Are Conventional Gamers Dipping Their Toes in the iGaming Scene?
In the past few years, the iGaming scene has seen a huge rise in popularity. For those who are not aware, iGaming refers to playing any of your favorite gambling and casino games online. A huge part of iGaming is the online gambling industry. While casino websites have been around since the 90s, they have only recently grown in popularity. In fact, in the past 5 years, online casinos have surged in popularity, with many countries growing their gambling industry, and even more legalizing the practice.
In similar veins, the video game industry has seen a huge rise in popularity. No longer are video games considered children’s toys. Nowadays, the biggest games released are awaited with the same anticipation that certain blockbuster films are afforded with. With the two industries experiencing such a massive rise together, many are wondering if there is a correlation?
Are Gamers Interested in iGaming?
When discussing iGaming, we are talking about betting or gambling websites, where you can wager real money. This does not involve all the different, and frequently popular poker games that are played in single-player for digital coins. Games like Poker Night, World Series, etc. all are hugely popular, but don’t fall under the auspices of iGaming.
However, it might not surprise many of you to find, that gamers who do enjoy games like Poker Night, also tend to love trying their hand at a real money casino online. In fact, recently, it has been shown that gamers tend to do a lot better at online casinos than non-gamers. This might have something to do with their understanding gaming and the similarities between gaming and gambling in general.
The Influence of eSports
A huge influence on the world of iGaming is the rising popularity of eSports. For those who may not know, eSports is a term referring to professional competitive video game playing. The eSports scene has been around since the 90s, however, recently it has come to major prominence. Games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Defenders of the Ancients and Fortnite are all the rage on the eSports scene.
But how has this influenced iGaming? Well, for one, it has introduced quite a few gamers to betting / casino websites. You see, the popularity of eSports has prompted many online bookies to follow and cover these events. In turn, this has caused many games to check out bookies. And as most bookies have online casino sister sites, the flood gates have been opened, so to speak.
Conclusion
Many are suggesting that iGaming is the future of the gaming industry. This might be a step too far, however, it is fair to say that iGaming is a huge industry right now. Rather than consider it the future of gaming, we would suggest to look at the two industries as parallels. As one grows and improves, so too does the other. After all, they are heavily linked by technology and by a fandom.
