Is mobile casino the future for Canadian players?

3 May 2017 Written by: Geraldine

We’ve talked about mobile casino apps and sites before, and we’ve said how recent findings show that over 3000 casinos are now mobile. Ever since the rise of the iPhone and touch-screens back in 2007, the world has been turning more and more to mobile platforms for its internet needs. That was just ten years ago and already the technological progress over this decade has been astounding. Fast forward to today in 2017, and it’s no wonder that desktop casinos are turning to mobile casino platforms as the future of gambling.

New studies published last month, April 2017, have shown that players in Europe, while they do make use of mobile casino platforms, don’t compare to Northern American players in mobile use. Northern America surpasses all other demographics in terms of mobile gaming. You, our Canadian reader, are more likely to be reading this on mobile than on desktop. In fact, saying things like ‘Click here for more information’ have become obsolete exactly because the internet user is likely to be using a touch-screen, and not a mouse.

What does this all mean for the future of online casinos? Will desktop casinos eventually become out-dated, and all casinos become mobile casino? Let’s see.

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The statistics

Following statistics posted by SuperData Research last April in 2017, it seems that Northern Americans (including Canadian players) prefer phones over tablets and PCs. In fact, over 85% of social  casino players use phones to play casino games. 27% of those players use phones exclusively, meaning they don’t ever use tablets or PCs for casino gaming. By comparison, tablets have a 50% popularity ranking, and PCs have a 49% popularity ranking. This last 49% statistic being a record low for PC usage throughout the years. SuperData has found that players who exclusively use desktop have fallen from 15% in 2016 to 6% in 2017, meaning it fell by more than half the previous year’s percentage.

What these numbers seem to tell us is that PCs are on the path to becoming obsolete. On the other hand, mobile casino games which are on phones and, to a lesser extent of popularity, tablets are steadily on the rise.

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Why is mobile casino so popular?

It’s no mystery as to why mobile casino is becoming so popular with Northern Americans, including Canadians. Life keeps getting busier and busier, and mobile integration with all elements of life is so fluid that you hardly ever need to sit down in a front of a computer. Ever. The U.S.A and Canada are especially at the forefront of all these new developments and it’s almost expected for Canadian players and American players to be the most mobile-inclined.

Beyond that, mobile technology has not only been ‘keeping up’ with contemporary life, but it’s also pushing the envelope of modernisation. Some online casinos aren’t even bothering to launch a desktop version, going straight to mobile instead. It’s because they’re clued in to what ‘the future’ is going to look like.

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The future

SuperData also reports that while the PC market is shrinking, PC casino games are still on track to earn 48% of social casino revenue in 2017. Why? Because some players are loyal users of the desktop platform. Besides, players are more engaged when they’re on desktop, the study also shows. Online casinos, just as much as they want to keep up with the changing times, are also likely to push the platform which ensures more interest from the player.

So what does the future look like according to this latest study? Very mobile. But not absolutely completely mobile. Either way, mobile casino is definitely the way forward for gambling industries.