The ongoing pandemic has crushed countless businesses; however, it has also opened the door for a multitude of others, more specifically, online gambling. Whether working from home, quarantining, or just spending more time inside due to closings, it’s clear more and more people are transitioning towards online gambling. The main reason for this is the pandemic; however, there are a couple of other reasons as to why online gambling has increased exponentially in 2021 and onwards.
Livestreaming
The younger generation typically spends a lot of their time online and, more recently, watching ‘streamers’ on websites like YouTube and Twitch, and now, due to the pandemic, the age demographic has increased dramatically. Live streamers actively streaming their bets, coupled with recent technological advancements, have created a fantastic mix of entertainment and excitement for thousands of viewers. You are given a candid look at someone else gambling and begin to share the emotion in their losses or gains.
However, when the stream ends, where do the viewers go afterward? There is no doubt that a significant percentage of casino live stream watchers then go on to experience the same thrills they just previously witnessed their favorite streamer partake in. Many seek out places such as 22 Bet that offer multitudes of betting types in places around the world. Livestreaming also affects the casinos themselves. Many online casinos such as the aforementioned one also feature live event betting with chatrooms during big sports events like Nascar and NFL. They also have recently added live workers who are streamed to your devices to give an authentic casino-like experience right from home.
Cryptocurrency
Much like online gambling, cryptocurrency has also seen another explosion in 2021 similar to 2017. This has contributed towards online betting as a means to anonymously partake in online gambling, and circumventing laws and restrictions. Almost overnight hundreds of online gambling sites began to allow cryptocurrency gambling and have carved a home for many of the various cryptocurrencies to flourish. Some people enjoy the privacy side of cryptocurrency and like to use currencies like XRP or BTC to keep their activity off the books.
Covid-19
The last and most obvious is the recent pandemic. We doubt many people in this world weren’t affected by Covid-19 in some way, but it is a certainty that it has contributed to the rise of online gambling. Simply putting two-and-two together, more people at home, along with casinos being closed, equals more people seeking out different means of entertainment and gambling (plus, unlike physical casinos, you can come across online casino bonuses much easier, giving you even more for your money). This coupled with the fact you can’t book tickets to stadium events, has led to an increased amount of online sportsbook gambling too.
With the virus potentially entering the endemic stage and most of the restrictions becoming lifted, you’d assume the boom would be slowing down, however, online casinos even still are seeing massive increases in popularity in 2022 coupled with in-person casinos. Like with most things, it’s unclear whether online gambling will continue to exponentially increase in the future. We can however assume as the innovations continue; online gambling is certainly here to stay in a big way.