Mobile Gaming is bigger than ever. In 2023, it can be one of the primary reasons to buy a mobile device for some users as the technology has become better and better, enhancing gaming and gambling experiences on portable devices. So how did it come about, and what developments has it had?
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The Infancy of Mobile Games
Back in the annals of mobile devices, connectivity was at a premium. It was an expensive luxury to call someone on your mobile phone, with most people texting instead. It took a while for people to want to use their phones for anything other than primal communication, but in 1994, a variation of Tetris was available to play on a Hagenuk MT-2000 device. However, most people will be more familiar with the Snake lineage, as the original Snake game was preloaded to Nokia phones from 1997. Snake II (a very similar game to the original) now enjoys a cult status as a pillar of the 2000s.
Introduction of Mobile Gambling
In theory, mobile gambling started as soon as mobile phones were capable of surfing the internet. Therefore, any person with an early WAP phone could have logged on to their casino of choice. However, whether or not the browser functioned properly was another question. It was unlikely that anyone using the Nokia 9000 Communicator phone in 1996 managed to play online casino games; it was largely only available in Finland – and the browser capabilities were very limited.
Moreover, it would be as the ‘smartphone age’ came into prominence that gambling and casino companies started making apps to work on specific devices that would function correctly.
Why is Mobile Gaming and Gambling so Popular?
Mobile gaming and gambling prove to be a hit for multiple reasons. The first factor is the convenience of mobile gaming. Mobile devices can be used almost anywhere instead of conventional gaming consoles or PCs. Whether it’s killing time when commuting or procrastinating at work where it’s more difficult to launch Red Dead Redemption 2, a mobile game can be easily accessed. The quality of game software on the very best phones can even rival some of the consoles, with games like Call of Duty even launching versions available for mobile devices. As such, given the financial problems in the contemporary world, some people simply cannot afford to purchase premium game consoles. Therefore, they look to their mobiles for gaming entertainment.
Budding gamblers also enjoy the convenience of online gambling over land-based gambling venues in that mobile users needn’t leave the comfort of their surroundings. Furthermore, online gambling options offer a certain amount of anonymity. Rather than being seen at a casino, online gamblers can go about their gambling activities with greater privacy. Also, some people might just not want to visit a real-world gambling venue. Casino and gambling apps afford them opportunities that they might not have been able to experience before.
The Surge of Online Gambling During COVID-19
The global COVID-19 pandemic was pretty terrible. It caused misery and suffering for many. People needed a vice to let off steam after being locked down. New experiences were pretty limited, so a lot of people turned to online avenues – with online gambling becoming a new hobby for some. Some of the most profitable casinos reported a 40% increase in the overall number of users during the height of the pandemic.
What Games are the Most Popular for Mobiles?
One of the most followed games and cult-status mobile games was the original Angry Birds. The franchise is still alive in some capacity today, with seemingly everyone having played it at some point in their life. It was reported that Angry Birds 2, at its peak, had 230 million regular players. However, it’s not the most popular game.
That accolade goes to…Candy Crush Saga. The simplistic free-to-play tile-matching game has been around since 2012, hence why it’s so well-known. In 2023, more than a decade after its release, the company reported that it still has a wide player count and community, apparently standing at over 500 million unique users. This game has been celebrated for its ease of use and how anyone can download and start playing right away.
Mobile game popularity charts are not exclusively made up of games that inherently belong on mobile devices. Given the advances in technology and that people essentially have supercomputers in their pockets as of 2023, long-standing game software developers are now honing their efforts in the mobile game market. This has led to the popular series Call of Duty not only to release a mobile-exclusive game but also to become a market leader with 500 million downloads.
Nintendo has long been part of the portable game scene, with lots of children at one point playing on a Gameboy device. In the late 2010s, they changed the landscape of mobile games when Pokemon Go used augmented reality to place Pokemon creatures in the real world. While it might have been a fad in some countries, the game still attracts a large following in Japan.
What are Casino Apps Anyway?
If you’ve browsed your mobile application’s app store you will probably have seen multiple categories for the games available. ‘Casino’ is usually its category or subcategory within the games section. Online casino apps typically offer a plethora of games that can be found in a real-world casino. The very best will allow users to switch between the roulette wheel, slot machines, blackjack, and many more.
Some of the more lavish and popular poker and sportsbook platforms also include casino game functionality within their offerings. The reverse is also true, with top casino apps including poker gaming and betting options.
What About the Best Casinos for Mobiles?
Unfortunately, there’s no hard and fast answer to what the best online casino is. There are far too many variables in play to quantify ‘the best’ in a self-contained sentence. The main reason is dependent on your locality. The local presiding government will probably have wildly different rules than the country next door, and there are some countries where regulations vary within their borders. The United States, for example, has a very complex history with online gambling and can see radical stances changed from state border to state border.
The best way to keep up with the best casino platforms is by using sites like Master of Casinos. It’s a casino comparison site that details a large number of the casinos available for Indian customers, as well as sharing lots of details on how to sign up and get the most out of your next gambling session.
If you are looking for an instant recommendation on some of the top casinos that Master of Casinos is recommending as of October 2023, these are some of the best: Slotnite Casino, Casumo, and Mr. Play. Of course, some broader recommendations go to the international operations from the big brands like Caesars Palace Online Casino, BetMGM, bet365, DraftKings, FanDuel, Golden Nugget, BetRivers, and Unibet which are presented at the forefront.
What are the Most Popular Games to Play in Online Casinos?
People usually log on to online casinos and gaming options to dive into another world, escaping their reality and experiencing the heightened excitement of potentially winning some money along the way. Slot machines might not initially seem like the most pertinent way to do this, but the online version has a lot of perks. For one, the wide array of online slot machines is a vast pool of choice. There are classically themed slots like fruit machines or some very zany themes like those based on movies, sports, or even music. Slots also employ simple ‘spin-and-win’ metrics to play, meaning that there’s almost no prior knowledge needed to win.
Online roulette wheels also enjoy the same entry-level appeal to gamblers who don’t wish to acquire new knowledge about gambling. Roulettes can be played live with real-time dealers or on web-based software where it is spun privately with the player. One reason why these games are so popular is that they are often hidden or exclusively found in casinos, meaning it’s not every day that ordinary people get to play such games – making the online version a rare chance to delve into casino culture.
Blackjack is likely to be the most popular card game in online casinos. Potentially the easiest and most well-known card game, it goes by many names: Pontoon, 21, etc. Everyone knows it: you have to get the closest to 21 without going over it and beat the dealer’s number. Given the near-universal appreciation of this game, it’s easy to understand why these specific rooms are always well-populated.
