The last 15 years or so has seen the emergence of one of the most rapid-growing industries out there. Worth an estimated $30 billion worldwide, the i-gaming (or online gaming) industry is here to stay.
That’s hardly surprising. As a past-time, gambling in one variety or another has been popular for centuries. What’s changed is the emergence of so many new and different ways to bet on virtually anything. Have an opinion on who’s going to win the Premier League this year? Think Miss Kenya has a shot at being crowned Miss Universe? Enjoy a game of Texas Hold’em? Think you’ve developed the ultimate system to crack Blackjack? Want to make some new friends over a game of Bingo? Whatever it is you like playing, hundreds of betting companies will offer it. The hard part is customers trying to choose who to play with.
And Gaming isn’t just for the recreational punter who wants to add a little bit of excitement to his Wednesday night watching Champions League football or gets a kick out of playing a slot based on their favourite comic book. Many a Poker player has played the odds, folded the weak hands and made the right calls as they’ve ground out a very decent living playing online Poker without leaving their bedroom. Or studied the stats hard enough to find value prices on Sports events to earn a monthly income that sure as hell beats working for a living.
But none of this could have happened without the Internet. Gone are the days of having to venture to a rainy horseracing track, filling out a slip in a depressing betting shop or having to make your way to the nearest Casino for a few spins on the roulette wheel. People can bet 24 hours a day without having to leave the comfort of their home and in most cases, can bet on the move using a Smartphone, Tablet or plenty of other electronic devices.
Whereas many of the early criticisms and suspicions about i-gaming were to do with a lack of trust that customers’ money was in safe hands rather than exposed to fraudulent schemes, this is no longer a problem, with any Gaming company worth its salt having full teams of staff employed in Departments such as Fraud, Integrity and Payments to ensure that your money is as safe as if it was in a Swiss Bank Account.
So when will the bubble burst? On the evidence available, no time soon. The recession of 2009 may have hit many companies hard as the public tightened its purse strings but gambling companies continued to show strong results as the desire to bet online proved to be an inelastic demand. The i-gaming industry rode the wave of financial strife and came out unscathed, board intact and wetsuit unscratched. Judging by the share prices of some listed betting companies, it’s going to take a Tsunami to rock this industry.
So how does this affect you? We’ve seen that this is an industry that has strong foundations based on the demand to bet online, be it for pleasure and thrills or as a main source of income. And it’s an industry that’s forever crying out for determined, hungry talent like yourself. It’s an industry where you can build a career from a Junior entry-level position all the way to being the big boss calling the shots in the Boardroom. It can take you from company to company, from country to country, all the way giving you further experience to fulfill your professional dreams.
In many ways the i-gaming journey is still only at its first stages, just out of the blocks. Do you want to miss out on this ride?
