A real gambling boom took place in European countries between 2020 and 2021. The number of users regularly playing casino games not on gamstop has increased at least several times. These figures have been determined by the Gambling Commission. It has also established the main reasons for the surge in gambling popularity.
The growth of gambling: exact statistics
According to a study by the European Gambling Commission, the turnover of online casinos by the end of 2020 increased by 30% compared to 2019. The number of players themselves, meanwhile, increased by almost 10%. This number includes regular customers of virtual casinos. In one winter month alone, the number of bets reached 6 billion, significantly higher than in previous years.
Interesting fact: Almost half of the money spent by users on virtual casino games comes from the European Union.
The current level of popularity of online casinos is not the limit. Experts expect the virtual gambling market in European countries to grow to 29.3 billion euros by 2022. In comparison, in 2018 the figure did not exceed 22.2 billion euros.
Reasons for the growth of the gambling sector
Over the past 5 years the online gambling market has shown steady growth of about 5-10% per year. However, in 2020-2021 the figure has increased significantly. This can be explained by 3 main reasons.
The pandemic
While the coronavirus has played a cruel joke on the offline sphere, it has done a rather positive service for the virtual one. The closure of casino clubs, numerous restrictions, and the inability to leave home have all forced users to take their usual actions online. All areas have been affected:
- Work;
- Shopping;
- Entertainment.
Many gambling operators have taken advantage of the trend of going online and have developed special loyalty programmes in order to attract new customers. As a result, there has been a significant increase in users at virtual casinos.
Expanded range of games
Just a few years ago, virtual casinos featured a limited number of games. In most cases, they were represented by classic slots. In recent years, the number of gambling services has increased dozens of times. Most virtual casinos offer their users:
Slot machines. Thanks to the constant growth of gaming software providers, the number of slots of various themes is constantly increasing. Today, gambling services present hundreds of slot machines of all types: from 3-reel to 9-reel.
Card games. Additionally, at virtual casinos, it is possible to play cards. In most cases, the range of card games is represented by poker, roulette and blackjack. Usually available in two modes of play: standard and with a real dealer.
Betting. Some casinos present a separate betting section. Unlike full-fledged betting sites, a limited number of events are presented here.
This variety allows the user to have fun, play a variety of applications, and try their luck in new directions. And all this without leaving one site. It is much easier for clients to be fully verified on a particular service and use only its services.
Loyalty programmes
Rapidly developing technology has triggered a dramatic increase in gambling services. Because of the increased competition (which continues to grow), companies are forced to come up with various loyalty programmes. These may involve the provision of:
- Free spins on certain machines;
- Funds to the gaming account;
- Percentage of the deposit made, and not only.
The main purpose of such proposals is to attract new users and keep them on a particular service. Therefore, you can find them on every gambling portal. This is especially true for newly opened sites that have not yet had time to build a customer base and gain the trust of users.
Further growth of gambling and state bans
Along with the increasing popularity of virtual gambling, the number of gambling addicts is also increasing. In order to combat this problem, the EU states have introduced numerous restrictions. For example, in Great Britain in February 2021 Boris Johnson made a proposal to ban advertisement of gambling on football players’ uniforms. A little later, the British Commission introduced restrictions on the use of online casino services. This affected in particular the automatic betting function.
Despite the constant imposition of restrictions on online gambling (which is typical for the whole world), the popularity of gambling portals is not decreasing. The most active growth of virtual casino users is expected to take place in 2020-2021. According to the forecasts, in the next 2-3 years the online gambling market will continue to develop and grow.
