Online casinos and online gambling have taken an important role in the modern world since they became mainstream in the 1990s. Today, millions of people use their preferred devices to gamble from home or on the road, needing nothing but access to the internet to do so.

Three decades of evolution have allowed the iGaming industry to flourish and change. New games are always being introduced and new online casinos keep showing up, as well as online sportsbooks and gambling sites that host poker rooms.

Where is the future taking online gambling, though? In this article, we go over the concept of iGaming and explore the many possibilities that await the market in the coming years!

iGaming Explained – What Does It Mean?

iGaming is everything related to wagering on the outcomes of games or events. The concept is used to describe a wide array of gambling activities, such as online casino gameplay, poker games, and sports betting. It includes all sorts of gambling activities in which you can partake with FIAT currencies or cryptocurrencies using any device that has access to the internet.

The most popular exponents of iGaming are online casinos. Modern gambling sites offer access to slot games, table games, live casino games, and other activities like sports betting, lottery ticket purchases, bingo and poker rooms, and more.

What Can We Expect to See in the Coming Years?

The current state of the gambling industry is already really advanced and casinos are always looking to add new technologies to the mix. Based on how the industry has advanced these past few years and attempting to predict, The Casino Wizard has managed to make some very plausible predictions about how the world of casinos will look in a few years.

Let’s take a look at some of the most important ways in which the online gambling industry is likely going to shape itself in the not-so-distant future:

The Growth of eSports

It’s almost impossible to visit a modern sportsbook without us having the option to gamble on eSports. As the world of online gambling works, so does the online gaming world – and so does the interest in eSports betting. It’s very likely that the trend will continue in the coming years as eSports establish themselves in the mainstream.

Virtual Reality Gambling

It’s clear that the scene of online gambling is eventually heading into the VR world. Whether that occurs with the Meta universe or other virtual reality environments remains to be seen. What’s certain is that the level of immersion that VR offers is far too valuable for online gambling companies not to exploit it eventually.

We’ve already seen the capabilities of VR gambling in games such as PokerStars VR. Mainstream meal-money gambling would take the experience to a completely different level.

Crypto Gambling Continuing into the Mainstream

The influence of cryptocurrencies on the online casino industry is undisputed and keeps growing by the day. The anonymity that comes with gambling with cryptocurrencies is an invaluable asset for many players, and that’s why so many crypto casinos keep showing up – and they’ll continue to do so in the future.

Crypto casinos break the boundaries of the gambling world and allow players from all over the world to gamble – even if their banks won’t allow them to deposit and withdraw from gambling sites because of national regulations.

Types of Gambling Sites

Online gambling sites continue to evolve and incorporate new features into their services over time. However, there are a few types of sites that can be spotted from within the crowd of modern gambling websites. Some of the following types of gambling sites are also found within each other, with online casinos offering sportsbooks as the most popular “hybrid” gambling site to be found on the internet.

  • Online Casinos: Traditional gambling sites that offer online slots, virtual table games, scratch cards, video bingo, video poker, and/or live casino games.
  • Sportsbooks: Websites that allow players to wager in all sorts of international sports. Most of them cover a ton of markets from all over the world and help people to make different types of bets.
  • Lottery Sites: Lottery sites allow you to partake in international lotteries by buying tickets to them in one place. This allows players to play the Euro Millions lottery from outside of Europe, or try their luck at the US Mega Millions if they don’t live in the States.
  • Online Bingo Websites: Bingo websites allow players to partake in bingo games with people from other parts of the world.
  • Poker Sites: Poker sites became mainstream in the late 2000s. You can visit them to play all sorts of casino poker games versus other players.

Online Casinos – Key Features

Online casinos have a series of features that make them ideal places to gamble, regardless of whether you’re looking to play classic games or try your luck with progressive slots that gather money from all over the world to pay one lucky winner a lifetime of rewards. As such, these are the most crucial features that make an online casino such a unique gambling place:

  • Casino Bonuses – Bonuses allow players to enjoy games with free cash or free spins. They can be obtained with or without a deposit, depending on each casino.
  • Variety of Games – Online casinos aren’t bound to a physical location. They tend to have many more games than an average land-based casino.
  • Accepted Currencies & Payment Methods – Online gambling sites are international places that tend to accept multiple currencies and payment methods to make life easier for their users.
  • Worldwide Accessibility – You can gamble online in a fantastic online casino – and everything is always one click (or tap) away.
  • All-In-One Gambling Features – Modern online casinos offer tons of games and combine all sorts of iGaming activities in one spot.