Every casino trend has to start somewhere. The French created roulette, baccarat, and blackjack. The Italians innovated Bingo while the Brits created horseracing. Across the Atlantic Ocean, American innovators have created some of the most important products in iGaming.
From slot machines to poker, here are the biggest gambling products and trends from the US:
Slot Machines
When you think about it, slots are America’s biggest export to the casino industry. Everyone gets excited at the thought of playing a slot machine. Surprisingly, the game has been around for over 120 years.
Charles Fey, an American man from California, created the world’s first slot machine in 1894. His game had diamonds, bells, horseshoes, spades, and hearts as symbols. Three bells in a row earned you $0.50, the biggest reward in the game.
Slot machines evolved over time, switching from pulley machines to computer software. They also skyrocketed—almost all USA casinos real money sites have hundreds of slot machines. Some operators have 80% slots and 20% other games.
The best slots come in designs people love—sports, wild animals, TV shows, ancient cultures, mythic gods, fruit and gems, nature, celebrities, and video games. They also have lucrative rewards—some games can pay up to $20m to winners.
Mobile Casinos
Although Microgaming launched the first mobile casino gaming in 2003, the iPhone elevated mobile gaming globally. After Apple launched the iPhone in 2007, lots of companies followed suit with Android and blackberry OS systems.
In the next decade, mobile casino gaming soared so high that it surpassed all other platforms. Today, most people can’t imagine a better way to play slots or table games than through a smartphone.
Sure, a big PC screen offers a better gaming experience. However, 70% of casino fans play slots. Most slot fans don’t need a large device. They need a device that lets them play their favorite games conveniently.
A smartphone is like a mini-casino in your pocket. You can pull it out when you want to unwind from work or kill boredom. It doesn’t matter where you live. You could be on the bus, plane, or beach. If you own a smartphone, you can play casino games for real money.
Competitive Poker
If you ask the average casino fan to mention their favorite pro gamblers, there’s a chance the list will be dominated by poker players. Poker traces its origins to New Orleans. It then spread across the country, leading to new variants such as Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Caribbean poker.
Why is poker so popular among professional gamblers? The short answer is that it is a game of skill. With most casino games—luck plays a major role in determining whether you win or lose. In poker, you could have a weak hand and bluff your way into victory.
Another reason why professionals love poker is that you can play against multiple people. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has tournaments with thousands of entrants. In these competitions, the entry fee is low. Yet, the main pot is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Although thousands of online casinos offer poker games, choose live casinos with lots of traffic. This way, you’re certain of finding real people to play with—players within your skill range.
Fast and Reliable Payments
When online casinos first launched, they had a difficult time accepting payments. Paper checks and wire transfers were too slow. And digital wallets were not a thing yet.
Over time, casinos introduced cards, digital wallets, and electronic checks. Visa and MasterCard, the most popular card networks, are both located in the US. PayPal, Apple Pay, and GPay are also American companies.
In other words, American companies own the biggest payment providers in iGaming. Without cards and mobile wallets, online gambling would never have become global.
Credit/debit cards provide convenience and easy access to iGaming. Mobile wallets provide speed and low fees. They are also easily accessible—there’s a mobile payment app in over 150 countries.
Nowadays, casino players have a wide variety of ways to deposit and withdraw money. Some payment options didn’t originate in the US. However, they’re hugely popular locally. Bitcoin is an excellent example.
High-Security Standards
US casino sites don’t take anything to chance when it comes to protecting their customers. They use military-grade data encryption techniques. They mandate their customers to secure their accounts. They sophisticated tools to protect their websites against malware, hackers, and viruses.
Although only a handful of states permit casino sites, they have strict licensing protocols. To acquire a gambling license in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, you need an established history of managing a casino successfully.
The result is that many online casinos in the US are safe and reliable. They keep your data safe and process payouts consistently. To be fair, many gambling regulators have strict rules.
In the UK and Malta, casinos must undergo tenuous vetting procedures before they can acquire licenses. Enforcing tough rules helps protect players from negligence and mismanagement.
In the best jurisdictions, player protection isn’t limited to data and money. It also includes their wellbeing. Casinos are required to offer help when a gambler asks for it—deposit limit tools, therapy assistance, or account suspension.
Marketing Strategies
Online casinos around the world have clever marketing teams. Some of their marketing strategies can be traced to Las Vegas, where establishments have countless ways of separating money from revelers.
In Nevada, casinos remove clocks and windows from their gaming rooms. They give out complimentary food and drinks. On the Internet, a casino’s biggest marketing weapon is content.
Some sites promote their games through social media. Some use email and blogs. However, the most successful brands use multiple channels. Combining social media with YouTube and blogging helps maximize a website’s reach.
Some sites also pay for advertising or hire influencers to help with marketing. This comprehensive approach works for every business. However, only casinos with competent marketing professionals are able to turn their campaigns into growth and profits.
