Online Casino Highlights of 2016 and Predictions for 2017

The online gambling industry has been thriving in 2016, with an increasing number of online casino operators looking to offer some of the most exciting and attractive games on the market. Land-based and online casino developers have also made efforts to keep up with the competition by creating innovative products, which are looking to fulfill the highest expectations of players from all around the world.

When it comes to making decisions about buying casino games, it is important to see which have been the most significant trends that appeared on the market recently. By knowing what players have been looking for in 2016, we can easily predict the trends that will take over the online gambling industry during the following year.

Looking back over 2016, our casino experts have noticed a few trends among operators who are interested in starting an online casino.

Operators who want to buy casino games have chosen both classic and modern online slots themes.

The classics - fruit slots

Without any doubt, operators always decide to stick to the classics when it comes to opening an online casino business. Fruit-themed slot games are recognized as the first slots that appeared in land-based casinos, and were also known as "fruit machines".

Almost any online casino has at least one fruit-themed slot game. The reason why operators prefer this type of slots is that classic games appeal to practically any casino enthusiast. You can target any audience, from any location, mainly because the classic fruit theme, accompanied by symbols such as lucky sevens, bars or stars, appeals to players from all around the world.

Like so, if you are looking to buy casino games, you can highly consider choosing at least one fruit-themed slot game for your online casino, as they never go out of style.

Multi-feature slot games

In 2016, players preferred casino slots that come with a multitude of features. When you choose the games for your online gaming site, it would be useful to take a good look at the additional features that come with each casino game.

A slot game with amazing graphics, which lacks additional features, might not be as appreciated as one that offers players the chance to discover new bonuses or jackpots along the way.

On the other hand, a simple game would be more appropriate for beginners, who are sometimes overwhelmed by the multitude of features offered by some slot games.

These are some of the most popular features that players look for in a casino slot game:

• Bonuses: slot games which offer entertaining bonuses are appreciated by any player type. Some of the most popular bonuses are the ones which provide a decision element, engaging the player to pick various objects that reveal prizes. 
  
•  Free spins: this online slot game feature remains popular among casino enthusiasts. As any casino player knows, free spins usually come up when 3 scatter symbols appear on the reels. During free spin mode, no credits are consumed, and any winning is usually multiplied.
• Jackpots: no slot game is complete without at least one version of jackpot. Casino games that were popular in 2016 offer the possibility to randomly win a mini, major or mega jackpot.

Mobile gaming takes the lead

If in the past 2-3 years we could see a few operators testing the market with mobile gaming, in 2017 we expect to see an almost complete shift towards mobile casino games, especially in the gaming market of developed countries.

It is easier and more compelling to access casino games from your smartphone, mainly because nowadays you can easily find a stable and safe internet connection every day, in all kinds of locations. Players don't have to sit at home, in front of their computers anymore. You can play mobile games in a hotel room, in a shopping mall, at the airport, and so on.

This means that when you decide to buy casino games, you should make sure that the games you purchase are compatible with mobile devices. The most popular markup language that casino developers use for mobile gaming is HTML5, while desktop games were mostly designed using Flash software. Pay attention to the fact that Flash games do not work with mobile devices.

Bitcoin casinos still on the rise

With each year that passes, Bitcoin gains more power over the internet. More than that, at the beginning of December, the web-based digital currency managed to hit its highest level in three years. Now, the cryptocurrency is trading as high as $770. Despite its past volatility, Bitcoin has become stabilized during the past six months, staying above $500.

An interesting fact is that Bitcoin could be highly influenced by the American elections, once U.S. President-elect Donald Trump introduces new economic policies. Drastic changes could encourage emerging market countries to accept Bitcoin as a partial alternative to the USD. If China or Russia decide to embrace Bitcoin, we could see the digital currency rise 165% to no less than $2000 in 2017.  

Operators who want to buy casino games and open a Bitcoin gaming site should know that there are only a few casino developers who offer Bitcoin solutions. At CasinoWebScripts, we can offer you Bitcoin integration with all our casino games. More than that, we also provide cryptocurrency integration alternatives, so you can choose any digital currency for your online casino.

Surprise-element bonuses and incentives

Offering online casino bonuses is a must for any gaming operator who wants to attract new customers and maintain the loyalty of veteran players. Online casino operators compete against each other by giving bigger and better rewards.

An interesting approach to this strategy is to incorporate an element of surprise in the bonus. For example, when players who already signed up enter your online casino's page, a fortune wheel can appear on the screen. Players spin the wheel and win a bonus each time, sometimes smaller, sometimes bigger.

By giving players a task, which can only end up in a positive experience, you will encourage them to come back and see what they can win next.

Games that tell a story

Since we are talking about online casinos, not all games have a story narrative behind them, especially when we think about card games. Even so, slot games remain the most popular casino products, and since the market is overloaded with all types of slots, it is important to offer an underlying story that evokes moments and elements that players easily recognize.

Therefore, when you decide to buy casino games, think about which audience you would like to target, and offer players games that resonate with their preferences. An example would be a game created around the pirate theme: the story begins with a majestic pirate ship that needs to conquer all the riches of the world. If the players get lucky enough, they can be become part of the story during bonus mode, when they get to choose which ships to rob.