Are player demands finally forcing improvements in the gambling market?

Players are speaking up, and the industry is finally listening. Gamblers are disappointed about how the industry has somewhat stagnated, both on the online casino and sports betting fronts, and they are clamouring for new experiences – those that drive online gambling forward. While platforms have been a bit slow to react, we are starting to see changes that we couldn’t have anticipated just a few years ago.

Why players are demanding change

While there are plenty of new casinos on the market, many of those platforms aren’t pushing innovation as far as they could. It isn’t so much because of an ‘if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it’ mindset, but more due to the understandable caution that comes with launching a gambling platform; a venture that carries significant financial and reputational risk. Online casinos and bookmakers are careful about introducing major changes because they have a lot at stake. As a result, many choose to follow tried and tested industry standards.

This has led some gamblers to feel that the industry could offer more variety. That’s not to say that people have stopped enjoying horse race betting, online casino gaming and similar entertainment. Rather, they’re simply looking for more unique experiences, and may be less motivated to explore new platforms. This creates challenges for newer brands and encourages those established ones to look for fresh ways to innovate.

Now, we want to point out that there hasn’t been a major shake-up in the gambling industry in a while. However, we are beginning to see exciting, incremental changes emerging – particularly from newer platforms – and there’s no doubt that much of this progress is driven by players calling for positive evolution in the industry.

Bigger push for transparency and fair play in the industry

Online players are demanding transparency from the platforms. They are starting to favour operators that promote provably fair technology, ie the games they offer are verifiably fair. This doesn’t happen so much in the sports betting industry at the moment (since there is no way to certify the fairness of outcomes, something either happens or it doesn’t, and you can see it with your own eyes). Crypto technology (similar to how cryptocurrency is created) has helped to create provably fair systems so players can check that the platforms they are using aren’t out to scam them. Players increasing demand this, especially since the number of scams in this business has been on the rise recently.

The UK Gambling Commission (which we are sure you have heard of) also requires platforms to be much more secure when it comes to protecting their customers’ data. So, players are demanding more secure servers etc. Although, since the law now legally requires such technology, it is very much a given that registered platforms will be using it.

Bonuses aren’t everything now (but they help)

We’ll be straightforward and say that bonuses from older casinos have become somewhat bland in recent years. This isn’t just down to the online casinos and betting sites, though. In part, it is due to the UKGC, which doesn’t want massive bonuses to be handed out as they believe the practise encourages problem gambling. This means that bonuses have started to become smaller, with more and more restrictions on what players can do with the cash. So, there has been less of a focus for gamblers on bonuses, since they know they aren’t as brilliant as they used to be.

That being said, gamblers do still love the idea of bonuses that try to be a bit more unique. Not the whole ‘deposit this amount, and we’ll give this amount in bonus cash’ type thing. They love being rewarded in unique ways based on the games they play. Gamblers also seem to love loyalty systems, or cashback offers on losses, which new online casinos often provide. You’ll notice that a lot more of the newer online casinos are starting to focus on the idea of specialised bonuses as a way to attract players.

Withdrawals are getting faster

A few years ago, withdrawing cash from an online casino or betting site would have taken a long time. Well, at least a few days, but in today’s world of automatic bank transfers, this can feel like forever. Players have started to force change in this area, though.

Nowadays, most players ignore platforms that don’t have instant withdrawals (ie your cash reaching your account within a few minutes of your withdrawal request), and much of the industry has started to follow what the players want.

Final thoughts

Player demands are forcing the industry to change. They may be slow changes at the moment, but there is change, nonetheless. Much of this has been driven by new casinos, many of which are offering unique bonuses, faster withdrawals and provably fair gambling to an increasingly sophisticated customer base.