Entertainment trends tend to change quite quickly, and it’s often the case that many of us don’t know about them until they are firmly established in the mainstream. It’s a characteristic of this fast-paced digital age.
While this is true of movies, music and video games, it’s also true of the iGaming sector, with new trends suddenly becoming dominant among casino players. Below, we look at some of those trends that are super popular right now at major online casino platforms.
Live Casino Game Shows
For those not au fait with the online casino sector, it can be difficult to describe game shows and their popularity. First, as the name suggests, these games are live – played in a studio and streamed to your device – and more reminiscent of TV game shows than traditional games. The games are big productions and unique. Examples include Crazy Time and Adventures Beyond Wonderland, which you can find here at DraftKings Casino in the United States. These games have upended expectations for casino games, and they are arguably more social than any other genre of casino game. They have become an important part of the iGaming landscape.
Crash Games
Crash Games, like game shows, require a little explanation. These games are retro-style and easy to play, animated in a style that recalls 1980s video gaming. The concept is simple by design: the player places bets on the animation – something like a plane taking off and arcing through the sky – and must cash out before the ‘crash,’ e.g., the plane crashing or flying away. It’s as simple as that, but it belies the huge popularity of these hold-your-nerve-style games.
Volatile Games
Volatility has been one of the stylistic trends of casino gaming for several years now. By volatility, we refer to the behavior of certain slot games. It’s moved away from the bars, bells and fruits format of classic slot games to a more explosive format. The classic style of slots still exists and remains popular, but many players are opting for games with more volatile characteristics. What that means in practice is that players are opting for games with the ability to suddenly pay bigger prizes, but the games overall are much less dependable, hence the term volatility. Examples include the Fire in the Hole and Money Train series.
Tournaments
Moving away from games and game types, it’s worth noting that online casinos have become much more social, integrating more ways to engage within the platform outside of the actual games. Tournaments may consist of leaderboard prizes for players who have achieved the highest win on certain games. One of the alluring aspects of these leaderboard tournaments is that the prizes are usually based on calculations of wins based on multiples of the bet, not the overall cash value. That makes it somewhat more equitable between low-stakes players and high rollers.
Personalization
This is a concept that is relatively new and remains relatively niche, but it does tell us something about future trends. More and more casino games are offering tools to make the experience more personalized. In games like Triple Supreme Xtreme Heart of the Sea, for example, you can change the symbols in the game before you play. You can also do similar for layouts in certain card and table games. With the introduction of AI, we expect to see a lot more customization and personalization of online casino gaming in the future.