convenience they offer the consumers. We live in an instantaneous world where entertainment is seconds away at the click of a button. Why should online gambling be any different?
People love having the option to gamble remotely simply by using their mobile devices. Though it’s tough to replace the buzz you get in an in-house casino, technology is changing things. Virtual Reality is starting to provide users with an immersive experience online, where you can mingle with other people, see all the lights, and hear all the sounds of a traditional bricks and mortar casino. It’s estimated that within another 25 years, VR in video slots could be the norm.
In short, by becoming more available, convenient, varied, and profitable, video slots are increasing in popularity all the time, and there’s no reason to suppose that 2021 will see record breaking figures in the iGaming industry.