The Future of Gaming Is In Your Hands

The Future of Gaming Is In Your Hands

Posted by: TLB Staff

It seems that people around the world just can’t resist the allure of online gaming, wherever they are. Recent statistics show that the industry is worth almost US$100 billion, with mobile gaming accounting for a sizable chunk at US$36.9 billion. With a number of technological,
social and regulatory developments on the horizon, those numbers seem set only to grow.

One of the biggest marketing phenomena of 2016 in any sector was the runaway success of Pokémon Go, the augmented reality smartphone game that took the world by storm. Within a week of its launch, the game had been downloaded 7.5 million times in the US alone, and Nintendo’s share price had jumped by 24.5%. The premise of the game, which involves walking around the neighborhood to catch Pokémon creatures, has been credited with getting a generation of lazy kids to leave their bedrooms and go outdoors.

Analysis from PwC also shows that the growing popularity of mobile gaming is accompanied by a growth in the proportion of women who are taking part. For instance, while 67% of console gamers are male, the gender split of those playing on a smartphone is much more balanced, at 53% male vs. 47% female. Looking at the genres of games played and how those differ by the sexes, card games feature in the top five for women but not for men.

Another area where mobile is driving real growth is the online casino industry, with the global online gambling market predicted to see annualized growth of 11% until 2020. Some of the statistics associated with the growth of mobile gambling are quite eye-opening. For example, as of February 2016, total US downloads of casual casino apps from the App Store grew by 286% year on year. In Europe, meanwhile, the mobile gambling sector is expected to grow by 15% per annum, generating around US$15 billion in revenue a year.

There are several reasons why growth is expected to continue. Firstly, advances in smartphone technology mean that the mobile gaming experience for users is set to only improve. Quality smartphone penetration is still growing around the world, as is the proportion of consumers who look to their device for gaming purposes.

Another factor is regulatory. It is perhaps surprising to some to learn that gambling is still outlawed in Japan, the world’s third-biggest economy. Especially given the popularity of pachinko parlors in every town in the country. These appear to involve betting money on random outcomes, but in fact they cleverly outwit the ban.

That said, plans are afoot in the Japanese parliament to legalize gambling, which would lead to further huge opportunities for the growth of global gaming. You can read more about these developments online at Lucky Nugget Casino. So it seems that wherever you are in the world, even the Land of the Rising Sun, there is an ever-increasing change you’ll be enjoying online gaming on your mobile in the years ahead.