The year 2014 is bound to be a great year for online gaming. This is backed up by a research conducted by Dr. Lisa Galarneau, socio-cultural anthropologist and games researcher for Big Fish Games Galarneau’s findings say the online gaming industry grew 9% in 2013 and now exceeds $76 billion with projections it will reach over $86 billion by 2016. In addition, consumers spent 20.77 billion dollars on video games, hardware and accessories in 2012. In 2014, this number is predicted to go up to $24 billion.
The same goes with online gambling as the number of states allowing online gambling in the US it increased to 3. New Jersey recently joined Delaware and Nevada in the states that allows gambling online. The garden state’s first virtual casinos went live late November last year, and reports now indicate that State Senator Raymond Lesniak is planning to draw foreign companies to join local based players in the online gambling market. Gary Loveman, CEO for Caesars (CZR) says the company is pushing for federal legislation that will legalize online casinos in every state.
International Game Technology (IGT), developer for online casino game Castle Jackpot, has expressed its enthusiasm on the current progress of the US’ online gaming industry. IGT designs, develops and manufactures gaming systems and platforms for both casino, slot machines, and online content for placing bets in partnership with the various gaming companies. The growth in the online gaming market in the US presents an interesting opportunity for the company, which could play a major role in its growth strategy.
In fact just recently, IGT has strengthened the management team of its social casino subsidiary DoubleDown, with the appointment of former Zynga studio manager Jim Veevaert as vice president of games. This development happened a few days after the founders of DoubleDown have left the company, two years after it was purchased by IGT. Veevaert will spearhead the long-term product strategy for the said casino game across Facebook and mobile platforms. His responsibilities also include driving product initiatives from concept to launch and working on the ongoing improvement of the games.
Online games are also going more and more mobile. It is anticipated that future growth in mobile games will involve more multiplayer gaming options. Forbes Magazine notes that the future of gaming isn’t proprietary hardware, it’s in user-choice and cross-platform playability.
Michael
Founder and creator of Geekasms and now HaveaGeekasms.com. Co-host of Police Box Paradox and random guest on many other podcasts. A father, a blogger, a geek. My call to fame has been running into a glass door and my goatee. My goatee is glorious. More articles by Michael »
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