The term ‘online casino’ is still very popular as people like to gamble online. However, maybe a more befitting phrase for 2023 is ‘mobile casinos’. This is because there are operators now specifically and exclusively offering casino experiences on mobile devices, as opposed to other online means like desktop browsers and the like.
The Presence of Mobile Gaming
To understand why mobile gaming and casino-led games are performing well, it’s important to understand the gaming marketplace as a whole. In 2022, it was documented that mobile games bring in $92.2 billion to the total global market worth, taking 50% of the entire gaming industry. This is because the hardware and software capabilities within our hands have got better and game consoles have subsequently become too expensive.
Of all that money spent on mobile gaming, around $8 billion is spent on casino or gambling games, meaning there’s a large market for those wanting a thrill of a wager on their phone. Unsurprisingly, gambling games and apps have the largest user average spend, by the very nature of their intended use.
Who and why are people using their phones to gamble?
Mobile casinos are essentially everything that gamblers want without going to the casino. You have multiple games to play, endless variations to try and they’re never busy. Furthermore, there are very few or very small minimum buy-ins, meaning that online casinos are accessible to a lot more people who want to gamble in smaller amounts.
There are some things that a mobile casino can’t replicate. I.e. a Las Vegas atmosphere or the company of fellow gamblers. Yet, these are just additional experiences that for most gamblers, they don’t need. The core experience of gambling and getting the thrill of a potential win can be achieved by their phone. This is backed up by the stats that now around 55% of all bets are placed on a mobile device application. In turn, this leads to 70% of all online betting revenue being generated by users on mobile devices.
Even if users are logging on once a week for a small go on the slots, it’s been noted that a lot of markets saw their customer numbers almost double in size between 2021 and 2023.
In 2023, the casual internet user might not simply require all the bells and whistles that a laptop has. I.e. surfing the net, using social media, and using an online casino can all be done on your smartphone pretty easily. As such, laptop ownership in the US and globally has been dropping. In 2022 alone, it was reported that global laptop ownership was down by 8.1% from the prior year. This only adds to gambling companies’ efforts to tailor their products for the mobile audience.
What about in the US?
Americans are part of the top three nations who use mobile gaming the most alongside China and India. Yet, their gambling offerings are somewhat restricted. Only six states of the 50 permit real-money online casinos. Bet MGM, Pulsz and Wow Vegas are among some of the more popular sites/apps for such services.
However, the reality is that Americans are already getting used to spending money on their phones. All the games they play like Candy Crush, Pokemon Go, and Roblox already feature microtransactions in which the app extracts the user’s money. Is it really too big a step to afford Americans the chance to spend their money on a virtual roulette wheel as opposed to buying in-game costumes for their avatar? After all, this is the same country that houses Las Vegas, a place that is intrinsically linked and has built its brand on the idea of casinos and gambling.