Slots Developers and Their Role in the iGaming Industry

Ever since slots games left the dark corners of local pubs all over the UK and went digital 25 years ago, the industry has been on an upward trend. Worldwide, the online gambling market is projected to reach $160 billion by 2026. The UK is no different. 

Latest figures released show the total gross gambling yield (GGY) for online casinos was £3.2 billion, a 3.9% increase from April 2018 to March 2019. Online betting GGY was £2.1 billion, a 4.3% increase from April 2018 to March 2019.

The online slots industry grows bigger and more sophisticated each year, and the conveyor belt of games that get released are increasing in quality all the time. 

This is a happy marriage of more slots developers entering the industry and better technology available to them. The resulting games at starslots.com are enticing, interesting, fun and entertaining.

Despite this technological symbiosis that exists meaning that users benefit from the constantly improving content, is there a role that slots developers should play?

A high variety of games

Obviously, when you think of the role a slot developer should play, the first one that come to mind is to produce entertaining and novel content. So, in order to be successful and appeal to the widest demographic possible, it’s important for developers to release a wide selection of games.

Whether they’re themed slots based on movies, classic TV series, iconic bands, ancient mythology, a long-gone civilisation, the horror genre, or even just sports, any gambler looking for their corner will find a niche.

Similarly, developers must shake their games up. If they’re releasing the same old games year in, year out, just repackaged with a different character, savvy users will begin to see through the ruse.

Which direction will developers take iGaming?

It’s thought that the future of iGaming lies with online games inevitably coming together with other developing technologies such as digital currencies. We’re seeing iGaming platforms adopt cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin with ever increasing frequency. 

Considering raised levels of technological practicality and the introduction of decentralised currencies, this brings us on to the last, and possibly most important role that developers must play. 

Protecting the users 

It’s not just about protecting the users from malware, fraud and online scams. A large chunk of this responsibility falls with the site with whom you sign up. The developers simply provide the content for the sites to use, and it’s their role to keep your details safe, right? 

Yes – but what about protecting gamblers from themselves? Gambling addiction is a very real social ill in today’s society, and as we see the numbers of people signing up to online casino sites increase, the curve of gambling addicts sadly goes up too. 

It’s a progressive addiction that can have many negative psychological, physical, and social repercussions.

Do developers have a role in doing more to protect the people that play their games? You could argue that if people are going to invest their money in the industry, then the industry as a whole has a responsibility towards their well-being. 

As of 2021, maybe not enough responsibility and accountability is being taken on by slots developers regarding the lives of people addicted to their content. The UKGC will have to address this for everybody’s benefit.