As we step into the year 2025, it is time to look backward and consider some of those predictions for 2024 in the gaming and online betting industries. Given how ever-changing technologies and market dynamics are, it is timely to go back and investigate if those forecasted trends came into being. From expansion in the live casino to full-scale integration of AI, that’s what we learned about whether market predictions for 2024 matched reality.
The Growth of Live Casinos
In 2024, live casino gaming was growing significantly, with earlier predictions reported. Indeed, the global online gambling market, of which live casinos are a part, reached a valuation of about USD 81.9 billion in 2023 and is set to witness a 9.7% CAGR through 2030, reaching USD 156.7 billion.
The live casinos have continued to provide immersive real-time gaming experiences, especially to players who would wish for some elements of authenticity in their online gambling. The popularity of live dealer games has grown and online platforms have increased their offerings to include a wider range of live casino games, further boosting the market growth. The allure lies in the reproduction, with the help of streaming technology, of a casino atmosphere transferred from land-based casinos to make this experience more productive for experienced gamblers and new players alike.
In 2024, many operators improved their platforms with better streaming quality and interactive features, including live chat or better player-dealer interactions. This expansion has occurred in concert with the projections for a surge in live casino gaming.
Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) in Gaming
While the predictions were that VR and AR would play a more significant role in online gaming, both have permeated the online betting industry more slowly than predicted. As of 2024, VR casinos were less than commonplace, with high-end VR setups remaining well out of many players’ budgets.
There have been incremental improvements in VR technology and more active applications of AR to gaming, yet the barriers to wide-scale adoption, such as hardware requirements and a relatively high barrier to entry, have kept it at low levels. However, VR and AR create further interest in the gaming industry and the gradual inclusion into platforms is something that can be observed in these coming years.
Undeniably, the prospects of VR casinos are still very bright, while in 2024, they were mainly used either in some experimental format or exclusively for high-rollers who could afford such an experience.
Esports Betting and Growth
It is one of the sectors that, to be quite frank, came to a full stop in alignment with the forecast made for 2024. The global esports market is projected to surpass the USD 3 billion barrier by 2025 and sports betting on esports also keeps on growing. Such competitions-either League of Legends or Dota 2-continue to attract massive audiences, placing esports betting as one of the major components of online gambling platforms.
More and more operators have been adding esports to their betting options over the period. This is partly down to the growing recognition of esports as an actual sport, with several leading sportsbooks now offering different options for tournaments and games. One of the key emerging trends by 2024 was its integration into mainstream wagering platforms and this market seemed set for further expansion.
With the growing viewership and fan interaction in esports competitions, it was expected that esports betting would thrive, a trend that has been fully realized and benefited sites that have included esports as part of their offerings.
Sports Betting Expansion
The growth in sports betting online observed for the past couple of years continued to rise significantly in 2024, influenced by legalizations entering new markets and increased mobility in sports betting. The global online sports betting market was valued at USD 48,170.0 million in 2024 and is expected to reach a value of USD 83,580.0 million by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 11.65%.
In 2024, even more regions and states made online sports betting legal, increasing the market. In addition to that, live bets and in-play wagers, during which players are allowed to set bets in the course of an event, also became popular. The increased number of mobile and app-based sports betting platforms has indeed proved to be a game-changing factor in this regard, as this increases access to betting opportunities when out and about.
The addition of live sports betting features, as well as an expanded offering of sports options, was expected. The operators answered well to this demand by adding real-time betting options and enhancing the user experience with mobile-friendly platforms.
Mobile Gaming on the Rise
In 2024, mobile gaming continued unabated, further consolidating its lead as the leading platform within the gaming and betting industries. This has been driven by the convenience of smartphones, improved internet connectivity and the development of user-friendly applications. Players more and more often preferred mobile platforms for both casual gaming and betting, with operators optimizing their interfaces to work seamlessly on smaller screens.
It was even further enhanced with live betting, real-time notifications and intuitively designed navigation. This movement toward mobile betting has also led operators to invest in providing secure transactions and data protection for gamers on the go. In any case, the mobile gaming device will continue changing with each passing day how players connect with the platform of their choice and change the wider gaming fraternity.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning had been foreseen to make revolutions in the year 2024 within the gaming and betting industries and surely these technologies have made a few leaps. AI-driven personalization has allowed varied platforms to offer experiences tailored especially for each player, such as personalized promotions and suggestions based on a player’s behavior.
Machine learning algorithms detect fraudulent activities and suspicious betting patterns, thus helping online platforms maintain security and fair play. By 2024, the integration of AI in the operations of online gaming platforms had gone a notch higher in providing improved user experiences with heightened security measures.
The trends for 2024 will surely be one way to go, as they show where the industry is leaning and at its very heart lies technological innovation. With the constant changes anticipated for AI, VR, esports and mobile gaming entering 2025, great changes will happen within the online gaming and betting arena.
