iGaming News with Chilli Partners: December

Online gambling is "maturing" conclude British scientists

The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) has released research data on people's commitment to gambling. According to the collected statistics, interest in online gambling among pensioners increased by more than 50% during the lockdown.

The share of people over 65 who gamble online at least once a month has increased from just under 8.7% in 2019 to almost 14%. This is by more than 600,000 people and was mainly due to the closure of land-based betting shops during the pandemic, combined with the lack of access to other types of activities.

The next largest increase was recorded among 45-54 year-olds, by more than 341,000 people, although the number of 16-34 year-olds gambling online decreased by 307,000 people.

The RCP warns that online gambling carries a risk due to its round-the-clock availability, especially at a time when people are at home a lot and may face financial difficulties due to the pandemic.

Gambling operators are studying the interest of online gambling in Romania

Experts in the online gambling sector stated that Romania is one of the most attractive markets in Europe due to several factors. There are almost 20 million people there, it has one of the world's highest average Internet speeds, and it has an established land-based gambling industry.

According to operators, since 2015 the Romanian market has been developing and showing good results. It was a jurisdiction that from the very beginning of its regulation attracted the attention of the leading players of the global gambling industry. Thanks to this, both local companies and well-known European corporations are currently licensed in the market. 

According to official data, the share of Romania's income from online gambling entertainment is growing at a faster pace compared to the traditional land-based sector. Operators attribute this to the global trend of increasing "mobility" in gambling, optimization of user experience, availability of games and restriction of offline activities of various kinds due to the pandemic. But online, according to experts, is not just a temporary replacement, but rather a new reality. If you combine it with a significant percentage of regular Internet users and an influx of large suppliers of products presented on a variety of well-regulated and professional platforms, then you get the ideal combination for the growth of the industry.

The line between games and gambling is becoming blurred

If earlier gaming products and gambling entertainment were in different "worlds", those worlds are now merging, as the list of :gambling games” is constantly increasing. This is evidenced by modern research.

Previously, a gambling and gaming experience differed in their essence – the first activity primarily consisted in playing for "randomness" for a potential prize, in which players bet real money. Online games however, were traditionally based on skill and strategy and did not offer a chance of in-game financial rewards.

According to the research of scientists Daniel L. King and Phillipa Calado, in the last decade there has been a merger of these two directions. Social platforms offer users games that are traditionally associated with gambling such as roulette, slots, poker, and others. Although these games are free, they can offer microtransactions to purchase in-game items that are designed to make the user's gaming experience better. Many popular games are based on a fusion of luck and skill, for example, a card game from Blizzard, Hearthstone, or Gwent. This "gamification" of the gambling experience has brought classical gambling disciplines closer to online gaming.

Scientists note that the blurring of boundaries is influenced by technological processes and legislative regulation. Technology has made the Internet a common place and inevitably brought bookmakers online, numerous sites have appeared where you can bet money on events in computer games. Dozens of betting apps have been developed on a mobile device.

The third component is streaming and esports betting, which have made real gamblers out of game fans who bet on professional events on popular gambling platforms.

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