What's the next big thing in iGaming?

[PennyCJ]

Seeing as how we just had ICE and iGB in London I was wondering did anyone see any new tech or emerging gaming products that made them actually think "wow, cool!" I know a few years ago virtual reality was being touted as the next big thing but it never really materialised. This year I saw a lot more crash and whack-a-mole type games with a community element which perhaps are designed to appeal to Gen Z. What do you think is the next big thing? Interested to hear this community's thoughts! Thanks.

 

[AlexanderGross]

imo most casino operators are struggling with new gov terms and payment issues as focusing on new cool things

 

[PennyCJ]

Mm interesting, so perhaps innovation is being stunted by regulatory issues. Though there's always issues like these!

 

[Silver Crocodile]

Interesting topic!
My guess is that virtual reality trend will probably make a comeback.

 

[AussieDave]

My guess is that virtual reality trend will probably make a comeback.

A casino group did this back in 2000, albeit minus the headset. SlotsMillion gave it a try, years later. It's a dead duck, because you require a reasonably gutzy PC to use the technology.

Mobiles/Tablets aren't PCU/GPU powerful enough yet, not by a long shot (years to go).

Which only leaves PC's. Considering the PC market has been bastardized by the Mobile/Tablet market, I can't see "virtual reality" becoming a thing once more, least not for many, many years.

According to a 2021 report by Statista, the worldwide penetration rate of personal computers (including desktops and laptops) is approximately 36.3%. I'm sure that figure in 2024 is much lower.

Beside, the user quality of VR isn't that awesome. Doubt folks would shell out their cash to participate.

 

[Silver Crocodile]

A casino group did this back in 2000, albeit minus the headset. SlotsMillion gave it a try, years later. It's a dead duck, because you require a reasonably gutzy PC to use the technology.

Mobiles/Tablets aren't PCU/GPU powerful enough yet, not by a long shot (years to go).

Which only leaves PC's. Considering the PC market has been bastardized by the Mobile/Tablet market, I can't see "virtual reality" becoming a thing once more, least not for many, many years.

According to a 2021 report by Statista, the worldwide penetration rate of personal computers (including desktops and laptops) is approximately 36.3%. I'm sure that figure in 2024 is much lower.

Beside, the user quality of VR isn't that awesome. Doubt folks would shell out their cash to participate.

Good points!
I still think the future of VR in iGaming is promising, but there are definitely big challenges to overcome, which will take time.

 

[Frank]

VR casinos were being pushed hard pre covid.. now don't see anything? looks like apple vision is going to flop,.. maybe meta can bring it back? VR has been pushed since the 80s but never taken off.. even google glass flopped. people dont want to wear big helmets

 

[PennyCJ]

Yes exactly, great points above. The tech has to be there and for igaming if it's not compatible with a smart phone and playable privately whilst sitting in a public space it's probably not going to get mass adoption.

Thinking of what *might* be the next big thing; I am seeing a lot more media coverage of AI tech, specifically these new hyper realistic videos from SORA which makes me wonder how it might influence casino gaming. Perhaps game providers and operators will just roll out more offerings more quickly ( and not necessarily much better). For example, how much faster it must be now to reskin a game that maybe had a good maths model but didn't get enough coverage to be deemed successful, just by using AI.

 

[PennyCJ]

On the topic of AI, as a user I would expect to see casinos getting much better at recommending games to me and tailoring CRM and offers based on my player profile using AI. I think there are already some quite sophisticated player segmentation and intuitive programs out there but surely it will be much cheaper and easier for operators to adopt this kind of technology now?