There has been a big change in the mobile gaming community over the past few years as online gambling as a whole has seen a dramatic uptick in the number of players participating in a wide variety of games – it is being dubbed by experts as an online gambling pandemic with an increasing number of users year on year with 2020 in particular being a big driver here – there have been efforts made to reduce the numbers as initiatives like Gamstop have been launched to provide a self-exclusion option, despite this here are some betting sites not on Gamstop that continue to grow – but how has online gambling got to this point, and how has technology enabled this change?
(Image from tech4gamers.com)
Always on devices – Our smartphones and tablets are always connected and are always on, we can receive notifications and updates at any time during the day – we’re more connected than ever before to these types of games and services and is in part of the reason why they have been able to capture so many players, with constant alerts of new games or new deals, we’re never out of the loop and are always ready to play.
Ease of access – There’s little to differentiate our devices now as the hardware inside is largely similar year on year, this means that devices regardless of age are able to access the same titles and deliver the same quality and performance. This bridges a big gap in gaming that has always existing where many titles may have been locked behind a certain price point as a certain system is required or the cost of the game itself – now all you need is your smartphone and an internet connection and you’re away. Similarly, there’s no big setup or play time required – you no longer need to dedicate long hours or commit free time to play, simple tap your finger when you’re ready to go and tap back out when you need a break, it hasn’t been easier.
Gambling representation in other games – Another big change only seen within the past decade has been the introduction of game mechanics that may encourage this too – the big change here most notably has been within the introduction of microtransactions and loot boxes which are still falling under a lot of scrutiny for their potential links to gambling and how it may be attracted a younger audience to doing so earlier. They have become such a big feature however that it’s difficult to find a game without some form of loot box, pack, or microtransaction within the game itself.
Whether or not it is a growing problem or just the natural cause of change is a difficult thing to identify, but one thing for certain is that modern technology has certainly made it much easier to approach these games and much easier to find alternatives too – with so many different services available there will always be one tailored to an individual’s unique tastes, and may be difficult to slow the growth being seen.
