Both gambling and online gaming have been popular forms of entertainment for a long time, but have you ever wondered how the two intertwine? We’re not talking about your conventional online casinos and the myriad of gaming options they offer.
But there is another way that gambling has managed to sneak into the world of video games. If you want to know more about the evolution of gambling entertainment, including information about https://www.slotozilla.com/ca/no-deposit-bonus, to get a firsthand experience, keep reading this article, where we cover everything about this topic!
The Advent of iGaming
Before we jump into gambling in video games, let’s journey back to when iGaming first started getting popular. The story can be traced back to the early 90s, when Microgaming released the first online casino software. Once that foundation had been set up, advancements started happening left and right. Licences were given out, and secure online payment methods were set up.
Soon, online gambling was not an out-of-reach phenomenon and became a household name for all gambling enthusiasts. Since then, the industry has navigated a whole bunch of regulatory challenges to rise to its current position, defying all odds.
The 21st Century Effect
The 21st century is rightfully referred to as the digital age because it has overseen numerous changes in every industry out there, including online gambling. Here are some of the most prominent things that were accomplished in the iGaming industry in the 2000s and 2010s:
- Online casino platforms were introduced for mobile phones. The pioneers of this update were companies such as Playtech.
- Online bingo rooms and slot machines led to a resurgence of beloved casino classics.
- During the mid to late 2000s, table games and live dealer games were on the rise.
- The 2010s saw a global expansion of online web-based and mobile-based casinos. Europe took the lead in innovating the market and branching it out to other parts of the world. Malta and Gibraltar both emerged as the top players in casino licensing, an industry that they dominate to this day.
- eSports, Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality all started gaining traction in the late 2010s, opening up further avenues for online gambling and sports betting. People now had access to a diversified set of options for placing their bets.
The Impact of COVID-19
Even though online gambling existed before the COVID-19 pandemic, it wasn’t as popular as land-based casinos. People still preferred gambling in person because it helped them socialize while also connecting with the essence of gambling on real casino machines and tables. However, as brick-and-mortar casinos closed down due to lockdowns, the online casino industry came to everyone’s rescue.
Changes in the iGaming Industry
In 2020 and in the years since, the iGaming industry has undergone significant changes. Many new regulatory acts and laws have been passed, with legislation being expanded in multiple directions. More and more casinos have popped up, and a ton of new developments have entered the industry, including crypto payments, virtual reality casinos, gambling tournaments, etc. Many new countries have also entered the game.
Thus, it’s safe to say that the pandemic has revolutionized the way we view online gambling and casinos, and video games have also entered the picture. In the world of sports betting, gamblers can now place their bets on video gaming tournaments. Some of the most popular betting options in this arena include DOTA, Call of Duty, League of Legends, and Counter-Strike. However, that’s not the only way that gambling has managed to penetrate the video gaming world.
The Volatile World of Loot Boxes
Whenever people mention gambling in relation to video games, one of the first things that pops up in mind is loot boxes. This gaming feature has been under controversy ever since it was first introduced in the early 2000s. A loot box is a box of mystery items that can either be bought with in-game currency or real-world money.
The items are completely random, and thus, the process is almost like placing a bet without knowing the outcome. Today, most popular video games have some form of loot boxes in them, which serve as a major form of their revenue as well. According to some recent research, video game providers managed to earn $30 billion in loot box revenue during the year 2018.
Here are some of the most popular games for loot box purchases, according to 2019 statistics by Statista:
|
Game |
Players Who Purchased a Loot Box |
|
Fortnite Battle Royale |
23.1% |
|
Overwatch |
20.4% |
|
League of Legends |
13.6% |
|
Apex Legends |
11.9% |
|
Rocket League |
9.3% |
The Problem With Loot Boxes
The issue with loot boxes is that many consider them to promote ‘gambling-like’ behaviours. People may be inclined to spend disproportionate amounts of money just trying to get their desired items from these loot boxes. This becomes a problem when you take into consideration the fact that most video games are also played by underage players.
So, while ten-year-olds might not be allowed on a gambling website, they might indulge in similar behaviours on one of their favourite video games. So even though loot boxes might not be a direct example of gambling, they follow a process that’s quite similar to placing random bets. This has led to significant backlash on video games that work on the loot box formula, with many of them revising the way these items are marketed.
As the phenomenon becomes more popular, one can assume that legislation will be put out for such features as well in order to better regulate their usage and prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.
Today’s digitally enhanced world has blurred the lines between various forms of gaming and gambling activities. As different games merge into one another, it can be hard to draw clear distinctions between gambling and non-gambling gaming opportunities. While betting in itself can be a great form of entertainment, it can also be abused if used in the wrong way.
This is especially true when young children have access to gambling-like processes despite not being allowed at casinos themselves. Thus, the world of gambling in video games is a murky one. It’s difficult to decide whether these are features that should be prohibited or allowed, and the answer isn’t black and white.