Two decades in, technology and evolving consumer needs continue shaping online gaming and gambling industries.
In 2025, we expect innovations like AI, AR, VR, and streaming to revolutionize online casinos further, even as regulators amp up their efforts to protect online bettors. Let’s look at what the landscape might look like over the next year with these and other changes:
Increased immersion
2024 has been the year of immersion, and there's no reason to believe 2025 won't be either. This year, technologies like VR and streaming have come to the forefront to deliver immersive online experiences through casino platforms like jackpot city and their wide selections of online and live games.
Streaming technology is also responsible for the success esports betting has enjoyed this year. In 2025, and with 5G internet becoming a reality, online gaming experiences will become more engaging.
Hyper-social gaming
Players and online bettors have also expressed a need for social features on online gambling platforms this year, with many providers responding through chat features, forums, and multiplayer games.
In 2025, we expect online casinos and game developers to enter the social media space, where most Gen Z players can be found. Online casinos like Betway are already leading this move, having rolled out several social features that replicate traditional casino experiences for players online.
Remakes and reboots
If this year’s release of Inside Out 2 and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has taught us anything, reboots are back. According to boxofficemojo, the top 10 domestic movie releases of 2024 were reboots, remakes, and sequels. This year's gaming industry brought back Final Fantasy 7, The Last of Us Part 1, and a selection of other successful and not-so-successful remodels.
Some fans love the nostalgia of revisiting their favorite franchises, while others wonder if this marks the beginning of the end of creativity for the industry. Whatever the case, 2025 looks to be following in that trend, with the following titles already announced for release:
- Marvel’s Spiderman 2
- Freedom Wars Remastered
- Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
- Tales of Graces f Remastered
- Dragon Quest III
Cloud gaming
The gaming industry is not immune to technology. With cloud solutions gaining traction in different industries, game developers are embracing the format to make video games more accessible to players.
Services like GeForce Now and Amazon Luna offer seamless gaming experiences delivered through streaming technology. The idea is to democratize gaming and deliver top titles to players who may not have access to or cannot afford gaming hardware.
In 2024, the cloud gaming sector had 295 million players and is expected to continue growing well past next year.
Stricter regulations
With all these changes and innovations happening in the gaming and igaming industries, regulators will be on high alert. Cloud gaming, live casinos, and social gambling are all uncharted territories. No one knows yet what is acceptable and what carries the potential for harm.
With cybersecurity and problem gambling concerns at an all-time high, regulators will want to protect players and online bettors from unscrupulous actors and hackers. IMGL has already released the 2025 version of its regulated gambling manual.
A year of innovation and regulation
To put 2025 in a nutshell for the gaming and gambling industries, technology will continue to change online gaming infrastructure, and regulators will be right there watching.
Providers and game developers are keen on making online gaming and gambling more accessible, immersive, and social, and we should see more of that as the year progresses.
Governing bodies, meanwhile, are on high alert because as gaming becomes more accessible, so does the potential for harm. Expect to see stricter regulations on data protection, advertising, and KYC protocols.
