• 2005 Overview and 2006 Predictions
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The 2005 year was a very exciting year for the online gambling industry. The first thing, is the major explosion of Online Poker, which has led to big investments in online properties, as well as creative offers, services and games for the customer. The other major point to note, is that several companies have chosen to go with IPOs. Big IPOs. Some companies are now valued at over £5 billion, which is simply enormous.
Concerning the legal aspect, there has been ups and downs this year. The DOJ still try to impact the online casino industry by forbidding them to advertise (in fact, it is the inverse, forbidding the companies to take online gambling advertising). One of the most important is the announcement of Google to drop ads for online casinos. But Google is not really respecting its decision, as you can still see online casino ads at Google. One of the ups is the WTO ruling against the United States, which was claiming that the US is violating free trade agreements.
For players, the explosion of activity has led to major increase in the quality of the service, in the quality and number of games and the overall gaming offer on the net. The progressive jackpots values are increasing month after month, as shown by the latest biggest online winner, who won an amazing $2 Million in a single spin.
So, what's in for 2006? Hard to tell. The popularity of online gambling will increase, driven by the Internet evolution, and we will see more and more industry consolidation, which is good for the player. There will be even more ways to play, like playing from your mobile or with no-download, from your own TV, and even directly during flights! The technical solutions will be stronger, and we will see more variety with the games offered by online casinos, and when the technology will maturate, operators will be able to concentrate more on the entertainment aspect, until creating the ultimate gaming experience.
With all these investments that 2005 has bring in this industry, maybe we will see something completely new? A new groundbreaking gambling software? With more and enhanced social/networking options, new multiplayer games, skill games and arcade games? And what about an online casino in real 3D, with a real liberty of movement, and real players behind characters?
So,
let's see what 2006 has reserved for us, and have a happy gaming year! |
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