Arguably one of the biggest industries in the world at the moment is the video gaming industry, currently worth around $179.7 billion, with 3.1 billion players; an industry that rivals the casino industry. One of the reasons for this is because of the number of platforms available for people to game on, such as mobile devices, laptops, computers, Game boys, Nintendo DS and so on.

This is precisely why the casino industry has been attempting to use gamification in order to attract new players for years, and it seems like it has finally come to fruition. The reality of being able to gamble on video gaming platforms has become more realistic with each passing year, as it is now possible to gamble on mobile devices, laptops and computers without sacrificing the player experience. 6Takarakuji actually have an in-depth article covering the best mobile casinos, looking specifically at casinos which are native to mobile.

Consoles however, have always been a platform slightly out of reach of the casino industry, until now. Here is why casino games are making their way to video gaming platforms.

Social gaming

One form of gaming that has seen a boost in popularity is social gaming, which is basically any type of gaming which can be plated over social networks. These games are commonly seen on Facebook, such as Farmville or Words with Friends. The defining characteristic of social gaming is that it isn’t played for money, but this hasn’t stopped the casino industry from capitalizing on it, and there are plenty of casino games that are free for people to play.

One of the biggest motivators for people to play social casino games is the element of competition, which is displayed through online leaderboards and rankings, and this essentially drives humans to do better than one another.

Not only do the social casino games provide socialization and entertainment, but free spins or money at the beginning of each day, when complete, can be bought using real money, which is called an in-app purchase and this is why the casino industry is focusing on making these social casino games so widely accessible.

What do consoles bring to the table?

One of the reasons many people opt for consoles rather than PC’s in the first place is the fact that each console is made with the same specifications and every game is designed for it. This means that every console player is able to enjoy an enhanced gaming experience, and share the same amazing animations, perfect sound and great graphics.

In respect to the above-mentioned social aspect, consoles provide a seamless multiplayer feature, which means that for the casino industry, this is a relatively untapped market, and with cross platform play becoming more and more common, the audience is even bigger.

This is because it would mean that anyone who has access to any of the gambling platforms can play together. Another benefit for the casino industry is that consoles make the gamification process easier, since the industry need only develop a game that includes gambling, rather than having to create a game that is about or revolves around gambling, which will be demonstrated below.

Real world examples

GTA 5 online, or Grand Theft Auto 5 online, is a video game in which a player can explore an often-satirical representation of Hollywood, make money, buy cars, clothes, businesses, houses and more.

Recently the game introduced a casino in which players can gamble with a variety of different games and earn in-game money, which can be used to do the abovementioned activities, and use real world money to buy in-game currency. This video game is thought to be a perfect merge between online casinos and console gaming, as well as a video game that includes gambling, but isn’t centered around it.

There are also plenty of other games available on consoles at the moment that are specifically for casino gaming, some can earn real money, others are just social games, such as The Four King Casino & Slots, Prominence poker and Pure Hold’em.

Each of these games provide excellent graphical quality, fun gameplay and an immersion that is unrivalled by online casinos, which is why there is an argument to be made that casino video games with multiplayer functionality, and the ability to earn real world money is the future of online casino gambling.