How technology is driving growth for the UK’s online gaming businesses
Betting is all about numbers, right? Of course, but forget your Royal Ascot tips or poker strategies, it’s the figures that the UK’s rapidly growing online gaming industry is generating that will be most impressive to any entrepreneur.
In as little as 20-years the industry has grown to a value of roughly £4.5 billion according to the UK’s Gambling Commission. To give some perspective, that figure was at £3.7 billion the year before.
And where gaming businesses used to be built on the most basic infrastructure, today’s online gaming companies are being driven by one factor: technology.
The rapid ascent of digital technology and mobile devices has required companies to focus their efforts on innovation. Interestingly, the industry as a whole was originally rather slow to react to the potential of smartphones, with many operators initially hesitant to cater for mobile experiences.
It’s no coincidence that those that have benefitted the most are the pioneers of early mobile gaming technology and the development of mobile casinos. It’s an abject lesson for any business, but particularly those that wish to maintain their advantage in a fast-growing and competitive sector.
Stay mobile, stay ahead
The mantra for many gaming operators today is ‘mobile first’ – hardly surprising considering society’s ever-growing dependence on smartphones and 24/7 connectivity.
A company neglecting its mobile experience is going to get left behind, it’s that simple. The industry only wants more in terms of speed, processing power and graphical innovation.
Any business looking to break into the sector and get ahead needs to focus on the basics: delivering an optimised and fast player experience, that gives the user everything a desktop does – no one wants to spend their days glued to a computer screen any more.
UK digital talent
Fortunately, the UK isn’t short of innovative entrepreneurs and creative digital talent. As well as the larger software developers, there are smaller independent game studios pushing forward the online casino and betting experience.
From small operations looking to muscle in on the market to big players like Playtech, a global leader in casino game development, UK game makers are at the forefront of creating the best on-the-go games in the world.
With the global online gaming industry demanding ever more innovative, exciting an immersive gameplay, it should come as little surprise that global gaming companies are tapping into our rapidly emerging creative industries.
We’re also seeing developments such as UK game makers being used by Las Vegas casinos to run their own social casino platforms, and mobile casinos, reported by sites like Casinopedia
All signs point to growth continuing. Innovation will remain key – the next five years will be dominated by a rush to take advantage of technological developments such as 3D gaming, virtual reality and gamification.
It’s hard to not see the UK’s online gaming sector as a key growth market for our home-grown digital talent.
