Smartphones Lead To Rise In Millennials Gambling Online

We often read about Millennials or Generation Y. But who is this group, and why the huge interest in them as potential customers? Basically the term Millennial refers to anyone born in the run-up to the Millennium – so they’re in their early 20s to mid-30s now – and their key appeal is that there are so many in this group that they now make up a significant proportion of the population.

It’s a generation that has grown up with ever more sophisticated technology and for whom going out without their smartphone would be as unthinkable as never carrying cash or cards. Some have even said they would rather lose their sense of smell than give up their technology.

As phones have become capable of doing more and more Millennials have eagerly led the way in using the technology, and its associated apps, to do everything from logging their fitness to ordering a late night cab to take them home.

One area in which this group has been relatively quick to use their smartphones is playing in online casinos. Not surprisingly, the gaming industry is very keen to keen to tap into this new market so a great deal of effort has gone into discovering just why online gaming seems to have held relatively little attraction for the average Millennial in the past.

Having said this, there are some very clear signs that the tide has started to turn and more and more of this segment of the population is starting to engage with online gambling, particularly through their smartphones.

For example in a report released by the UK Gambling Commission it found that profile of the average gambler was starting to come down so, for example, in 2008 only around 10.6% of people aged between 18 and 34 took part in any kind of gambling but by 2014 this figure had increased significantly to 17.5%.

Online casino operators are also playing their part in developing this market by taking a good look at the kinds of games that they’re offering online and specifically starting to design them in order to appeal to this younger demographic. Online casino brands such as 888 Casino have identified a trend that users, especially younger users, will use their smartphones instead of computer browsers whether they are on the go or not therefore optimizing their services for mobile via apps.

An important part of this comes from research that has found that when Millennials do gamble they tend to show a preference for games which incorporate at least an element of skill such as blackjack or poker. This sense of being able to influence the outcome may well lead to more of a focus on skill-based games or with less opportunities to play purely luck-based slots in their many variations.

But simply relying on the traditional, however much skill it entails, is unlikely to fully achieve the desired effect: a level of novelty is going to be essential too if online casinos want to not just attract but also retain this group. You only need to look at the fast changing trends in social media usage to see just how fickle and keen for new experiences this group tends to be.

But what form this will take no one really knows – although several manufacturers are starting to supply virtual reality headsets that fit onto smart phones. So the virtual casino may well be the next trendy hangout where Millennials will congregate.

Most Viewed Articles