Gambling and gaming are multi-billion dollar industries with high expected growth in the years that follow. If you compare $37.91 billion in volume in 2015 with $59.79 billion in 2020, statistics make it obvious—online gambling is becoming more and more popular every day. The video games industry is even more impressive with statistics that estimate profits of over $180 billion for video games by 2021.
When it comes to the online gaming and gambling industry, one thing is very clear—big data has had a huge impact since the very beginning. It has helped many industries and areas in life. As long as these highly popular industries keep track of what their customers want and need, they are even more likely to grow and succeed.
Based on the success of online gambling, it suffices to say that companies leverage online gambling industry data to improve players’ experiences and attract more people to play online. The same applies in gaming. By learning what the video game players want, developers can create new, better opportunities for playing—both in terms of mobile and PC gaming.
Ways in Which Big Data Shapes and Changes Online and Console Gaming Today
In 1958, William Higginbotham created what’s believed to be the first video game. In 1994, one top-rated software developers of casino products, Microgaming, was first launched. From that point onward, both these industries have come a long way toward being fully digitalized. Now that betting online is insanely popular and video game use is on a constant rise, companies acquire most advanced tools to personalize their products and determine odds for their players.
For a casino site to determine the odds of, let’s say, some UK slots not on GamStop, it needs to hire a team of big data technicians and engineers and make sure to provide highly accurate information about gambling for their players. In such a busy industry, it goes without saying that people search for trustworthy and honest source for playing.
On the other side, the most effectual video gaming companies continuously collect big data. They do so by tracking their players’ movements online and figuring out new ways on how to target individual customers. In the console industry, big data now has a fundamental use. Games collect this data even before demographic or social media data is collected. The game itself will log in the number of users who interact with it, as well as data such as the time of day they play, their play time, people they interact and play with, etc.
For the gambling industry, it goes even further than just helping bookmakers or casino owners. Big data is used on an international level and is evaluated and judged by a gambling commission of each country or state that casinos operate at. Rules in regard to gambling commission data retention can vary but essentially, big data is essential for keeping online gambling legit and safe for the players.
In terms of how much data does online gambling use, here are the top ways in which big data influences gambling.
Assists Bookmakers in Establishing Better Odds
It all started with bookmakers. Bookies were the first professionals who used big data to analyze their work processes. They used it to analyze previous games played and determine scoring and winning patterns. Thanks to big data, they became able to establish realistic odds for players.
Right now, all gaming industry parts use it for predictions. Same as bookies, casinos use big data to determine RTP, check a casino’s and player’s odds, as well as create reasonable and realistic gameplay for customers.
Helps Players Predict the Game Outcome
Of course, the world of gaming is based on luck, but a lot of players’ success also depends on odds and predictions. Big data cannot provide the most accurate outcome for the players, but it can come really close. By using big data, players can learn which games have best odds for a win, what strategy works best on which game, etc.
Helps Players of Poker to Develop Their Strategies
Poker is one of the most popular casino games in the world. Nowadays, you can choose between many variations of Poker, pick automated or live poker, or even take part of big poker tournaments. Online poker is a favourite past time for millions of players online.
For casinos, it is essential to place odds that are in favour of gamblers. This is what gamblers search for when they look for a casino to play with. This can be done by giving players more information in terms of how they can improve their strategies.
To do this, casinos use international gambling data. They track major tournaments worldwide to come up with accurate statistics and numbers that will help players boost their gaming strategy.
Boosts the Marketing Strategies
The success of a marketing strategy depends a lot on research. For this reason, big data is used constantly in video game creation as well as in the gambling industry. Both are big today, so in order to stand out from thousands of casino sites and game developers, companies have to use big data to improve their strategy.
The Future of Big Data in the Gambling and Gaming World
Big data has already taken a huge part in the growth of gaming on a worldwide level. It’s potentially applicable in every focus area. Since it constantly updates, big data is bound to achieve great things in the future of online gambling, too.
Casinos will use it to check their competition, follow new trends, keep track of current regulators and requirements, and get access to new software. Upcoming data processing algorithms will improve the process of collecting and analysing data for players and marketing strategies. Game creators will use it to check their players’ preferences, find the ideal playing time, and find new ways to make players play longer.
Based on all that’s said above, it’s safe to conclude that big data technology is bound to achieve great things in the console and online gaming industries. We’ve already experienced great success thanks to it, but that success is only beginning—all thanks to big data.