One of the major stories in modern gaming has to be the rise of online gambling or iGaming. According to The Independent, the industry is now a £2 billion business as many seek to play a variety of casino games or make bets online.

So how has iGaming become such a massive industry? Here are a few answers.

Convenience

Previous options of gambling were restricted to expensive casinos or bookies that often had a traditional atmosphere that wasn’t exactly welcoming to the broader sections of the public.

But as research company Deloitte recently reported, 70% of the British public now own a smartphone, and this has had a massive democratising effect on our gambling habits.

And likewise as betting shops and casinos have fixed hours of business, now anybody can gamble online from the comfort of their own home at any time of day or night.

Marketing

Since the Gambling Commission’s relaxing of gambling regulation in 2005, there has been a much greater visibility of gambling marketing.

Many television advertising slots in the nighttime will feature an advert showcasing the latest online casino company. But the success of such advertising is often derived from clever marketing tactics.

There has been an increased effort from iGaming companies to target the female market and as a result, online bingo games have seen a massive surge in popularity. The marketing of such games was intrinsic to this with supposedly ‘feminine’ colours such as purples and pinks being used, as well as celebrities such as Katie Price promoting various online casino products.

And likewise companies such as Betway have managed to target specific masculine audiences through the sponsoring of football teams such as West Ham United.

Plus there is a massive range of online games that will feature tie-ins with famous film and TV franchises such as The Terminator and Game of Thrones that all seek to maximise the audience’s brand recognition.

Technological innovation

And finally, the sheer dramatic scope of the technological advances of our devices cannot be underestimated in allowing iGaming to become such a dominant force.

Apart from the aforementioned convenience of being able to gamble wherever and whenever you want, the technology also enables a fun multiplayer aspect that can have you competing against somebody half way across the globe.

The social side of gambling has also been advanced through iGaming. Whereas bingo halls used to frown upon talking mid-game, there now exist chat rooms in online bingo games that are as much of a draw as the actual gameplay itself!