The Key Slot Gaming Trends for 2019

Posted by Harry Kane on Friday, February 8, 2019

It’s no secret that slot gaming remains a dominant force in the virtual gambling market, with this channel accounting for 64.5% of the sector’s GGY.

In laymen’s terms, this means that slots drive nearly two-thirds of operator revenues in the UK market, with this number likely to increase incrementally in the years to come. In contrast, popular table games like roulette and blackjack account for just 15.8% of the online GGY, while poker is responsible for a paltry 5.9%.

With this in mind, the future evolution of the slot market will clearly have a significant bearing on the growth of the virtual gambling industry in the UK. Below, we’ll look at the key slot gaming trends in 2019 and ask why they’re so important.

1. The Continued Integration of Pop Culture Themes

As the demand for slot games has increased exponentially in recent times, so too operators have moved to offer a wider range of popular titles.

But why have slot games become so popular in the first instance? Aside from the fact that their fast and simplistic gameplay appeal to both casual and serious gamblers, these titles have also benefited considerably from the integration of various pop culture themes.

This has helped to create an incredibly diverse and familiar range of slot games, which leverage natural hooks and culturally relevant narratives to engage a huge and motivated player base.

Make no mistake; this trend will continue at pace in 2019, as developers continue to use film, television and console video content to inspire new slot titles. Mythology, sport and musical themes are also underpinning a rising number of slot games, as operators begin to focus on developing a library of titles in which players are already emotionally invested.

Several football clubs are planning to follow Chelsea and Liverpool by launched dedicated slot games in conjunction with established developers, for example, in order to leverage an existing passion and offer operators access to a new demographic of players.

In this respect, the continued integration of pop culture themes will become increasingly targeted in the months ahead, as operators look to engage players on a deeper level and retain the attention of big-spending Millennial customers.

After all, the youngest members of this demographic turned 18 last year, optimising their spending power and influence in the consumer market. At the same time, this demographic is motivated by experiences rather than the accumulation of cash or prizes, so there’s no doubt that immersive and culturally relevant slot games are likely to appeal directly to Millennial gamers.

2. Virtual Reality Slots will Hit the Consumer Mainstream

Let’s face facts; while the idea of virtual reality (VR) gaming is far from novel, it has yet to realise its full potential in the consumer mainstream.

This is set to change over the course of the next five years, with the global VR market set to achieve a value of $33 billion by 2024 and grow at a CAGR of more than 55% during this period.

The ascent of VR will start in earnest this year, and there’s no doubt that online slots will play a pivotal role in this trend. This makes perfect sense, particularly as slot gaming provides the ideal medium for virtual reality to add tangible value and authentically replicate experiences that may otherwise prove to be beyond players (a trip to Vegas, anyone?).

We’ve already seen considerable movement in this space, with online casino operator ALEA having collaborated with Pragmatic Play to launch the ground-breaking Sugar Rush VR slot last year.

ALEA also operates the world’s first three-dimensional VR casino platform SlotsMillion, which sets its immersive gameplay against the backdrop of a sleek city skyscraper and gaming floor.

This year will also see Microgaming and NetEnt launch their own VR-inspired versions of popular slot titles, including the iconic Gonzo’s Quest and Jack and the Beanstalk.

As developers continue to reimagine the market’s most popular slot titles and present them as engaging VR experiences in 2019, this type of gaming will become increasingly popular and begin to supersede traditional online platforms.

3. Increased Security and the Rise of Cryptocurrency

While the further integration of pop culture and VR will help to create more immersive slot titles in 2019, however, this means little without the necessary security provisions.

After all, these provisions enable you to enjoy your favourite slots freely and with genuine peace of mind, while also safeguarding your financial and personal data.

This year will certainly see an increased focus on security amongst online slot operators, particularly when it comes to the way in which players log in to their chosen platforms.

The integration of biometric security features offers a relevant case in point, with fingerprint mapping being mooted to allow for a safe and rapid login that negates the need for a unique username and password.

At the same time, a growing number of online slot providers are now running on Cloud-based servers, which are typically utilised to optimise site safety and protect the most sensitive user data sets.

Of course, the Cloud is not immune to the threat of hacking or cyber-theft, but it’s far harder for opportunistic criminals to source sensitive data from virtual servers.

The issue of security also raises the spectre of cryptocurrency, which has already begun to have an impact on virtual gambling and slot gameplay.

Despite a chequered past, cryptocurrency is increasingly seen as a secure, easy and anonymous way to complete financial transactions online. This is especially true in the case of slightly liquid tokens like Bitcoin, which benefits from the lack of central authority and is far less volatile than most other digital currencies.

This trend will gather further momentum with the development of so-called stablecoins, which are pegged to a fiat currency like the U.S. in order to minimise price volatility.

Even on a fundamental level, cryptocurrency enables slot gamers to gamble anonymously and protect their identity online, and this is something that appeals to a growing number of enthusiasts in the digital age.