From Zero to Hero: How iGaming Took the World by Storm

Online casinos and betting sites are almost everywhere – and their numbers are growing. An ever-increasing number of jurisdictions have decided to regulate iGaming, allowing an ever-growing number of players to access safe and secure services over the Internet. Today, the iGaming industry is a $100 billion industry. It’s hard to imagine that it started as humble as it did.

Two brothers and a computer

The first iGaming outlet was created by two brothers, Andrew and Mark Rivkin, in 1995. They developed a secure online payment system and thought an online casino would be the best practical application for it. The first online betting site followed one year later, and Planet Poker, the first online poker room, was launched in 1998. In just a few years, online casinos and betting sites became all the rage, emerging in the hundreds worldwide.

From a street corner to a global industry

The first bookmaker posting odds on horse racing was Harry Ogden from Newmarket Heath, UK, who took bets on street corners in the 1790s. Betting has become a popular pastime (and a source of income for some) in England and beyond. It found its way online in 1996, and since then, it has become a global phenomenon.

Aside from the already established markets, we see incredible online sports betting growth in South Africa, Nigeria, and other African countries as well. The betting industry alone is worth around $40 billion this year, with annual growth of at least 10% expected in the coming years.

High-tech entertainment

The early online casinos were basic and rudimentary compared to what we use today. The first casino software packages had to be downloaded and installed… or were sent out on CDs by mail. The first browser-based casino games were built in Java, followed by Adobe Flash, and many of them were ugly and basic compared to today’s games.

The first major jump in the evolution of iGaming was the introduction of streaming in casinos. Live dealer games first emerged in the mid-2000s, combining the convenience of online casinos with the personal touch of the real thing. Around the same time, the first live streams emerged at betting sites, adding an extra layer of excitement to wagering.

What the future holds

iGaming is already considered one of the most innovative industries in the world. It is always among the first to embrace novel forms of entertainment and new platforms, no matter if they are smartwatches or virtual reality. And from here on, they’ll implement today’s emerging technologies, like gamification, social media, and artificial intelligence. This way, iGaming operators can offer their customers better and more personalized services and a more secure and satisfying gaming experience.

In just a few decades, the iGaming industry went from zero to hero – from novelty to a $100 billion industry. With the increasing penetration of connected devices and the evolving regulatory environment, it will reach more and more players and increase its fan base every year.