Online gambling has changed so much over the last 10 years or so. Back in the day, online casinos like Casino777 Online basically just tried to copy what you’d get in a real-world casino. But nowadays, two big innovations have made online gambling into something new and exciting: social casinos and gamification.
Let’s take a closer look at how these two things are transforming the industry…
Social Casinos Take Off
Social casinos exploded onto the scene around 2008 when companies like DoubleDown Casino introduced a new concept: casino gaming using virtual credits only, no real money.
Now, I know what you might be thinking…how can it be a “casino” if you’re not actually winning or losing any cash? Well, turns out there’s a whole bunch of good reasons why both players and casino operators love social casinos:
For one, they face way fewer legal restrictions than real money gambling sites. That means social casino games can launch in new countries much quicker. With virtually the entire planet as their potential player base, that’s a big deal!
Social casinos also appeal to more casual gamers looking for entertainment rather than earnings. Without the financial risks of gambling, playing online 10e talletus slots or poker is now just fun and relaxing for demographics that used to shy away from traditional casinos. Studies show the average social casino gamer plays for over 2 hours a week!
Now you might assume, without money on the line, no one spends a dime. But get this…social casinos are actually better at getting players to pay up! About 22% of their players make in-app purchases, compared to just 7% at real money gambling sites.
By 2016, 173 million global players were bringing in $4.4 billion in combined revenues for social casino companies. And while growth has slowed recently as more sites compete for players, revenues keep rising as they get better at driving loyalty and engagement through bonuses and VIP rewards programs. Clever, huh?
Many social casinos also operate as “lead generators”, tempting players to click over to their affiliated real money gambling sites and deposit cash after they get hooked!
Gamification in Online Casinos
Gamification is a fancy word for adding video game-like features that get people excited to play and keep coming back. Online casinos have started integrating all sorts of gamification elements like challenges, quests, leaderboards, avatars, badges, and more.
For example, players can earn loyalty points for the time spent playing. As you rack up more points, you move to the next VIP level for bigger bonuses and exclusive promotions. Everyone loves a good loyalty program!
Platforms also create daily or weekly quests that reward you for hitting certain milestones. Completing these step-by-step objectives taps into our human need to feel progress. And earning the related badges gives you something cool to show for it!
Of course, they took inspiration from video games to add avatar customization so you can create a character to represent you on screen. Then as you unlock more badges and achievements, your avatar grows along with you!
Top player leaderboards create competition on the site too. Keep checking to see how your play stats rank against other players for ultimate bragging rights! This pressures people into playing more hands of poker or more slot spins targeting those top spots.
Why Gamification Works
Integrating achievements, challenges, status levels, and customization hooks people in deeper. The stats speak for themselves:
Gamified loyalty programs bring players back to play every day — up to 4 times more than basic sites! More return visits means more money ultimately spent too.
When there’s always a new quest to complete or badge to unlock, players also stick around for longer gaming sessions. One study saw session times increase from 10 minutes average to over 45 minutes when they rolled out tiered challenges.
Even casual visitors get tempted by the bonuses and end up converting to real money play in order to level up their status and rewards. Although they swore they’d never pay to gamble online, here they are!
The Future of Social & Gamified Online Gambling
While some old school industry folks turned their nose up at social casinos at first, almost all gambling providers now see their value in acquiring and retaining players better than standard online casinos ever could on their own. Expect the synergy to continue evolving.
And don’t forget augmented reality either! Soon players will be able to strap on VR goggles for an incredibly immersive casino experience. The tech will allow seamlessly mixing virtual elements into real environments for a hybrid experience.
I also expect artificial intelligence to take gambling personalization to new levels in coming years. Platforms may offer up dynamic challenges tailored specifically to you based on their tracking of all your play data and behaviors over time.
Oh, and keep an eye on cryptocurrency integration too! Accepting player deposits and payouts in Bitcoin rather than traditional currency has serious appeal with digitally-savvy players nowadays.
At the end of the day, gamification has made the difference between one-dimensional online gambling and sustainable gaming ecosystems that can engage and monetize players far more effectively. Companies unwilling to level up their offerings risk getting left behind. After all, competition is fierce when the global social casino audience now sits at 173 million strong and growing!