It’s an age-old pastime that used to be either shrouded in the mystery or tiny betting shops or racetracks or glamorized by the high rollers and famous faces that saw Las Vegas as their gambling paradise. In the past, gambling has endured a somewhat questionable industry reputation, but things are different now, oh, so different! Placing a bet and hoping your horse, your team, your player or your chosen results comes in, it can be done in the more traditional in person way, but now, of course, the world of online gambling and bet making is mainstream and growing exponentially.
Whether it’s a horse race, a soccer match, or a spread bet over an entire tournament, gambling has come a long way since the day of small betting shops or OTBs. Since the birth and continued evolution of online wagers, casino style gameplay and app or Internet betting, it has become so much more than just being able to play poker games online. This global industry has spawned international in-person events, conventions, conferences, and a globally connected community of those who love everything from poker to pontoon, roulette to slot machines and everything in between.
With so many offshoots and such a worldwide community now engaged with online gambling, it is fair to say that this industry has achieved a status and position that is far more than a mere game of poker. As well as being a sector that generates billions of dollars a year, the online gambling world is an industry in and off itself, inspired by but not reliant on actual bricks and mortar casinos, be they in Macau, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, London or anywhere else. So why and how has this industry become so lucrative and created a fraternity of global consumers that meet, game together, and have taken it to another level?
CONFERENCES TO CONVENTIONS: HOW ONLINE POKER GREW BEYOND THE VIRTUAL
When online poker and casino games first emerged on the Internet, they were basic, unsophisticated in terms of gameplay and graphics, and often the sole preserve of already established gamblers who would have learned and enjoyed the various card and betting games by visiting casinos. From this early incarnation of what has now turned out to be a global phenomenon and business arose what can only be described as a player driven evolution: online gamblers from around the world, be they poker partners or black jack buddies, have created, grown and now enjoy established annual conventions and conferences, meeting their previously only online friends and making mainstream what was once niche.
These in-person gambling events are not only huge in terms of numbers and popularity, but they also now happen around the global, with events popping up in Las Vegas, London and many other places. Gambling has not just become mainstream like an online hobby, activity or even career for some: it has emerged as a globally connected arena, literally bringing people together in their shared passion, creating a social club as much as a gambling community.
This growth beyond the virtual world has genuinely spurred the industry on to greater things, with more opportunities for players to both compete and join with fellow casino game devotees around the world, but to meet them, promote the sector and, most importantly, enjoy the company of those they may never have met without this evolution.
PEOPLE POWER MAKES PLAYING MORE COMMERCIAL BUT MORE COMMUNAL
In business, the equation can be simple: the more consumers you attract, the more commercially successful your business is likely to be. When it comes to revenue, online gambling figures and generated income, it is in the billions and the number of people now playing online casino games is huge and on the rise. In the febrile competition of the online gambling world, companies are continuously trying to gain more players and, if you’ll pardon the pun, up their game in terms of the user experience and game playing options, not to mention the potential amount of money to be won.
The exponential growth in terms of players has led to two especially important results. The first, the game playing experience is more communal, where people can enjoy any and every online casino game in real time with people from all around the world. It is a community; it is a way of connecting. Second, it has made the commercial element of online gambling both massively successful and ensured that consumer choices are ever broadening and expanding.
When you consider the online gaming landscape, it is not only mainstream; it is a global business that attracts people from all walks of life, from small time players to high rollers and everything in between. From apps to websites and all imaginable digital devices, people can log on and play, making it accessible too. Put all these things together and it is hard not to reach one conclusion: online gaming is now so much more than just poker playing.